Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, also plans to introduce HB1002, which would keep "really small populations" within a proposed new school district from "stopping the whole process" of local governments joining together to form a new school district. When a group of local governments move to create a new school district, local councils representing only 80 percent of the new district's total population must agree to a vote under the bill.

That bill Tuesday earned the blessing of the legislative Local Issues Task Force, which has attempted to address issues in efforts to split Granite and Jordan, the state's two largest school districts. The bill would relate more to split efforts in Jordan than in Granite.

Under current law, if a group of cities and/or the county want to create a new district, all local governments' legislative bodies must vote in favor of the district split and agree to put the matter before voters.

The "equalization" bill that lawmakers will consider would require the school districts in Salt Lake County to pay into a building construction fund. A revised bill presented to the task force Tuesday would split the revenues 50/50 for growth, calculated over three years, and current student population. Districts in a county of the first class — Salt Lake County is the only one — must participate if they want state education money.

The bill would be revenue neutral, essentially freeing up head room for school districts to raise taxes to address growth by pooling everyone's resources, supporters contend. It also spreads out burden of new district construction, just as public school operations are "equalized" through the income tax.

But there would be winners and losers. Jordan would get $13.8 million more than it puts into the pot. But Murray would get $627,000 less; Granite would get $1.9 million less; and Salt Lake would get $11.3 million less than it puts in, according to an analysis by the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel. The likely outcome: Taxes in those losing districts would go up by the same amount.

The analysis doesn't address what would happen if Granite and Jordan split, because the numbers there aren't solid enough for an analysis, said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. The proposed new district in Granite, for instance, now seeks to put east-side Cottonwood High in the west-side district.

But, Stephenson noted, Jordan's west side likely will get more growth money than the east, and more money for population.

Salt Lake City, as well as Salt Lake and Granite school district officials, have decried the bill. Salt Lake City councilman Dave Buhler said the equalization bill stands to cost city taxpayers $11 million, which will be made up through a tax hike.

There's also some question as to whether the state can constitutionally require one school district to levy taxes to benefit another, noted Steve Peterson of the Utah School Boards and Superintendents associations. Legislative Research and General Counsel said it's uncertain how the courts would interpret that and expected the bill to contain no constitutional warnings.