South Jordan OK's district-split study

SOUTH JORDAN — The South Jordan City Council voted Thursday night to conduct a feasibility study for the possible formation of a South Jordan school district.

Rick Horst, South Jordan city manager, recommended to the council that it proceed with a study to determine the feasibility of creating a city school district. The study will cost the city $32,450, which is lower than costs other cities have incurred because much of the needed information has already been obtained through the earlier feasibility studies.

Horst said the city has the benefit of looking at feasibility studies conducted by West Jordan and several east-side cities.

In an August special session, the Legislature dropped the population requirements for a school district from 65,000 to 50,000, making South Jordan eligible to consider its own district.

Mayor Kent Money said his biggest concern with the issue of the school districts is equalization of tax funds.

"I think the most important issue facing us now is the equalization issue. ... Hopefully when that goes through the legislative process in January, they will be able to resolve that issue," he said.

South Jordan has in the range of 10,000 to 12,000 schoolchildren, and with an ever-growing west side, more students will be entering South Jordan schools. The city could not support the growth without tax-fund equalization, Money said.

Money added that he hopes city councils for both east- and west-side cities will cooperate in equalization and splitting the assets of the Jordan School District if there is a split. Money believes the splits will occur.

Conducting a feasibility study will help the city understand better what options are available, whether it is creating its own school district, partnering with another city, or fighting to keep the school district the way it is, Horst said.

"We can only control ourselves and, at the end of the day, we have to (do) what's best for our constituents," he said.

South Jordan originally planned to be part of a lawsuit, along with Riverton, West Jordan, Herriman and Bluffdale, concerning the constitutionality of west-side cities not being able to have a say on the issue.

The council has cooled toward the idea of a lawsuit and hopes the feasibility study will give them a better idea of what the city can afford to do.

The study will complete an enrollment and school-boundary analysis and other analyses.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com