Bill changing how school district splits are handled fails in committee

Both sides of a school district should be able to vote on whether to split, says Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan.

Hillyard presented SB123 to the Senate Education Committee Monday. The Committee voted 4 to 3 against passing the bill out favorably.

However, Hillyard told the Deseret News after the meeting it is far from a done deal. He plans to talk to the senators who voted against the bill, "see what their concerns were," and then go from there.

Hillyard's effort is a direct result of the issues rising out of splitting Jordan School District.

In November 2007, east-side residents voted, as is allowed by law, to leave Jordan District and form their own school district. The division is scheduled to be official in July.

"What we did in the Jordan District division showed lots and lots of problems," Hillyard told the Deseret News.

"It's important we put the notice clearly to everyone we aren't going to do that again," Hillyard said during the Committee meeting.

Former senator Carlene Walker, who brought about previous legislation that allows a school district to split, spoke out against the bill, saying she is "very disappointed and sad" at the idea of depriving a district such an opportunity.

"It's the death nail for any future school district split," Walker said.

Legislation and the resulting Jordan District split has caused much heated debate among the community.

Steve Newton, chairman of the east transition team, said he doesn't like Hillyard's bill. "I think it's a very bad move," Newton said.

He said he believes the advantage of being able to unilaterally leave the district is what keeps these big districts in check. "Each community should have a right of impunity to keep the school district honest — otherwise it just becomes a giant monopoly," Newton said.

Newton said Alpine School District became "a lot more sensitive" to communities when they threatened so split from the district. That is what happens "when individual communities have the ability to withdraw," he said.

Melissa Johnson, member of the west transition team and member of the West Jordan City Council, thinks Hillyard's bill is a great idea because it "takes some of the animosity out of the process of splitting a district."

Johnson points out that the split affects the side that is left behind and costs are bourn by that leftover district.