Reader comments
Online survey seeks input about splitting school districts

Just a note of caution to those looking at the results of this "survey": A survey it ain't. This school district split "survey" was publicized first and foremost to the faithful of the district split philosophy.

True survey's study demographics and poll representative numbers of defined communities. It this case, it isn't even a high school popularity poll. It's more like "Chicago-style" voting; vote early and vote often.

Take it for what it's worth.

District size was legislated when Utah was a much smaller states. Things have changed. Many school districts have grown into large organizations where the voice of the people has been swallowed and the children have been short changed. School Superintendents in these juggernauts now earn in the rage of $120,000 a year plus benefits where teacher make a fraction of that salary. The only way out of this crisis is to split districts back into more manageable sizes where salaries can be equalized and school board members can attend to education instead of politics.

Professor -- your comment makes no sense. So if we form TWO districts, we'll then have 2 superintendents making $120,000? Tell me how cost efficient that is.

If you think smaller bureacracy is not bureaucracy, you haven't had much experience with bureaucracy! Two districts won't make red tape any less. Both districts would still be large.

The Jordan District already has high student performance, and there is nothing defensible that suggest that students will do better in smaller districts. And, since classroom size is set by the legislature, the east side won't have smaller classes, either.

This issue was initially driven by tax avoidance, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that it's something else. The east side didn't want to pay for westside schools -- and that's what comes out time and again in town meetings. It's not about local control -- it's about the mighty dollar.

Should the majority of the kids in the valley get shortchanged?!

I thought when I left the state of Louisiana that I was giving my children better eduacational opportunities. I am saddened by the school districts lack of teacher/student ratio. I honestly believe before I left LA, my oldest son got a much better education in K and 1st grade. They were much more intense and the class sizes were smaller. Louisiana, at that time was second to last in illiteracy in the US. I was thinking UTAH would be a better place to educate my children. Please give me a reason to think so. I am having a hard time these days trying to find one. Utah teachers have a very difficult time trying to teach classes with so many students. Please consider giving our teachers a pay raise and keep those that love and want to teach in the state. I would not mind the district split if it fair to all of our CHILDREN. After all, isn't this what most important. Thanks.