Reader comments
Herriman loses bid to halt vote on district

I think it is a great idea to allow all parties involved in this particular issue the right to vote. In fact, I am going to sue for the right of the people of the British Isles to be included in any vote involving American independence. We are sure to lose the revenue from the tariffs of goods produced in those colonies thus affecting our ability to provide services to our remaining citizens. Nevermind the fact that we bled the colonists dry for many years of goods and resources that allowed us to expand our worldwide empire. Nice job Herriman, you are an inspiration to kings, rulers, and magistrates everywhere.

So long as this issue is framed as "splitting" a school district those on the west side seem ALSMOST justified in wanting a vote. But that is NOT what is happening. The east side is voting on whether to form a NEW school district. We don't let the whole county vote when one area decides to form a NEW city.

Bottom line here is that the west side doesn't want to vote; they want to vote NO. While doing so might make their short term finances a little easier, it is not in the best interest of either area.

The JSD now has more STUDENTS than it had residents when it was formed. Within 10 years the new, west-side-only JSD will be as large as the current JSD is today. BOTH sides of the valley need more local control.

If the west side (or for that matter, any other area) wanted to form their own district, I'd fully support their right to make that decision for themselves without having to persuade voters in some other area to support them.

Support the creation of new east side school districts.

"East needs" posted some insightful comments to yesterday's story on this subject. I think they're worth posting again here:

Students in aging/ancient schools with insufficient/non-existent HVAC, fire protection, and tech infrastructure. There are likely $400 million in infrastructure needs on the east side that will go largely unmet for the next decade unless the focus a new district brings actually occurs.
Draper � was promised a middle school from the 2003 bond funds (but) guess what? It's no longer on the table. When the board voted 4-3 to find "alternate funding in 2008" [read that as basically never] the three against had near apoplectic fits that some/any other money be used to fulfill that promise.
I understand things change, but working hard to contribute your share and getting slapped in the face for it hurts.
The east side will continue to pay for 57% of the west's schools for the next 15-20 years until those bonds are retired. That's fine, we voted to approve the bonds, and we owe the debt.
A new district will simply allow us to focus our resources on our kids and allow the Jordan District to better meet the needs of theirs.

The judge is 100% in the right. This matter is not for the courts to decide it is for elected lawmakers at the capitol to remedy. Thumbs up for jurisprudence

Don't assume that everyone on the westside wants to vote no. (I live in South Jordan and I would vote YES to the split.) The issue I have with this whole mess is that many (not all) eastside residents often look down their noses when it comes to providing equal funding to westside students. It seems to be a "my kids are more valuable than your kids" argument.

My kids also deserve a top tier education and I want a voice in any decision that will affect their opportunities for obtaining a good education. The current situation is forcing change upon my kids and I don't believe it is the best solution for all involved.

Would I welcome a smaller locally controlled district? Yes! Do I want the eastside mayors telling me when and how such a change will occur? NO! My views (and my neighbors) must be taken into consideration too when such an awesome change is being considered.

This issue is not about creating a new school district out of an existing district. It's about creating TWO entirely new and distinct districts with new boundaries and new elected officials. Why in the world should only one side be allowed to vote?

Dear King George,

Thank you for the emotional comparison. It's really too bad that it is ridiculous. By the way, we live in a democracy. Also, who do you suppose funded the growth in Sandy, Draper, and Cottonwood Heights when they were growing areas? I don't believe there was buried treasure to fund the schools, so it must have come from other areas. Wow, maybe we shouldn't build schools until a community is financially viable enough to build them themselves.

Just FYI. We live in a Republic, not a Democracy.

Who paid for schools in Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale and Alta?

Simple: Sandy, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale and Alta, with a MINORITY (read that small, as in 25%-40% of the total) bill coming from those west of the Jordan River. Even with that MINORITY stake in all schools in Jordan School Distirct, the West side still boasts 47% of the total schools. Hmmm, it sure would be nice to only pay 25-43% and get 47% out of it. On Wall Street that would be awesome leverage!
And PLEASE, don't even say "Kennecot" - #1 they're centerally assesed (no taxes to JSD or local municipalities), and #2 they have been for over 30 years. Even when they were paying taxes to JSD, the aggregate total was still a minority share of the total.

I never said that the funds I was referring to came from west of the Jordan River. You made that assumption. I just meant that other areas paid for their growth. They didn't have quite as impressive a contribution in the late 70's and early 80's when Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, and "Alta" were exploding with new development. The point I'm making is that what comes around, goes around. People in Sandy and Draper have a short term memory.

When Jordan was formed in 1906, most of it was unincorprated county, and the county council made the planning and land use ordinnaces that governed growth; everyone got to vote for the county council members.

Today that is not true. Herriman enacts its own land use policies without regard to how those policies affect JSD or surrounding cities. The "burgeoning" tax increase caused by the growth is fully within the power of the west side cities to mitigate by changing their growth policies. The citizens of the seceding cities, however, do not get to vote for the Herriman city council members that enact those policies.

If all of the partitions are approved and JSD is divided into four pieces, all Herriman, Riverton and Bluffdale need do to avoid the tax increase for new schools is to stop issuing building permits.

Cities incorporate so they can have local control of things like zoning and land use policies; they need to step up and take responsibility for the consequences of those polices on the school system.