Reader comments
Legislation on Jordan split fine-tuned

Anonymous | 7:51 a.m. Feb. 11, 2008

The east side should have thought about this when they decided to secede. When the South seceded from the North, the South didn't fight over assets in the North.

The

No heart for Valentines | 11:12 a.m. Feb. 11, 2008

East side is out for themselves.

Raise propertiy taxes, hurtfull splits, don't think they will stop.

We want all the assets as well.

West side is not dead yet, they are just down!
Fight to the end right!

Karen | 4:04 p.m. Feb. 11, 2008

The East side wanted to have their own district and they set the boundaries. They should have to go with what they have!!!! The split was a short-sighted move spurred by a few elitists. They should have to pay the piper themselves.

Comments continue below

Blah | 6:51 p.m. Feb. 11, 2008

Send Ichabod Crane to the West side along with 60 percent of the art and maybe we would have some fairness.

This isn't about fairness. It never was. This is about a divorce cruel and simple where the one side wants it all even if that harms the other. This whole split is harmful and contentious, but it was exactly the thing the legislature wanted. Now let's all have our taxes raised and BE HAPPY, like the nice legislative woman told us to be.

East Sandy | 11:52 a.m. Feb. 12, 2008

Frankly Iï¿½m disgusted with this whole district split. Itï¿½s not cost effective, it takes valuable learning options from kids, and it will be very costly to taxpayers including those of us on fixed income. This move is driven by greed and emotion and not by sound educational needs but thatï¿½s all we can expect from a legislature where everyone but educators are making educational decisions. Before this is all through, people will see what a terrible mistake this was.

Fair & Equitable | 7:53 a.m. Feb. 13, 2008

So essentially, the East Side wants their schools to look exactly like new schools on the West Side - but with 1/3 the number of students. And they want to call that equal. Hmmm.

If they want compensation from the West Side for the condition of their schools, then let them close a bunch of schools and fill the remaining schools to the same capacity as the West Side.

It's wrong to ask the remaining district, which had no vote in this matter, to pay (for example) to refurbish two traditional-schedule elementary schools with 500 kids each when our kids' schools have 1200+ students on year-round school out here.

Anonymous | 10:57 a.m. Feb. 13, 2008

Sandy City has advertisements on the radio right now about how they haven't 'raised property taxes in 20 years'. This legislation is an attempt to keep that true by stealing the money they need from the pockets of everyone else.

If they want equality, then they'd have brand new schools with 1,000 kids minimum in them like we have. That would be easily funded by closing 1/2 the elementary schools over there, selling the land and using the proceeds to build a brand new school. Problem solved. Oh- wait, it's not about equality.

I wish I knew all our schools were brand new. That certainly isn't true for my kids and their old open-floor plan building.

Sherrin | 12:14 p.m. Feb. 13, 2008

What was the plan here for the split in the first place. East side not having to pay higher taxes to pay for west side schools. So now they want the west side to pay to refurbish the schools the east side wanted. Interesting. I thought the east side had so much money they could afford to take care of this split on their own. Are they not as well off as they have claimed to be. All I know is that it isn't fair for the poorer west side to have to pay for the more affluent east side. Hmmmmm. Let them close down some of the schools they don't need and sell them off to the community to pay for the refurbishing of the remaining schools and then it will be equal. The west side can't afford to build their own schools, and remodel the east side schools too. Get real. The east side wanted this and kept us from voting on it, now let them deal with their desision. OOPs too late. Our legislators and govner better step in now and make some executive decisions. This is bad politics at it's best.

Fair & Equitable | 1:14 p.m. Feb. 13, 2008

I remember people begging East Siders to please hold off on a split so the legislature could set better guidelines for the process. They didn't want to wait. They had to do it immediately, gambling that existing laws were more favorable to them than future laws might be.

They should live with their choice. They knew what the law said at the time of the split and they did it anyway. They chose the timing - they should be honorable enough to live with the rules in effect at that time.

If they wanted the law changed, they should have waited and had their legislators set the stage for them. They have some very senior legislators in their pocket - including the Speaker of the House. There's no excuse.

It's dishonest to change the rules after the game has already begun - particularly given that none of the other players got to choose the timing or the rules.

PH | 2:22 p.m. Feb. 13, 2008

"We have 40-year-old buildings, they have brand-new buildings," Allen said. "Is that a fair distribution of the assets?"

I wonder if Allen realizes that the west side also has 40 year old buildings and the the east side also has brand-new buildings?

PH | 2:26 p.m. Feb. 13, 2008

"They have very real modifications to make (in east-side buildings) to make sure they are safe and up to date. In order to be equitable, you have to consider that," Walker said.

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Those modifications should have been considered before the split.

It's interesting that Walker wants things equitable. I really could have used her telling the news media that things weren't equitable when I wasn't allowed to vote for the split.

Darla in Sandy | 6:26 p.m. Feb. 13, 2008

What's really unfortunate is that 48% of those who voted on the East Side didn't want this split either. Who exactly has been pushing this whole mess? Those of us who can actually do math knew that it would not, as many proponents claimed, cost us less money.

I live on the 'East Side' but did not vote for the split. I knew it would not be cost effective- and I also knew that voting for it would be screwing over my grandkids, most of whom live on the West Side of the district.

I've lived here long enough to remember when we here in Sandy were desperately trying to get our own schools built to keep up with growth. We certainly weren't shy about expecting others to pony up for that!

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