Reader comments
Jordan's west team votes down assets plan

Both transition teams have tried to divide the school district for months now and all it has done it widen the divide between the east and the west. Arbitration is a good decision and will be the only fair way to do this. Then again, there has really been nothing fair about this all along. Most of all it hasn't been and will not be fair to kids!

It's OK for the east to continue paying $281 million, but not OK for the west to pay back $33 million! Shouldn't the east get ONE building out of the whole bond they are paying for?? THAT'S what caused the split. The west kept taking without allowing the east to keep anything.

The west will have more tax dollars than the east per student because the vast majority of the budget is already equalized! and they still want more!!

Churck, it is more than Ok for the East to pay their share of the district's bonded indebtedness, it is the law! It is what the East side board members, patrons and the mayors voted for and committed to as they sold this flawed law to the 17% of the East side voters who said yes to the split. Why didn't the East get their middle school in Draper? Could it be that the middle schools in the East are at 70% capacity while the west is at 100% plus capacity. The East should be closing a middle school, not building a new school. How can the West have more tax dollars than the East when the East has 58% of the tax base but only 42% of the students. Sounds like you have been talking and spending too much time with Mayor Cullimore, Ex Mayor Steve Newton, Sen Walker, Speaker Curtis, etc.

I find it amusing to think anyone from the west side would say "Great Decision" to go to arbitration. Even Haws (RSDTT Chair) is under some misguided delusion that things will work out better for them!
btw: 53% of voters approved a new district - and you can only count those that actually showed up at the polls. Also, 4 times as many people voted to approve a new district as voted in the entire 2003 bond election.
Haws et al keeps spewing the same old mantra and "conveniently" forgets the rest of the data. While true that the East assessed valuation per student will be higher, he neglects to mention that costs per student are also significantly higher (read old buildings at less that 100% capacity). Also that number (assessed valuation per student) is independant of the WPU that comes from the State PER STUDENT and so the remaining Jordan School District will have a larger budget come tax time simply because they have 30% more students!

Kim Horiuchi says "We are trying to form a new school district, and it would be nice to have this settled and behind us,"

Kim - It was you and your constituents that elected to form a new school district BEFORE knowing the terms of separation. Don't whine now that the west has chosen not accomodate your arrogance by assuming the costs and conditions of your decison.

Arbitration will favor the west district. The east elected to leave, fairness dictates they should pay the costs associated with the formation of their new district.

Many terms/conditions were known "BEFORE" the election took place. What has come as a surprise is the intransigence of west side politicos that refuse to accept the lawful decision made and work towards good for both sides.

"the east elected to leave, fairness dictates they should pay" ignores the fact that the east is paying and has paid the vast majority of ALL costs throughout the history of JSD. Doing so and having their needs ignored prompted many to vote to create a new, seperate entity out of JSD (and a portion of Granite). Why some with "astounding arrogance" insist on beleiving that assets belong to JSD and not the taxpayers baffles me to no end.

Astounding Ignorance,

Self-title I presume?

The West paid to build the East during the fifties, sixties, seventies and early eighties. How quickly you have become ignorant of that fact. Those farmers, families and Kennicott paid greatly so you could have schools during your boom. Now your selfishness when the situation has reversed is readily apparant.

This misconception that the west EVER paid a majority of funds for any/all buildings in the district is a great fallacy that, while totally untrue, persists.

#1 Farmers' tax rate are significantly less than non "greenfield" land.

#2 Kennicott is (and has been since the early 70s) centerally assessed, which meand they don't pay the JSD. Even when they DID pay JSD taxes (previously to being centerally assessed) the ration of East/West taxes was well over 70% of total revenue coming from the East (those with the homes with kids in them). Your (sorry) assumption that somehow a single busines entity would pay more gross dollars in property tax that an entire population on the east side of the valley is laughable....

Poor assumptions like that lead to poor decisions and, in this case, misappropriated hurt feelings.