Comments about ‘Utah Legislature: Bill would allow for Jordan school tax increase’

The legislature solves a problem they created. They allow Kennecott Land to make a gazillion dollars creating Daybreak and adding thousands of homes and tens of thousands of kids to the Jordan School District without paying one penny of Imapact fees to help build all the schools that are going to be needed. They allow the district to double the administrative costs by splitting the district, and then Senators Stephenson & Waddoups are "surprised" by the added costs. Perhaps they need to take a deep breath and think this out a little more before they solve this problem.

NO NEW TAXES!!!!! TAX CUTS ARE NEEDED NOT TAX INCREASES!!!

Around to find ways to keep up-As Price of Life is costing everyone more..

What a farce being played out by the Administration and Jordan School District Board of Education. They have a larger tax base than the Alpine School District but can't balance their budget. Could it be that they failed to trim the top heavy administration with the reduction in the size of the district? This entire charade has been orchestrated to have the "public" mandate a tax increase. True there has been a growing school population but through the housing downturn of the last 18 months that trend has been significantly trimmed. No commercial tax base? What about Jordan Landing, The District, the beautiful development around the South Jordan City Hall, office buildings along the west side of I-15 in South Jordan? We are being taken in by the gang that can't shoot straight. We need a new Administration and a new school board. This group borrowed the age old practice of a police department that is facing cuts....offer up the crossing guards. In this case they offer up the teachers. I am sure that Mr. Hutchings is a sincere man but he is sadly offering the easy way of tax and spend to the Jordan District.

What about Cache, Weber, Alpine, Nebo, and Davis?? They have less tax base than Jordan!! Is there no help for them?! Jordan is just screaming louder and using the district split as an excuse.

Let's not solve the budgetary problem by controlling our spending, like every family is doing right now. Instead, let's hold our hands out for more money, demanding it from those who can least afford it, and who keep saying "No tax increases".
Hold the line, live within your means. A lot of us are making it without extorting money from our neighbors.
You'd be surprised what a little backbone will do for you. Legislature and school boards, try growing your own.

Two things seem painfully clear through Jordan School District's current woes:
1. They didn't cut back one year ago when the new district was being created and they could have placed all employees in one of the two districts.
2. There is a need for a modest impact fee for schools to help pay for growth.

The Jordan School District administration could have avoided the difficult situation they are in now had they planned ahead.

Inequities have been revealed by the Jordan /Canyons School District split. Recent developments have shown that serious issues were not fully known or foreseen at the time the legislature approved the split. That was understandable at the time but now they are revealed. Tolerance by state governmental bodies and legislators that allow split-caused funding problems to continue unchecked won't go unnoticed by voters both in and out of affected school districts. The legislature was pressured to approve this inadequately studied split without demanding a vote of confidence and assent be obtained from all residents in the affected districts. The resulting repercussions are being felt in every district. This sets a dangerous precedent that effectively silences affected taxpayers and paves the way for other school districts in Utah to split without having to address serious funding or other inequities when they are later revealed. Now that the split-caused problems have been revealed it is the legislature's responsibility to step in and provide emergency funding immediately. OTHERWISE, YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD BE NEXT!

@jmprince | 2:37 p.m.
The "unintended consequences" were Jordan S.D. administration caused. They didn't trim according to the reduction in size with their district administration, especially in their salaries.

The vote was done this way, because it was the only way to get it done. The other way was tried in Alpine and district administrators manipulated figures to turn regions against each other so it couldn't pass, just like Jordan administrators tried to do.

The division needed to happen. No matter HOW it was done district administrators would have done everything they could to undermine it. It may not have been the best way, but it was the only way to start with.

As time proves the wisdom of dividing, maybe we can find ways to stop district administrators from undermining needed divisions to "their kingdoms" and avoid these difficulties.