There is a bill that is trying to be run through the Utah Legislature… silently. Senate Bill 71 (SB71) was introduced by Senator Carlene Walker. The bill is a result of last November’s vote to split Jordan School District into two distinct districts. Interestingly the east siders voted to agree with the split while the west-siders voted against it. Even though west-siders disagreed with the split, since the east-siders voted in favor for the split the result is a split regardless of west-side opinions. Now that talk about the separation of the two districts is well underway, heated discussion ensued. West Jordan City Councilwoman Melissa Johnson brings to light an interesting point. She indicates that the average school on the west side has 1400 students while on the east side has only 300 students. Now apparently Senator Walker is pushing for these items in SB71, per Councilwoman Johnson:

• She wants transition teams to meet in “closed” meetings, so as to prevent public input into this process, as she knows there would be overwhelming opposition from the west-side.
• She wants the west-siders to flip the bill to upgrade or build new schools on the east side and wants this done under the guise of new district “build-up costs” in the sum of $309 million.
• She is trying to change the law about dividing districts after the vote took place based on the current/previous law.

Since apparently the east-siders want their own district, why not split the assets on a student-by-student basis? This type of division would permit existing district funds to remain with the students who are in the schools now. Can someone else help me understand how she is making headway with such a one-sided bill?