Rob's blog

The next deciding factor for me, other than the special legislative session failure, was the Jordan School board's policies and dismissiveness of West Jordan's issues. During the 4 years I have been on the city council, we have met as a group with the school board and administrative staff to try to increase the level of communication, suggest common courses of action that could benefit our same constituents, and help get ahead of the crises rather than always be behind them. My impression has been of a group that listens with a sympathetic ear, gives verbal agreement that something needs to be done, and then goes on its way and does what it wants anyway in spite of the opinions of other elected officials who are not "nut jobs" just focused on a single issue and insist on their way or the highway. In my personal experience, I have felt that we as a city have been told to "pound sand."

Let me provide a case in point. In 2003, the voters approved a school bond to be issued to build more schools that would be needed very soon. The bond was in an amount of $281 million dollars. Here is a record of how that money has been spent since the time of issuance:

From 2003 to 2007, we have a similar pattern. Between $10 and $25 million spent per year. In West Jordan, two elementary schools had to be demolished and have either been rebuilt or are being rebuilt (Columbia and Heartland). Now, in 2008, we are planning to spend the bulk of the money for: one traditional high school, one alternative high school, one middle school, five elementary schools, and one special education school. Oh, the caveat: costs are estimated at $213 million (only $196 million is available from the bond). So where does that leave us in the Jordan School District?

How does a $779 million bond through your property taxes sound to you?

That is what is proposed as soon as the school split crisis is solved and decisions can be made from who does what as to where schools, refurb's, etc. will still be needed by what is left of the school district. Maybe that amount will go down. Maybe it won't. At this point, nobody knows.

What about other issues that have happened with the school district?

• Since 2003, Jordan School District's expenses have gone up 53% ($498.9 million to $766.9 in 2007). Roughly 60% of that (for example, $365.4 million in 2005) is classified as general expenses, not constructing new schools. Capital (construction) costs have only been about 10-15% of the expenses, with the exception of the BIG bump for $213 million for new school construction for this upcoming year. Of course, expenses and costs have gone up for everyone, not just the school district. I am not disputing that. It is the establishing of priorities for the spending that I am questioning. Planning issues by the school district are always blamed on someone else - accountability is not assumed. Any school district or city is responsible for anticipating its needs well in advance of when the needs will be critical and take steps to address those needs before that time. There are a cadre of people who deal with these issues. They are called professional planners. We have several of them employed at the city. Would it surprise you to know that there is not a professional planner on staff at the Jordan School District?

• Schools in West Jordan are critically overcrowded. Built for 800 students, many have 1,200 or more students attending them, and still more people are moving in. One of the elementary schools scheduled for next year is slated for West Jordan. That should help relieve some of the pressure. Capital project plans for upcoming years do not seem to be on the district's web site, so as to when the next school will be built in WJ, I do not have an answer to that question.

• We get copies of every board meeting that the school district holds. It is a one page, two sided paper. EVERY meeting without exception states that the board is meeting in closed door session. The Utah Open Meetings Act only allows this for certain reasons that are spelled out very carefully, because the point of public government is so that the business of government can be conducted in the public's eye. The Attorney General of Utah had to threaten to subpoena the tapes of the closed door meetings to check for violations of the open meetings act before they would turn the tapes over to him. There are definite reasons to hold closed door sessions, but having one every time they meet appears to me to defeat the purpose of having transparent government.

• Another big news item this year was the school board voting themselves a sizeable pay raise. Why they would choose to do this in such an egregious manner and timing, with teachers leaving over too little pay, insurance rate hikes that teachers would have to pay but not the board, and the looming school district split make their judgement questionable. Although it is understandable from the pittance they were getting before that an adjustment needed to be made, they way it was done flaunted the fact they they believe they can pretty much get away with whatever they can get away with. In this case, there was such a public outcry that the board reversed itself and only took the raise rather than the insurance comp that would have raised their as part time officials to the level of full-time starting teachers. 

• What happened to all the experienced teachers last year? According to this Deseret News story, 733 teachers had to decide to retire early because of the district cutting post-retirement benefits. It certainly was a valid cost-cutting measure. But what effect did it have on the students who now have newer, less-experienced teachers to mentor and teach them as those newer teachers gain the experience that makes them so valuable to our children.

These are just anecdotal issues to the question of what is best for West Jordan. In my final article, I will tie this all together and explain why these issues swayed me to change my mind on whether to put the school district split on the ballot for this November for West Jordan's voters to decide.