Two days of state Senate debate focused on slowing the process for creating new school districts, but a measure addressing the issue survived largely intact Wednesday.

Cottonwood Heights Republican Sen. Carlene Walker's bill spelling out procedures and timelines for creating new districts passed the Senate 22 to 7.

But the version of the bill sent to the House is silent on issues that have formed the core of the debate - namely, whether residents in the district from which a new district would be carved would get to vote.

An amendment added Tuesday directs lawmakers to study such issues over the summer. The bill's supporters threw off a second amendment that would have prevented cities from voting on a split until 2008. That amendment passed Tuesday 15 to 14, but a day later senators voted 22 to 7 to remove it.

"It's important for this body to understand that unless we alter this bill, there will be a vote this November," Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said Tuesday. "I have always supported smaller school districts, but the current statute is simply barbaric in the way it divides districts - it will create savage inequality between districts."

The most-cited example of potential inequality is the enormous Jordan School District, where residents on the east side resent having to pay ever-growing property taxes to fund new buildings on the district's growing west side. If the east side formed its own district, west side residents would bear an even larger tax burden for several years, analyses have shown.

Pushing an election to 2008 would allow more time to study such issues and ensure a high turnout of well-informed voters, said Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan. But others saw no reason to postpone the process because the bill's timeline would prevent a new district from operating before July 2009.

SB30

Would set procedures and timelines for creation of smaller school districts.

Next step: Goes to a House committee.