In a 4-2 vote last week, the school board - 17 months away from being reconstituted - gave west-side schools almost twice as much cash for renovation projects as their east-side counterparts.

At stake: Nearly $27 million, for such things as plumbing upgrades, new asphalt on playgrounds and widened sidewalks.

The board, composed of four east-siders and three west-siders, might be expected to give eastern cities the edge.

But Ellen Wallace, from east-side suburb Sandy, teamed with the west-siders, voting to give west-side schools over $17 million. Her reason: Those improvements will make the schools safer.

The funding decision left two east-side board members - and some city leaders - crying foul.

Some said the money should have been evenly divided between east and west to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

Kim Horiuchi, from Cottonwood Heights, went a step further. She said east-side schools should have gotten 80 percent of the renovation money, because it has older schools.

And Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore says east-siders have kicked in more cash - 57 percent of the district's funds - than west-siders. In the 2008 budget, their schools get only 33 percent of the available cash.

"It represents . . . one more decision showing a prejudice against the constituents of the east side and in favor of the constituents on the west side," he said in a statement. "It is a travesty that there is not more of an equal split that recognizes the serious needs of the aging facilities on the east side."

But board member Peggy Jo Kennett, from West Jordan, said the board should simply follow an established set of criteria that disregards school locations and prioritizes renovation projects based on safety needs.

To change the funding process now, Kennett said, would go against a statute that says until the split takes place, the district should continue serving the entire area "as though the new district had not been created."

Kennett said splitting the money 50-50 would make the process political.

"Our buildings are in good operating shape because of the process we've used. Why should we change that now?"

But Horiuchi said, based on figures that measure a school's condition, east-side schools have greater renovation needs.

"I question the timing. We're spending $10 million more [than last year] in renovations," Horiuchi said. "And it's on newer [west-side] schools for things like track upgrades and playground repairs when we have east-side schools where you can't even plug in a fan and computer in the same room without [shorting out].

"The vote [to form a new district] was kind of the culmination of a lot of feelings on how the east side had been neglected for a long time. The vote Tuesday night just demonstrates that further."

But district official John Taylor said his staff never considered school locations. It simply tried to address the most urgent safety needs.

"We are not concerned with east, west, north, south, up or down," Taylor said.

Over the past 15 years, the east side has received $170 million, compared with the west's $52 million.

And amid the strife, residents such as Betty Shaw, from White City, are telling the board not to lose sight of its job.

All students, she said, need to be educated in a safe environment, regardless of what side of the valley they live on.

sgehrke@sltrib.com