Great hire! Dave is man of exceptional skills, diplomacy and integrity. He will do a superior job in a tough situation.

While I don't know much about Dr. Doty on a personal
level, it seems that he was the inside choice of the
east side mayors (Cullimore, Dolan and such). In any
case it is my understanding that Doty is a member of
the east side transition team. To me that is like an employee of a company winning a company sponsored contest. I also think that the national search was a bit of a sham. Both of these finalists
come from Brigham Young University and they are both seem to be part of the traditional edcucational establishment. It makes me wonder what
the real agenda is those people who have created
this cart before the horse split,

Is "East jordan School District" the official name of the new district?

The East Jordan District had two top notch candidates. Congrats to Dave for his hard work at the State. I had the pleasure to get to know him with the Utah Scholars program and he will be a great asset to the district.

One more sign this district split is saving taxpayer money. Wait a minute... the west-side district has a superintendent too. Never mind.

Shaun. This whole District Split has been a sham. The Mayors as well as Curtis and Walker orchestrated this split as political pay back for Jordan District not coughing up 12 million for the Soccer Stadium. The law implementing the split was changed to only allow the East Side to vote. The Legislature then took Mayor Carroon out of the equation when they changed the law to stop him from having a voice in the decision. The Mayors and Legislators passed a law that kept the incumbent Board members who were in their pocket. They then hand picked candidates to run for school board in the other three districts. These candidates included Theresa Curtis and Paul MaCarthy. Dr. Doty is probably a good educator but compared to Dr. Bates he does not have near the experience. Dr. Doty already had the job before the Mayors interviewed the twelve candidates. This whole split mess was created in back room Republican power plays. Everyone in South Valley should be ashamed about how this process has transpired. Vote all the Republicans out!! We need to start with Curtis, Dolan and Cullimore.
.

This whole process has been a disaster. There was no doubt that Doty was going to get the superintendents job. The Mayors and Curtis had him as a hand picked candidate before the process even started. We need to hold all of these politicians accountable when they are up for re-election. This is all political pay back for Jordan District not coughing up 12 million dollars for a soccer stadium. The students on both sides of the valley are going to suffer. Dr. Doty is probably a good guy but does not have the qualifications of Dr. Bates. This whole affair is a sad day for South Valley. Governor Huntsman should step in and call the whole mess off. Democracy is dead in this valley!!!

The split is a good idea- as is anything that breaks up the monstrous education establishment and bureaucracy into more readily controlled elements.

Don't know Doty, but let's give him a chance at teaching kids to read and write. Hopefully he will not get caught up in building an empire instead.

I am a teacher and was told this morning at our
opening meetings that Doty was the man. When I
asked how it was possible to know this before the
official annoucement, it became apparent that Jordan district Principals had been given a heads up. They were also told that even though a law had been passed to protect teacher job status, seniority, etc.... (this is critical to east side teachers) that the new east side board is not required to follow this law because of their status as a quasi-goverment agency. I was shocked. Since when do school boards not have to follow state law? Is there some loop hole that would allow this. In any case, I am not pleased with the selection of
Doty because he is part of the east side group that pushed for this split without thinking ahead. I am not ready to start job hunting yet but feel that I may be forced to in a few more years. I agree that democracy in this valley and this state is on life support. Thats really sad because I grew up here and it breaks my heart to see what is happening!!!

Let's see. He's never been a teacher, counselor, or principal. But he did attend school for several years, so he must be qualified. I am sure the professional educators in "East Jordan" will be thrilled.

The smarter choice would be to rid ourselves of Districts altogether and open up a series of Charter schools in their stead. That way each school could set their own agenda and wouldn't need a District office or expensive do little people like this new guy.

So what if he doesn't have experience in the classroom. He was the 'best' candidate for the job and we are all going to have to accept that because that is what our leaders tell us. After all they looked nationwide to find him.

Thank you Dr. Bates and Dr. Doty. The board had two outstanding candidates to choose from. We are profoundly grateful to both of you.

For the record: Dr. Doty WAS a member of the East side asset transition team. He resigned from that position when he decided to apply to be superintendent's job a few months ago.

Dr. Doty WAS a high school teacher in the Bay area. He taught Spanish and is fluent in that language.

Forming a new school district HAD NOTHING to do with the Real soccer stadium. The school district legislation has been being worked on since 2003, long before Real was in Utah. I personally spoke to Speaker Curtis 6 years ago about the need for smaller districts and the studies showing the benefits. This topic was being studied extensively then by the legislature.

I would hope the professional educators in Jordan will take the time to review Dr. Doty's Curriculum Vitae. It is impressive! His breadth of experience will help him as he directs all of the facets relating to running a quality school district.

The national search was extensive and definitely not a sham. Applicants from across the nation applied.

IF a split was really in the works 6 years ago, why did they not take advantage of one of the previous laws to split?

There have been a variety of district splitting laws on the books for about 5 years, but Jordan was not making any noises about splitting until the Real SL stadium fiasco. IF the soccer stadium is not the reason, it sure looks like it was the catalyst.

I do hope that your district survives, your children get the excellent and above par education, and your taxes don't go up, as promised.

I just find it really interesting that as the rest of the nation starts to combine school districts, because smaller does not always mean better and to save money, we in Utah are splitting district. Why does anyone think that smaller districts would save money? More district level employees are needed just to run the district, anyone with a brain can determine that two superintendents are more expensive then one.

"Splitting" a district has been on the books for many more than 5 years. The reason that method for creating a smaller district was not used is simple: IT DOESN'T WORK.
The law to "create" a new district along municipal boundaries is new (and actually works as evidenced by the new district being formed from parts of Jordan and Granite).
You err in assuming that simply because two things happened at the same time (Soccer and New Districts) that there is a cause and effect.
The rest of the nation is not "starting" to combine districts it's been going on for years. The average size distrcit in the US is less than a few thousand students. Most studies show an optimal size being 7500-35000 kids. You're trying to compare apples to oranges. Most states don't have legislations that would allow for smaller districts - despite the desire on the parts of many in huge districts.
"Anyone with a brain" is too simple. What those brains need to realize is that there is something called diseconomies of scale that apply to huge districts - bigger DOES NOT ALWAYS equal better.

IF economies of scale were so effective I guess the Federal Government would be the most efficient government entity in the US.

I have known Dr. Doty since 2002 when he and his family moved to SC. He had just entered private legal practice specializing in education working with school districts throughout SC. No doubt he is a terrific choice for transitioning a new district. His concern for children is priority.

What you don't see when you read a resume is the quality of a man. On a personal level I think your district will find Dave to be a quality human being, terrific legal mind, and dedicated leader. Qualities that will come in handy during the transition to and establishment of your new school "government".

Our school district in FL was one County District, but with 3 different area superintendents. Also, here is SC, we have numerous school districts across county lines. I have found that service delivery is better when it is accessible. Larger school districts spread your tax dollars thin over vast areas. Keeping your tax dollars close to home would be a plus to me.

Good luck with your new district, even 40 schools sesm large to me.