Mayor Cullimore has met personally with the Jordan and Granite School District superintendents. Cottonwood Heights is in a unusual situation because the young city is split between the two districts.

Part of the reason Cottonwood Heights wants to jump on its own study is because of a large bond that the Jordan School District is proposing in the next year. The bond could cost taxpayers multi-millions of dollars and would mostly fund west-side schools, Cullimore said.

Splitting from a large district also involves east-side versus west-side issues. Many of the older, built-out east-side cities do not want to pay for the young, growing west-side schools. The majority of both Granite and Jordan School Districts are on the booming west side, where most of the taxpayer dollars go. But Cullimore urged careful consideration of any proposals.

"In the end, you have to make this decision on factual information, not on emotion," he said.

Patricia Sandstrom, Granite School Board president, said she did not "really have reaction one way or another" concerning the cities' progress. "We've said it's up to those communities to do that," she said.

However, she said voters should look at whether it would be fiscally responsible to ditch Granite School District. Many programs would be lost, including science camp and a program for handicapped students.

"Someone is going to end up losing these or not being able to maintain these," Sandstorm said. "In the long run, kids will be hurt."

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com