Eight city councils in Utah County voted Tuesday to place a split of Alpine School District on the ballot this November, meaning citizens in those cities will vote on whether or not to split from the state’s largest school district.

The proposal has the potential to create two new school districts and leave Alpine School District with Orem, Vineyard, Lindon and Pleasant Grove.

County Clerk Aaron Davidson said that before the issue is put on the ballot, cities have to submit an application to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to receive a proposition number for the ballot.

After that is completed, the county clerk’s office will need to put out a notice seeking written arguments for and against the question.

Those written arguments could be included in a voter information pamphlet that is required by Utah code to be distributed for ballot questions on school district splits.

Davidson said the notice for written arguments is required to go out 72 days before the election.

Potential new districts would consist of the “Central District” — Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Lehi, Highland and the Utah County portion of Draper — and a “West District” with Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Fairfield and Cedar Fort.

Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs have voted to send the issue to the ballot and Fairfield will vote on the issue on Aug. 14. Cedar Fort will not vote on the matter but has indicated its support.

While Fairfield has yet to vote, only a majority of the cities are needed to vote in favor of the issue. With Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs on board, the so-called West District will be on the ballot.

The split initiation was done via interlocal agreements between cities, and only residents within those municipalities will be able to vote on the issue.

Residents within the proposed Central or West districts will only vote on their potential district. For example, an Eagle Mountain resident will only get to vote on whether Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Fairfield and Cedar Fort should break off from Alpine School District.

For a new school district to be approved, a majority of the voters within the proposed district boundaries will have to vote in favor of splitting from the current school district, according to state law.

Citizens within Orem, Vineyard, Lindon and Pleasant Grove will not get to vote on the issue despite being in Alpine School District due to those cities not creating an interlocal agreement.

If a split were approved by voters in November, an election would be held for new school board members in November 2025, with newly elected members taking office in January 2026. Any new school districts wouldn’t officially begin operating until 2027.