As the Alpine School District continues to consider splitting off into multiple districts or remaining as one, cities in the southern region of the education system are now exploring their own options.

Last week, proceedings were held to initiate the process of forming two sets of interlocal agreements. One would encompass the cities of Lehi, American Fork, Highland, Alpine, Cedar Hills and the Utah County portion of Draper. The other includes cities in the western region of the district: Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Fort and Fairfield.

On Tuesday, the mayors and city council members of the remaining cities in the district — Lindon, Orem, Pleasant Grove and Vineyard — met to discuss what branching out on their own might look like.

Superintendent Shane Farnsworth briefed the group on the school district configuration process. Molly Wheeler, deputy director of the Utah League of Cities and Towns, moderated the discussion. Time constraints did not allow for a public comment period.

Representatives of the four cities all expressed different thoughts on breaking off from the district.

Orem leaders didn’t appear to be opposed to forming an interlocal agreement. Concerns arose about what happens if an agreement isn’t formed, and the possibility of citizens in other communities having a say in what happens.

“Eagle Mountain (residents) shouldn’t be voting on what happens in Orem, and Orem (residents) should not voting on what happens in Eagle Mountain,” said Orem councilwoman LaNae Millett. “That’s kind of my core value is that we give information, we get feedback and the people get to make the decisions.”

Orem Mayor David Young shared his interpretation of why the cities in the northeast and western regions of the district explored interlocal agreements: because they wanted more representation for their students.

“They wanted their residents to have a voice,” Young proclaimed. “Do we want to be part of their school district by forcing them to stay with us? Do we want to stand on the sidelines and hope they fail so that we can force them to stay together with us?”

During a meeting in Pleasant Grove last week, Mayor Guy Fugal and City Council members chastised Lehi’s move to form an interlocal agreement, saying they were uninterested in forming an agreement with Orem, Lindon and Vineyard but instead prefer a two-way split option proposed by the district, which essentially would include most of the cities in the district minus those in the western region.

A week later, their feeling seemingly is uncharged. “We took a little bit of heat last week, which is OK. We’re OK. But we like the idea of not splitting at all,” Pleasant Grove councilman Todd Williams said. “But we definitely understand that the west side’s needs are different than ours.”

Vineyard city councilwoman Mardi Sifuentes said her peers are split on the issue but indicated the majority leans toward splitting the district in two.

“I think that if we go into an interlocal (agreement), I understand that researching it and looking for more information is always an option. For sure, that’s great. But in the same breath, I worry that we’re creating a narrative that’s pushing in a certain direction that we don’t want,” she said.

Lindon City Council members also preferred a two-district option.

If Orem, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Vineyard were to form an interlocal agreement, it would mirror one of the options the Alpine board voted to submit during last week’s board meeting to study, ultimately creating three new school districts. The other option would form two districts.

In both cases, the western region would have its own district.

But officials would have to act fast, with little wiggle room. Orem City Attorney Steven Earl laid out a timeline the cities would need to follow. A draft would need to finalized to create an interlocal agreement by May 14. Assuming all four cities wanted to collaborate on the effort, they would need to make a final vote to start the process by May 17. The county clerk would then need to certify the request by May 27, followed by a feasibility study and a 45-day public comment period.

If the cities decide to do nothing, they could leave the decision in the hands of the Alpine School District. Following the public comment period, the Alpine board should vote sometime in July on whether or not a two-district or three-district option will be placed on the November ballot for a vote.

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