But a group known as the Cottonwood Network is not so sure, and members worry about the future of their schools if a new district forms.

"Our goal is to protect the interests of the patrons of Cottonwood High School and feeder schools," said John Haglund, a parent of six whose son Michael is a Cottonwood sophomore.

A feasibility study - commissioned by Holladay, South Salt Lake and Salt Lake County - found that if Granite were to split, tax revenue in the new district would be sufficient to keep all schools open. The study, however, also projected enrollment would be flat in the new district, and some who live in the neighborhoods around Cottonwood High fear the loss of west-side students who currently attend the school eventually may force its closure.

For the past several decades, Granite has bused students from Taylorsville to Cottonwood to balance enrollment and use of facilities throughout the district.

Right now, 39 percent of Cottonwood's 1,414 students live west of the Jordan River and, therefore, would not be within the new district's boundaries.

"That loss of the west side of our boundary would significantly impact the number of students we have at Cottonwood," Principal Garett Muse said.

"If you are a school of 700, it's harder to offer programs than [if you are a school of] 1,900 students," he said. "Those are the things that we worry about. It becomes harder to support all the programs you have in a school."

The loss of west-siders also would affect athletic programs, Haglund said.

One of the largest high schools in the Granite district, Cottonwood sits on more than 50 acres. Private donations have paid for improvements to the campus such as the construction under way for a new football field. The school's baseball field also recently was renovated, and an upgraded auditorium seats 3,200 people.

Haglund said the loss of students would affect the school's sports classification. "There are concerns with the [donated] money going to waste if it closes," he said.

Haglund would like to see all options explored.

"People are in such a hurry to get away from Granite district that they'd rather do something now," he said. "My suggestion is for people to slow down. Take another six months or year, and find something that will be viable for the next 50 years."

Diana Gardner, a Cottonwood teacher who has worked for the Granite district for 24 years, doesn't see how Cottonwood and other schools such Bonneville Junior High could remain open without west-side students.

In addition, she fears many veteran teachers would retire before joining the new district.

Community leaders pondering the split are aware of the challenge Cottonwood and neighboring schools face.

The Utah law that made it possible to split school districts was partly in response to discontent among Granite district parents over the way the district handled school closures.

Lynn Pace, a Holladay councilman, said his city joined others in studying the feasibility of forming a new district because it wants to see schools remain open.

Pace added it's too early to say whether the district will split or what will happen to Cottonwood if it does. Some factors are in play in the Cottonwood area that are out of the group's control, he said. For example, Murray, which operates its own school district, is deciding whether it wants to join cities considering forming a new east-side district.

Its decision affects Cottonwood and neighboring schools because Murray annexed the area in recent years. At the time, the decision was made to keep the schools in the Granite district rather than making them part of the Murray district, but that could change depending on whether Murray decides to be part of the group that would form a new district. "Whether they want to join this process or not, we have no control over that," Pace said.

The Cottonwood debate only adds to another controversy surrounding efforts to form a new district.

An analysis of the cities' feasibility study by Granite administrators showed miscalculations and inaccurate estimates on figures regarding property taxes and state aid.

Pace said input, including that from Granite administrators, is being considered for the final version of the study before the cities proceed.

"People need to know that we are exploring the issues," Pace said. "It has not been decided as to what is going to happen. There are a lot questions that there are no answers for yet. . . . We need a lot of fact gathering before any decision is made."

Holladay Mayor Dennis Webb emphasized nothing will be done in a vacuum and residents' concerns will be taken into account.

"There is no hidden agenda," Webb said. "We want to make the best study that would lead to the best decision for the schools."

A final version of the study is expected to be ready in June. From there, the information will be redistributed to those involved. Each city council then must vote whether to put the formation of a new district up to a public vote. Only residents of those cities that would be part of the new district would be allowed to vote on a proposed split.

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* ROXANA ORELLANA can be reached at rorellana@sltrib.com or 801-257-8693.