Their decision at the ballot box will be about power.

"What the school district has done up until this point is bury their heads in the sand and not face the realities of what's coming," Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan said.

Split supporters believe a new east-side district would give them more influence over their children's education after they watched helplessly as Jordan closed neighborhood schools, nearly changed gifted and talented offerings and prioritized west-side construction.

But if splitting the state's largest school district all comes down to power, opponents question whether the rift would be worth it.

"I can't find any real justifiable reasons other than political ones to do this," said Paulina Flint, chairwoman of the White City Community Council and a split opponent. "If there's no real good reason . . . why are we doing this?"

Will it mean children's education will change? Maybe. That will come down to decisions the new school boards make.

Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale, Alta and some parts of unincorporated Salt Lake County will vote Nov. 6 on whether to break off from Jordan, the state's largest district. In the same election, West Jordan residents will vote on whether to form a district within the city's boundaries.

Those citizens would leave behind a crowded, growing west side that soaks up the majority of Jordan's construction and renovation dollars east-siders want. Specialized programs such as vocational centers and special-education schools that now serve students districtwide would face an uncertain future.

Parent Barbara Morrell, who has worked and seen her children educated in small districts outside Utah, didn't want to see her children's needs ignored anymore. After watching her child attend school in a Jordan kindergarten class with 31 students, she's hoping a new district could decrease class sizes. And she's willing to see her taxes go up to pay for it.

"The possibility is fabulous for us to create a wonderful district, and if we do nothing we'll be left with the OK district," she said. "I'm willing to take that leap of faith."

West-siders fear the worst - bigger classes, no money for new schools - but aren't sure what, if anything, a split could mean for the classroom.

Unable to vote because of how the law allowing districts to split is written, they are uncomfortable with all the unanswered questions. Though the law dictates that transition teams would divide property, teachers worry about the long-term future of their salaries and benefits. West-siders wonder just how much their taxes would really go up.

Split supporters say the transition period built into the law provides time to find many of the solutions.

"Everything isn't answered, but that was the purpose of delaying the district in coming into existence in 2009," Dolan said.

Political scientists know voters typically choose "no" when they have too many questions on a ballot issue. That uncertainty is more likely to occur with significant changes proposed.

"Under cases of uncertainty, the individuals choose to vote the status quo because at least there the results are known," said Brigham Young University political science professor Kelly Patterson.

Just dividing Jordan into smaller districts doesn't automatically equal a revolution in the classroom. A feasibility study commissioned by east-side cities projected that a split would be "feasible" and that "necessary programs" could be maintained. However, a new school board could eventually take the east-side district in a new direction.

"I would say 85 percent of students are going to see no change to their direct educational experience, or more," said Shannon Bingham, the education consultant who worked on the study.

It's the students who receive special-education services or attend alternative programs whose access, opponents say, may be at risk.

That's what worries Trisha Beck, a Sandy resident and parent of a special-education student. She's particularly worried about students attending Jordan Valley School and South Valley School. More time and dialogue are needed.

"This [split] issue has erupted over some other issues and this is how they're getting back at the school district," she said. "I don't agree with it."

Principals wonder if going from one to multiple districts would lead to more competition for teachers in a state that's already experiencing a teacher shortage.

But Jordan High Principal Bob Dowdle, whose school is celebrating its centennial, had another concern: The vote could change history.

"I cringe just a little bit to think there can be a Jordan School District without a Jordan High School in it," he said.

jlyon@sltrib.com

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* ROXANA ORELLANA contributed to this story.