DALTON, Ga.-In an abrupt reversal, local leaders and attorneys now say a government merger of Dalton and Whitfield County directly would affect the county’s two school systems.
That’s radically different from information provided since consolidation discussions became serious about a month ago. Leaders had believed that the city and county school systems could remain separate even if the governments merged.
But Dalton school attorney Henry Tharpe said Friday a merger would repeal Dalton’s charter, which then likely would repeal the city schools’ charter.
The news seemed to stun members of the Dalton Board of Education.
“All these years, I’ve been led to believe there is no connection between the city of Dalton and Dalton city schools,” Chairman Steve Williams said, shaking his head. “This is a brand new world – we’re trying to get our arms around this new reality. We want to protect the Dalton public schools; we believe it is a valuable asset to the community.”