Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis suggested merging the Bradley and Cleveland school districts at a meeting earlier this week.
“I believe any chance we get to look at shrinking the size of government is better for taxpayers and citizens,” he told Bradley County commissioners Monday. “Now would be a great time to sit down with our partners in the city and look at how we can better serve the students of Cleveland and Bradley County by looking at somewhat merging the two systems.”
Davis’ suggestion follows the recent departure of Cleveland City Schools Director Russel Dyer. In December, Dyer announced his selection as the new superintendent for Collierville Schools near Memphis.
(READ MORE: Cleveland City Schools director leaving post for new job in Collierville, Tennessee)
In his remarks to commissioners, Davis said consolidating the districts would come “with a certain amount of give and take” but said the potential benefits make it something worth considering.
The Cleveland City school district serves roughly 5,500 students and operates nine schools, while the Bradley County school district has around 10,000 students and runs 17 schools. If combined without changing operations, the merged district could become one of the 10 largest in Tennessee.
With no official proposal, the merger is just an idea, but it wouldn’t be the first in the region. In 1997, Hamilton County Schools and Chattanooga Public Schools merged to form one district.
Cleveland City Schools spokesperson Caroline Corrigan said the Board of Education has no comment at this time. Bradley County Schools did not respond to requests for comment before deadline.
Contact Shannon Coan at scoan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.