Bradley County mayor suggests school merger
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) – For over a century, the Bradley County School District and Cleveland City Schools have operated as two separate entities.
However, the idea of school consolidation is something the area has seen before.
For Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis, he believes it might be time for Cleveland and Bradley County to consider.
The mayor said with the recent departure of Cleveland City School director Dr. Russell Dyer, it is time to discuss what the future should look like.
Mayor Davis said, “I believe any chance we get to look at shrinking the size of government is better for taxpayers and citizens, and it would be a great time to sit down with our partners in the city and look at how we can we better serve the students of Cleveland and Bradley County by looking at somehow merging the two systems.”
We asked the Mayor’s Office to further expand on what their vision might look like, but they told News 12 they are waiting to hear reaction from across the county before going further with any proposal.
The question that will pop up for families and students in both districts. is exactly how this would affect their education?
Cleveland City Schools has over 5,500 students while Bradley County Schools has roughly double that amount at nearly 10,500 students.
Cleveland City Schools has nine campuses including one middle and high school while Bradley County Schools have 17 campuses including two middle and two high schools.
The total budget for Cleveland City Schools for this school year is nearly $59.8 million, while the budget for Bradley County Schools was over $102.6 million.
If directly combined with no adjustments and changes in operation, a consolidated Bradley County school system would have nearly 16,000 students and 26 campuses including three high schools.
A combined operating budget could potentially be north of $162 million, again with no changes.
It is worth noting that school consolidations are not new in our area, as Hamilton County Schools and Chattanooga Public Schools merged in 1997.
The combined Hamilton County Schools for this fiscal year has a budget of $539 million for a student population of nearly 45,000 students.
With no official proposal, the idea of consolidation is just that, an idea. But it’s one Mayor Davis thinks should be explored.
Mayor Davis said, “Change on this level comes with a certain amount of give and take, but there are many potential benefits that make this something worthwhile to consider.”
Cleveland City Schools say they have no comment on this proposal at this time.
