Catawba County is studying merging all three school systems. When has it been tried before?

Debate over whether to consolidate Newton-Conover City Schools and Hickory City Schools into Catawba County Schools has resurfaced.

Earlier this year, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners had discussions about merging Newton-Conover City Schools into the county school system after a study on enrollment and facility needs for the two school systems was completed.

After public opposition, the board said it would not introduce a resolution to merge the two school districts. The county now plans to study enrollment and capacity at Hickory City Schools’ facilities as well.

This year is not the first time the topic of consolidating the district’s three school systems into one has been discussed.

In 1997, Catawba County commissioners reviewed a study about school district consolidation