LOW MOOR, Va. – History is in the making in Alleghany County where two rival school systems are coming together for the benefit of the students and community.
The Alleghany County Public School system, the Covington City Public School system, and the Jackson River Technical Center will merge to create Alleghany Highlands Public Schools on July 1.
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Per Darrell Gleason, Community Specialist for the Alleghany and Covington school systems, the merger occurring on July 1 will be an administrative merger, and the school systems will remain separate until the 2023-2024 school year.
In 2023′s consolidated division, students will attend high school in the current Alleghany High School building, and Covington High School will become Covington Middle School. The mascot for the joint schools will be the Cougar, according to Gleason.
The consolidated division’s Alleghany Highlands School Board will hold its first-ever meeting on Friday at 9 a.m., marking a historical date for the area.
The new board will have seven total members, according to a press release by the school system: Jacob Wright, Danielle Morgan, Gerald Franson, John Littleton, Jonathan Arritt, Tammy Scruggs-Duncan, and Marie Fitzpatrick.
According to the board’s release, four of the members are from the Alleghany County school system and two of the members are from the Covington School system.
At their meeting, the Alleghany Highlands School Board will establish its organization, including the selection of a chair, vice-chair, clerk, and deputy clerk, the release said.
We’re told that an agenda for the meeting is being developed, and will include a review of the policy.
Other things the board said they will be taking care of in the future include the naming of a superintendent and assistant superintendent, the selection of a chair and vice-chair, the ratification of staff contracts, and the appointment of a clerk and deputy clerk.
The release stated that under the merger agreement, the appointment of a superintendent must be approved by at least five members of the board.
The agenda for the meeting will be released after it’s finalized, according to the release.
Gleason added that the celebration of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools will be held on Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at the Jackson River Sports Complex in Covington.
For more school merger facts, click here.