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Page <br /> <br />A7 <br /> <br />Schools ,call merger meetings <br /> <br /> KANNAPOLIS -- Thc <br />Kannapolis and Cabarms County <br />Boards of Education will meet <br />Monday and Tuesday afternoons to <br />hear proposals from consuhing firms <br />regmding a school merger study. <br /> The hoards will meet at I p.m. <br />Monday and at 1:30 p.m. on <br />Tues~lay. Both meetings will be in <br />lhe media center at A.L: Brown <br />High School. <br /> Tiffs will be lite l'irsl public <br />session related to the meqler issue <br />and Sludy. <br /> Stills Welch, chail'm;lll of the <br />Rowan-Sabsbury 1½oard of <br />I'~ducatinn and Dr. Joc McCann, <br />superintendent, will represent the <br /> <br />Rowan system at the meeling. <br /> At a meeting last month, <br />top school offici;ds in lhe <br />Kannapolis and Cabarms systems <br />met to look at the merger issue aud <br />how best It) approach it. <br /> Lee Efird, chairman of the <br />Kannapolis board, said they <br />immediately qecided they needed <br />help from prolkssionals. They <br />began hmkiug for fi~s that do such <br />studies and biiVe expertise related <br />merger issnes. <br /> Dr. l':d ~son. superintendenl of <br />Kamuqmlis aud I)r. Ilarohl Winker, <br />Caharrus superinlendem, cooducicd <br />a scal'L'h flU' Iii'InN, <br /> The hoard is schedaJed tn hear <br /> <br />proposals from several bf the top <br />firms. <br /> In May, the Kannapolis cud <br />Cabarrus hoards agreed m look at <br />merger after Cabarrus Conaly <br />Cmumissioners appeared ready to <br />Ibrce a merger of the systems. <br /> Efird said following the July <br />meeting that the study will oot be a <br />how to merge study, hut a shnty on <br />key issues rclaled lo merger, lie <br />said Ihe key issues include whclber <br />merger will save mo~ley and how il <br />wcntlc] inlpacI thc school syslcln lint[ <br />Ihe conmmnilies. <br /> ('ily schta)l officials have made <br />il q'lear fl{cy want Rmvan o{lic}u{s <br />inchnlcd iu Ihe discnssion. <br /> <br /> Welch said Saturday that any <br />merger could have a substantial <br />impact on the Rowan-Salisbury <br />Schools. Welch said that down the <br />road the Rowan board may enter the <br />discussions. <br />Welch recalled the look at <br />merger or redistricting in 1995. <br /> "When we initially h)oked at it, <br />whal we could be gaining was a <br />little bit frighlening," said Welch, <br />retch'lng to where they cnuld put <br />the students. <br /> Thc Kaunapolis school dislricl <br />sets ;IstrJde the ('abarms-Rowall <br /> <br />b'om the Cabarms side with I,~) <br /> <br /> Two of the system's schools and <br />a portion of a third school are in <br />Rowan County. <br /> The Kannapolis system is not <br />identical to the city boundaries. <br />Children who live in the City of <br />Kannapolis attend schools in <br />Rowan-Salisbury Schools and <br />Cabarrus Schools as well as <br />Kannapolis. For example, high <br />school students in the city limits <br />atteud and graduate from four area <br />high schools, A.L. Brown, South <br />Rowan, Northwest Cabarrus and <br />Concord. <br /> Kannupolis school officials have <br />said repeatedly they want to keep <br />the school system intact, <br /> <br /> <br />