By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools

Beginning in August, neighboring LaVergne Primary School and Roy Waldron Elementary School will be merged into one school under the Roy Waldron name.

The two schools are adjacent to each other and share a campus already. They have operated under an unusual structure for many years with LaVergne Primary School serving grades kindergarten through first and Roy Waldron serving grades second through fifth. LaVergne Primary also offers pre-kindergarten classes.

Most Rutherford County elementary schools operate as K-5 schools with some offering pre-kindergarten programs.

"The reorganization of these schools into one school will create more alignment with our existing elementary schools, more collaboration between faculty members across the grade levels and more opportunities for all students," Director of Schools Bill Spurlock said.

The leadership structure of the schools will remain with a principal for each building but under a unified school name and number, Spurlock said.

The current enrollment for LaVergne Primary School is approximately 500, and there are 825 students enrolled at Roy Waldron.