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Gilmer and Lewis counties are working on a new joint elementary school, under a plan approved by the state Board of Education.
State schools Superintendent Jorea Marple said the idea was an innovative solution to help two smaller counties work together.
Marple said it's often difficult for small counties will fewer students to find funding to meet all their needs. She said allowing counties to have joint projects benefits everyone involved.
"All of our boundaries need to begin to disappear and we can work together as a community," Marple said.
"It doesn't matter what county you live in or what state you live in. It's about meeting the needs of the children."
The state took over Gilmer County Schools this year, saying it was because of problems with a divided school board, dwindling student enrollment, inadequate facilities and excessive micromanagement.
Some school board members said they were baffled by the take-over, since academic performance was holding its own.
Critics of the take-over say it was a move to consolidate schools.
The state Office of Education Performance Audits said
the school system had fewer than 1,000 students, which made it difficult to support five schools.
The state has named veteran school superintended Ron Blankenship to lead the Gilmer school system.
"We see a lot of good things happening with Gilmer County," Marple said. "We're really pleased with the progress."
Once the state takes over a school system, it generally takes between four and five years before it's returned to local control, although some schools systems have been under state control much longer.
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