WHITEVILLE, N.C. -- It’s not over yet for a proposed school merger between Whiteville City and Columbus County schools.

Monday night, county commissioners met with Rep. Brenden Jones and Sen. Danny Britt who recommended an ad hoc committee be formed.

The commissioners approved to move forward with it unanimously. The committee will hire an independent contractor to help gather necessary facts and figures to make a decision.

Despite standing on different sides of the issue, both superintendents agree that this is the best way to proceed. Parents we spoke with are also on board.

“I think that if a merger is going to happen, then it needs to studied thoroughly. You have to study things you just wouldn't think about. If you have an expert involved in the process, they are going to think about every single thing you could possibly think about,” Johnathan Medford said.

Commissioners also agreed to allocate $4 million towards the two school systems to help with their aging buildings.