[HDE]

As far as what you said about HHS closing before HC,I believe HHS will become a private school before it ever closes. Maybe a private Christian school. There is enough money in and from alumni to never see it completely gone. Because of the hatred spurned by the county for the city school and the fact that HHS is a long time institution in this county there are many families that would never send their children there. HHS has lasted since there was 9 or 10 high schools in this county and now there's only more to out last. But,whether coal comes back or not there will always be a need for a county school,so,I don't see either school ever going anywhere. Just scaling way down. Look at it this way,wildone,the county will be the nicest 1A school in the state. There will be tumble weeds rolling down the halls but it will still be nice. Just maybe HHS will become like Lex. Christian or something. Who knows? Just a thought.

I'm not saying Harlan High School will close, but I wouldn't count on it becoming a private school. Kentucky has lost about 500 high schools since the 1930s. Not one of them that I know of has turned into a private school.
If there was a merger, the school buildings and everything else would become the property of the county district. It would be a whole lot cheaper for the people who support HHS to keep the district afloat than it would be to start an entirely new private school. It would cost millions to buy the school and land and football field and baseball field and tennis courts, etc...