The Indiana Gazette reports that the move to split the district began after board members could not decide on how to reconfigure the district's facilities. The plan that was being considered would have moved all Saltsburg students in grades seven to 12 to the Blairsville Middle/High School.
Opposition to the plan prompted a group of citizens to form a committee that sought to separate Saltsburg from Blairsville. By the time the board voted on the separation this week, people from both Saltsburg and Blairsville favored a separation.
If the split is approved by Pennsylvania lawmakers and plans proceed as envisioned, the separate districts could be in place for the 2017-18 school year.