Halifax County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Pierce was right in his assessment of the school situation during the chamber's State of Our Community luncheon Thursday.

The problem is merger opponents don't want to hear what he is saying.

We have gone on record as opposing a full-blown merger of the schools and continue to stand by that.

Comments made by county school board Chair Carolyn Hawkins at the same luncheon attest to perceptions we can't take anything coming from the system seriously. Her rambling, narcissistic speech as a representative of the county school system was simply a joke in a roomful of professionals.

(See related editorial)

But Pierce, like him or not, was correct that unless education improves it's going to be hard for the county to progress.

“We cannot continue to exclude and refer to county citizens as them and us, based on where they live and other differences,” he said during the luncheon. “We are all Halifax County citizens and every child deserves and should get the best educational opportunities we can afford.”

Pierce is exactly right and the thing that merger proponents refuse to talk about or don't want to hear is how flatly unfair the current Roanoke Rapids school boundary lines are.

When we have children living on Old Farm Road, clearly within the city limits, that can't attend city schools, something is vastly askew. There is also something clearly wrong when students who could easily walk to Chaloner Middle School have to go to school elsewhere.

Merger opponents can offer no valid justification for the way things are. They simply say that's the way it's been and should never change. Their other solution is to simply invite those living outside the school district lines, but clearly in the city limits, to pack up and move, something that is easier said than done.

We realize there are other matters that need to be considered in this issue such as what's at stake for the Weldon school system should there ever be a serious look at the way school boundary lines are drawn, but the argument that this is the way it's been and the way it will be doesn't pass any sort of litmus test with us.

Pierce clearly knows our position on full-blown merger and our readers know it as well, as they also know our feelings on the current configuration of the city's school district lines.

If it could logically be presented to us why the city's current school boundary lines are fair and equal then we would listen. Until then, we stick with our contention that Pierce's comments were right on the money — Editor