A merger between two Decatur schools is moving forward. On Tuesday, the Board of Education to approve the health/life safety amendments. If approved by the State Superintendent, Johns Hill and Durfee will be closer to combining. The Decatur School Board proposed the two schools combining at the beginning of March. They say that the two schools are currently in two of the districts oldest buildings. They believe the buildings are in severe disrepair with moisture getting into the brick, causing plaster to fall off. The district hopes to build a new school and combined the two schools. According to the cost-benefit analysis findings, the cost to renovate both schools surpasses the cost to build a new one, making Johns Hill and Durfee eligible to use Life Safety bonds to build a new school. The new school would cost about $29 million. If the proposal passes, the new school would be built in 2020. The proposal calls for demolishing the two old schools after the new one is built.