[3] The first school west of the blue ridge mountains in Western North Carolina was built in Asheville in 1790 by Scotch-Irish settlers, and it was located around the area of present-day Biltmore avenue.

This began to change, however, in 1887 when voters passed a referendum to allow a property and poll tax increase to pay for the construction and operation of public schools in Asheville.

Although the bill eventually passed, it initially faced much opposition from wealthy landowners in the area, who were largely opposed to paying increased property taxes to fund education for the poorer classes.

[5] The new school system initially faced many issues with overcrowding and finances, and was blighted by these troubles for much of its early history.

Main reasons for this suggestion of combining districts are the Asheville City Schools budget deficit and large administration costs that would be able to be managed by one system.