The BISD Board of Managers made a huge decision Thursday evening as they voted unanimously to merge Central and Ozen High Schools.

The decision was made after Central High School was severely damaged during Tropical Storm Harvey.

When they merge the two schools, the new school will be Class 6A and will join Beaumont West Brook in that classification.

That means starting next fall, all Central students will go to school at the Ozen campus.

The decision was vital since the University Interscholastic League will set its new district realignments on Feb. 1. Both the Panthers and Jaguars will remain competing in District 22-4A for the rest of this school year.

No word yet on what the new school will be named. They are trying to put together a committee of alumni and current students that will help decide a school name and a mascot.