Harlan County educators are proposing a new contract with surroundings districts.

The contract means county students can only go to city schools *if* city schools allow the same number of kids to go to county schools.

Educators say it's a fair trade that still allows for school choice.

"It's about doing what's right for our students and teachers and protecting their jobs and resources for Harlan County students," said Brent Roark.

Educators say they want to maintain good relationships with other districts but in order to get the best test scores, they need to level the playing field.

Harlan County educators say enrollment has continued to drop along with the population in the county. That's hurt the bottom line and forced district officials to let go teachers.

Educators say students will be grandfathered in with the new contract ... meaning no county students that attend city schools and vise versa will be forced to change immediately.

Harlan Independent Superintendent David Johnson told WYMT he did not want to comment because he is still reading the contract.