BERKSHIRE COUNTY, Mass. - A consultant is recommending two school districts in southern Berkshire County merge into one.

The Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts have been exploring the possibility for the past year, with both districts experiencing increasing operating costs and declining enrollment.

This week, the Regional School District Planning Board, which is overseeing the process, got a report from their research team suggesting the best option would be to combine the districts.

Under the proposal, the existing elementary and middle schools would remain, while all high school students would attend Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, which could be getting renovated or re-built.

Berkshire Hills comprises the towns of Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge, while Southern Berkshire includes the towns of Sheffield, Egremont, New Marlborough, Monterey, and Alford.

The planning board will now have several meetings in April to discuss the findings.

“We’ll be able to come to a vote on a next step in early May,” said Lucy Prashker, chair of the board. “And I don’t know if the next step will be making a recommendation to the eight select boards on a preferred model, or whether it will be asking for more information or more study from our research team.”

If the merger happens, it would be the first time two regional school districts combined in Massachusetts.