Education is number one priority
School officials, task force look at options
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Could two schools in the same community with the same concerns come together for a common goal? That's what some officials have been discussing for the past few months and meeting with a professional planning group to see what the options are.

Both superintendents, Ted Ahaus and Bill Narwold, from South Ripley and Jac-Cen-Del schools have been meeting with their respective boards and a task force to discuss how they can improve the educational process for Ripley County students. The task force is made up of area individuals with a varied range of employment, thoughts and ideas. It even includes students from each school.

Many questions have been raised with a professional planning firm telling the schools they both need a middle school philosophy and a facility to support the concept.

There are many similarities between the two schools. Both are located in Ripley County, have relatively new elementary schools, and high schools that are several years old. Neither has a middle school. Presently, both schools offer Kindergarten through sixth grade, with the seven through twelve grades housed in the same facility. Both have children from small towns and rural areas that are bused into their schools.

Both school boards came together with Frank Bush, executive director of the Indiana School Board Association, serving as moderator. They decided to hire Veazey Parrot Durkin & Shoulders, an architect, engineer, planning firm to conduct an independent study for each of the schools. They would also look at a merged study that would include the two schools as one.

"Right now we're just looking at every option," noted Superintendent Narwold of JCD. A Strategic Planning Task Force has been in place at his school for a few years, and the overriding recommendation of an educational specification study conducted during the 03-04 school year is that a middle school is needed. The educational specification study went on to note that if that cannot be afforded by JCD alone, they should consider consolidation.

Superintendent of South Ripley schools, Ted Ahaus, has had concerns about educational needs for the students at his schools and noted his board is also looking at the most cost efficient way to give students the quality education they deserve.

"We know we have to expand the curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st Century," he noted. Ahaus also reflected the general feeling of the task force, saying, "12 and 13-year-olds don't belong with 18-year-olds." Several citizens have been expressing their concerns about children who are of middle school age who are thrown in with seniors.

The big word some people fear most - consolidation - was addressed. Could the two schools merge? Could future mandates set forth by the state make consolidation a must? Could the community simply come together and decide they want what's best for their children? What truly is best for Ripley County's students?

Many of these questions could not be answered directly. However, one thing was certain - there is no doubt both school boards and task forces want what is best for the students, whether it's to maintain the present schools or merge as one.

The tax base in the school's areas is a great concern and officials know they don't have a lot of money to play with. They also know that people can't really afford additional taxes and don't want to place an undue burden on taxpayers.

"Right now it's just in the 'idea' stage," Narwold noted. There is nothing set in concrete. A group of forward-thinking citizens have come together to study the facts and figures.

Narwold pointed out that he knows while a study can lay out the facts and provide figures on paper, it can't address the emotional factor. "I'm very aware of the pride people have in their individual schools," he said. Narwold further commented "it is that pride that makes this community a great place to raise children. However, sometimes pride can become a stumbling block."

Both superintendents said they are under the direction of their respective schools boards to conduct feasibility studies. Those studies should be completed by late fall and then the findings will be released to the public.

"We're all in this together," noted Ahaus, who concluded, "we just truly want what's best for the future education of students in Ripley County."