Grade realignment shelved for now at North Central Parke

Sometimes, it simply comes down to timing.

According to Dr. Mike Schimpf, district superintendent, North Central Parke Community Schools will not realign grades in the immediate future. 

For several months, the district considered grade realignment and what would best serve students, according to Schimpf. 

"We talked about do we need to combine grade levels and what that may look like. We talked with teachers and teachers said they thought it made sense to do something different. That is not happening right now. There is a whole community aspect to that and we would need to have some education and feedback. It is one thing to say here is what we think is best and it is another to hear back from those who are invested. We are in that process and we will see if that is where we need to end up," Schimpf told The Parke County Post. 

The best approach would be to wait, gather information from the community and continue looking for ways to improve, he said. 

Earlier this spring, the results of a survey sent to staff regarding the realignment of elementary schools, virtual options, and transportation were released to the public. According to Schimpf, 90 participants were certified in the survey. Over 83 percent of the staff felt realigning grade levels was a good idea, while 64 percent believed the change should occur in the 2026-27 academic year. 

Under the potential realignment, preschool through grade two would be at Rockville Elementary School, while grades three through five would be at Turkey Run Elementary. 

"There are a lot more discussions that need to be held and we need to get input. We are constantly trying to improve, and if there was a way to do it, we will look at it. However, we don't want to change for the sake of change," Schimpf said.