SW Parke Schools off to strong start

With the 2025-26 school year underway, SW Parke School Superintendent Dr. Phil Harrison cannot stop smiling. 

The reason?

The veteran educator is excited about school being back in session and students back in his district. 

"I'm so excited to have students back in our classrooms. I don't know anyone who became an educator because they love the four walls and the desk. Every day you get a new perspective on life that comes from the students that come into your room," Harrison told The Parke County Post.

Harrison said each day his faculty and staff have an opportunity to make an impact on almost 1,000 students.  

"We have 960 kids that come to us, and, legitimately, we have 960 different needs. Every child is different. My speech to my faculty was that we have to put away the noise and remember we are here for our kids. What about the state legislature? No, that doesn't matter. We are here for our kids. What about all the federal mayhem? No, we are here for our kids. The kids who walk through our doors, and we are going to do everything we can to take care of them and get them to where they need to be," Harrison said. 

During the summer, there was quite a bit of activity across the district, according to Harrison. 

"The HVAC renovation at Rosedale, which started as soon as the students left. Very short turn around, but they have new lights, new air conditioning, new heating and a fence around the playground for safety," he said. 

Improvements were also conducted at other schools across the district. 

"The high school project continues at the media center. We have new things in the media center and the cafeteria looks much different. The tiered floor is gone and it is a completely level, safe floor in the cafeteria now. That is fantastic and looks great. We have a very visible fence project at the high school. We have a new six foot fence around our athletic and outdoor facilities and it looks fantastic," Harrison said. 

In addition, the district saw some changes when it comes to its Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) and preschool programs after cuts were made by the Indiana General Assembly. 

"JAG was a big impact for us. We had a middle school and high school program. With state reducing that funding, makes it difficult. We need to fill those spots. Those are programs that help kids find pathways and helped figure out what work looked like for them post high school. That is a challenge," Harrison acknowledged.

As for preschool, Harrison said his district has opted to provide preschool for those who live within the district's boundaries. 

"We will accept those outside of the district boundaries, but they will have to pay. We were going to rely on the On My Way Pre-K funds to help parents offset some of those costs, but we now see the money is not flowing quite like it was to the parents and they now have to make some changes. 

The changes are not insurmountable but are not pleasant either. We have things in place where these aren't devastating hits to us, but they are kind of annoyances. 

While there were some cuts, Harrison said there were some additions to his district, as well. 

"Academically, we have some new science curriculum for our students. I think they are going to enjoy those pieces really well. We have some new literacy things happening at the elementary school to help boost our reading and writing, and I think those will be fun for kids. I think those are good experiences for them. At the high school level, we have the addition of boys and girls golf. Those are some great things that are going on," Harrison said.