School districts could come together

PARKE COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Liddy Wright's son is a senior at Rockville High School, and she's also been substitute here for many years.

She says combining school districts is inevitable.

"I think more and more are coming to realize that eventually it's really the thing that needs to be done," Wright said.

However, due to recent state funding changes and fewer students enrolling, the reorganization committee is making a final push to combine Rockville and Turkey Run School Districts.

"Enrollments have been declining at both schools over the last several years, and they're getting to the point now to where they're both getting to a low enough level to where it's becoming quite difficult to have a complete academic offering," Reorganization Committee Chairman Roy Wrightsman said.

Wrightsman says it's really a win-win.

The change will allow the schools to pull their resources together, improve funding, and most importantly, improve academic offerings.

"It's very difficult for small schools and there two are prime examples of it, to be able to compete with this current situation. If you bring them together and they work together, you give them a fighting chance to improve to continue to offer a top notch education. They're both good schools and we want to keep them that way, we want to make them better," Wrightsman said.

The schools will keep their colors, mascots, and identity.

"They'll still be the Rockville Rocks, they'll still be blue and white colors, they'll still be a Turkey Run Jr/ Sr high school, Turkey Run elementary schools, they'll still be the warriors, red white and columbia blue," he said.

It's been a long-time discussion, that may be finally closer to reality.

"The things we're trying to do is benefit the students of the community to give them a better chance to succeed in life," he said.

Parke County does have a third school corporation, Southwest Parke.

They have decided to stay as their own district.

If the measure is eventually approved, the two corporations could be combined as early as January of next year.