Published: May 23, 2009 07:28 pm         

Parke County residents favor consolidating school administrations

MECCA — Parke County residents seem to think consolidating the administration of their school districts might be a good idea, but not necessarily the schools themselves. And most residents asked said they weren’t well-informed on the proposals.

Inez Cullings readied her home in Marshall for a yard sale Saturday afternoon and agreed with consultants that having one high school for all of Parke County would bring more problems than it might solve. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, noting rivalries and potential discipline problems.

But she and her husband, J.D., both said merging the administrations of the three existing corporations could provide cost savings, although they hadn’t seen any specifics yet.

Adrian Ayers, 14, attends Turkey Run High School, and was helping the Cullings with their yard sale. “If it saves the schools money and we get more computers, then I’m all for it,” he said.

Denise Barnett was working at the Knucklehead Saloon in Rosedale that afternoon and noted she didn’t know a lot of details about the proposal. “I had just heard it on the TV a couple of days ago,” she said, adding her kids are out of school now.

Barnett said she attended all 13 years of school in Montezuma and her youngest graduated from Riverton Parke. Overall, the alleged advances made in education haven’t all been for the better, she said.

“Now it’s not how well your kids can learn, it’s hurry up and get them out,” she said, referring to herself as “from the old school.”

Barnett wondered if consolidating administrations would work out in the long run. “Can one person really take care of it all?” she asked, noting the work currently done by three separate superintendents and administrative staffs would be tough to load onto one team.

Over in Mecca, Don Stites said merging administrations would be a great way to cut costs, “as long as Rockville doesn’t get their way.”

Which communities get represented on which boards and whose superintendent ends up winning the inevitable run-off could make or break public support for the project, he said. “It seems like anything that happens, they end up getting their way,” he said of the county seat, Rockville.

Still, as small as the county is, Stites said less administrators are probably better. “I don’t see where they need three. Not for $100,000 a year,” he said, estimating the individual salaries of the school superintendents.

But if anything is done, Jane Hueston of Rockville said she hopes the programs for special needs students improves.

Hueston has children with disabilities who are currently bussed to Montezuma. “It would be nice if they could centralize it,” she said of the possibility of expanded programming resources, adding she’d like more information on the proposals.

Gary Overpeck, who manages his family’s business, Overpeck’s Furniture and Hardware on Jefferson Street in Rockville, said the plan of merging administrations makes sense to him.

“I’m in favor of it,” he said inside the store.

Merging high schools is off the table in most minds, he said, noting the distance some students would have to be bussed. But as for administrators, he compared the three corporations of Parke County to the one in Vigo.

Overpeck said he would favor a scenario where one superintendent worked with three separate school boards representing each of the current districts, ensuring that all of the communities are represented. Savings from the merger would “trickle down a little bit,” he said.

Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.