Noon Edition airs on Fridays at noon on WFIU.

The Monroe County Community School Board will meet this month to address the potential merger between Childs and Templeton Elementary schools.  

The board originally proposed the merger as a potential solution to help balance socioeconomic disparities in Monroe County schools. Throughout Monroe County’s 14 elementary schools, Templeton has one of the highest rates of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch at 64 percent while Childs has one of the lowest rates at 15 percent.  

READ MORE: University-Fairview school merger off the table, MCCSC wants input on Childs–Templeton proposal   

Members of the community have expressed concerns about the idea of redistricting, something that hasn’t happened for the district since 1997. Parents have expressed concerns how the merger will impact their children’s learning environments. Others are skeptical about how the merger will solve the issues of socioeconomic disparities.  

The MCCSC school board plans to study school zone populations and implement new attendance boarders by the 2025-2026 school year. 

READ MORE: MCCSC school board passes resolution to examine options for redistricting 

This Friday on Noon Edition, we will talk with experts about the merger and its impacts. 

You can follow us on X — formerly known as Twitter — at @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.  

Guests

April Hennessey - MCCSC Board of School Trustees President and District 2 Trustee

Mark Chin - Assistant Professor of Education Policy and Inequality in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College 

Amelia Pak-Harvey - Education Reporter for Chalkbeat Indiana