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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingIt's not unusual to find elementary and middle school students in the same building, if your kids attend private school. But now the Salt Lake School district is moving forward with a plan to offer kindergarten through 8th grades at two elementary schools.
This has been a controversial plan across the district, but two schools are preparing to make the change.
The 6th graders at Nibley Park Elementary would normally be heading to Middle school in a year, but the district has plans to expand the school to 8th grade, along with Whittier Elementary.
Dr. Dorothy Cosgrove, Salt Lake School District: "I think it's a grand idea for these two schools. I don't think any particular model is great for anyone."
The principals at both schools are in favor of the plan. They say parents tend to be more involved in a K-8 school. And the regular middle school the kids feed into is far away.
Shauna Olson, Nibley Park Principal: "It will keep them in their neighborhood, it will keep them in an environment where they're comfortable and familiar, and we will get two more years to help them succeed."
Eleven schools in the district considered expanding to K-8, but parents at nine of those schools were against the idea.
David Smoot, Parent Against K-8 Schools: "That 7th and 8th grade, it's a whole different emotional mix and social structure. There are issues -- drugs, sex, rock and roll. There are issues of learning capabilities, how they treat younger kids."
Parents at the two schools moving forward with the plan still have mixed opinions, but the majority think it will work for them.
Dorothy Cosgrove: "Some research shows that kids do better in reading and math on standardized tests."
Shauna Olson: They will have developed leadership skills here. Academically we can take them so much further."
Dorothy Cosgrove: "Big kids can be good models for little kids. And it's actually also very humanizing for the older students to need to be nurturing and helpful, and behave themselves."
This is going to be an option for parents who live in the area. They can still choose to send their kids to the regular middle school.
This plan will take some work. New teachers will have to be hired and the elementary schools renovated and expanded.
