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Nikiski educators and community members are in the early stages of discussing a move that could send sixth-graders from Nikiski North Star Elementary to Nikiski Middle-High.

"This is just a conversation," said Daniel Carstens, assistant principal at the middle-high school. "Is it something that's doable, and is it something that will have a positive impact on the kids?"

A joint-council meeting was held on Oct. 13 at the middle-high school to discuss making a three-step educational process in Nikiski starting with pre-kindergarten through fifth grade at the elementary school, sixth through eighth grade at the middle school and ninth through 12th grade at the high school.

Middle and high school students are housed in the same building.

Carstens said this is the first time these conversations have been conducted on a formal level and are largely fueled by concerns over space at the elementary school as well as providing instructional programs.

"It'd be nice to focus on certain grade levels a little bit more," he said.

He's encouraging parents to voice their concerns or questions to their appropriate site councils, though he expected this issue to mostly affect families with students that weren't yet in sixth grade.

He also expects more talking points to develop in the coming weeks.

"We want people to be (at meetings) so we can hear their concerns," he said. "If there's something we haven't heard yet then we can't address it."

So far the biggest issue he's heard is having sixth-graders in the same building as 12th-graders.

"That's something we'd have to address in scheduling," he said.

Carstens said it's too early to know what way this conversation will go, or even when any changes might go into effect if that's what people want.

For now, a meeting to specifically address this issue has been tentatively scheduled at the middle-high school at 7 p.m. Nov. 12.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.