The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board enacted an administration recommendation to continue an Honors Biology program in the junior high schools, allowing those students to be transported to the high school laboratories for class. The action also allows plans to move forward with enhancing 7th & 8th grade science classes to conform with the rigor of the new state standards.
The vote was 4-3. Mike Bottorff, Sylvia Shepler and Amanda Shera cast the no votes.
As board comments became more critical of the proposal presented by school administrators, President Matt Burke urged his colleagues to support the measure.
“When we have a strong recommendation coming from our administrators, that have spent considerably more time than us evaluating this, and we call into question their judgment, we need to think about what message we are sending to our administrators,” Burke said. “We have to decide, are we going to trust our administrators in some of these types of situations?”
In other school board items from Wednesday night:
–A series of resolutions passed unanimously clearing the way for the financing of renovations to the Cumberland Road Elementary School and the HSE Schools Administration Building.
–There will be a new alternative school for HSE students in the fall of 2017. The school district will end the arrangement with a group in Noblesville. Administrators are close to a decision on leasing space locally for the facility. Alternative Schools are for students unable to function in a regular school setting.
–HSE will become a GoOPen District following the board action. GoOpen is a national Department of Education effort to share educational materials.
–Minor changes to the student handbooks were approved by the board. Those handbooks are now available online only.
–HSE Schools will be migrating Learning Management Systems from the Blackboard program to one called Canvas, after board approval of the contract. Canvas has not yet agreed to all the contract language, but any changes would come before the board for a vote.
–The board honored Fishers High School students that competed at the state Science Olympiad competition on March 18 at Indiana University.
The state competition comes on heels of FHS winning the 2017 Regional Science Olympiad at Vincennes University last month. Students from 12 area school districts competed in 23 events in 12 hours that tested their acumen in earth science, physics, computer science, technology, biology and chemistry.
The regional results were:
- First Place – materials science, optics, wind power, and write it, do it.
- Second Place — ecology, hydrogeology, experimental design, and remote sensing.
- Third Place — anatomy & physiology, dynamic planet, invasive species, and microbe mission.
- Fourth Place: hover craft, chemistry lab, robot arm and towers.
–Finally, this was the last school board meeting for HSE Schools Community Relations Director Beverly Redmond. She is leaving the school corporation and moving to Chicago. There will be a reception in her honor Thursday, March 30th at the HSE Schools Administration Building on Cumberland Road, 4-6pm.
(Editor’s Note: a previous post said the reception would be held on Monday, March 27th….this is incorrect and the corrected information is provided above)