Tuesday, November 19th, is known for being the “Red for Ed” day at the Indiana Statehouse where thousands of teachers from throughout the state plan to converge on the State Capitol complex, pushing for specific education goals before the General Assembly begins its session in early January..

However, an event of local educational significance will be happening that evening, Tuesday, November 19th, 6pm, at the HSE High School College and Career Academy (Door #18).  Superintendent Allen Bourff and other school officials plan to brief the community on what data is available on how to handle school start times.

Currently, in the HSE School District, the secondary students report the earliest, then the elementary students report for class.  Dr. Bourff has said there are proposals to change the current system and have the elementary students report early and the secondary schools open for students later in the morning.

Bourff plans to outline how neighboring school districts have implemented such a system and how it is or is not working for them.  The superintendent also plans to layout the pluses and minuses in implementing the “flipped” schedule, as early as 2020-2021 school year.

Then the public will have a chance to comment on the proposal.

Dr. Bourff has been clear that no decision has been made to change the time students report for class locally.  He has already met with groups of secondary students to hear their reaction to this proposal.  School officials say the Tuesday night event is aimed at listening to the community.

I have seen a lot of discussion about the decision by Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools not to hold classes for students on Tuesday, November 19th.  That is “Red for Ed” day at the Indiana Statehouse and teachers from around the state will be gathering at the State Capitol Building in an event organized by the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA).

I was out of town and missed attending the last regular school board meeting, but I did watch the video recording and have reviewed Superintendent Allen Bourff’s letter to HSE parents and staff.  Here are a few important facts we all should keep in mind.

November 19th will be a teacher work day.  The teachers are required to report to work unless they choose to take a personal day (a day off work to which they are entitled).

Roughly 300 teachers had requested a personal day on November 19th as of a few days ago, meaning it would be a struggle to staff all the classrooms on that day.  Dr. Bourff listed that as one reason the HSE Schools are converting November 19th to a teacher work day and students will not be reporting.

So, if a teacher wishes to attend the “Red for Ed” day at the Indiana Statehouse, that teacher will be using one of her/his personal days to do so.  Otherwise, teachers in the HSE District will be reporting to work, even though the students will not be there.

Why the “Red for Ed” rally? And why do this now?

There are some facts that are disturbing for the state of Indiana.  Education departments at universities around the state have seen a steep decline in students choosing to pursue the teaching profession.  Many teachers are either choosing to pursue their educational career in another state or are leaving the teaching profession for a job that pays more and is not nearly as stressful.

Unless something is done quickly, our state could be on the back burner in public education.  That would be a development that harms all of us.

Compensation is obviously a big part of the exodus from teaching in our state.  But there are many other issues tied to this problem.  Dr. Bourff listed a few in his letter.

First, the state has established what many education experts believe is a flawed system to evaluate schools and teachers because the state mandated program on how students are assessed is badly flawed.

Second, state lawmakers have been funneling funds away from K-12 public schools to fund vouchers supporting charter schools.

Thirdly, teachers have been struggling with state required licensing that continues to add requirements for those teaching, without any provisions to fund or provide time to deal with this.

January 6 had been set aside as a teacher work day, one day before students were to report back after the winter break.  Dr. Bourff will be recommending that the school board vote to authorize changing January 6 to a day students report, essentially swapping out the days, so no instructional time will be lost for students.

We are fortunate that the teaching staff at HSE Schools is well compensated.  The district is not at the top of the school corporations among Indy’s suburban districts in total compensation, but are about in the middle of that pack.

However, our teaching staff continues to struggle with the other issues cited by Dr. Bourff’s letter.  Our teachers continue to deal with a flawed state-mandated evaluation system, licensing issues and the flow of money from public education to vouchers and charter schools.

Ask anyone involved in economic development and you will find that a strong public school system is key to attracting and nurturing local business development.  Our local teaching staff is the key to continuing the outstanding reputation earned by HSE Schools.

This is an important issue to everyone in our local community, whether you have children in local schools or not.  Red for Ed day is a way to express the immediate challenges Indiana faces in supporting public education.

Many teachers are choosing to use a personal day to attend the rally, when they could use that day for something else.  It is up to you as to whether you choose to support it.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers remained perfect on the season after winning two games at the Lake Central Classic on Saturday.

The Class 4A No. 8 Tigers first beat the host Indians 41-35. Fishers led 9-6
after the first quarter, but Lake Central came back to tie the game at 18-18 by halftime.

The Tigers had another solid defensive performance in the third period to take a 27-24
lead, then pulled away in the fourth.

Katie Burton led the scoring with 11 points, while Kaitlynn Feagan drained three 3-pointers on her way to 10 points.

Tamia Perryman had a solid game with nine rebounds, seven points and four steals. Lydia Stullken pulled eight rebounds.

In its second game, Fishers cruised past Valparaiso 57-40. The Tigers led 19-14 after the first period, then dominated the second quarter to take a 42-24 halftime lead.

Burton scored 14 points, with Feagan and Hailey Smith both adding 11 points.

Stullken collected six rebounds and blocked three shots. Audra Emmerson made four steals.

Fishers is 6-0 and begins Hoosier Crossroads Conference play Friday at
Westfield.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern scored two easy wins at the Lake Central Classic on Saturday.

In their first game, the Class 4A No. 7 Royals overwhelmed Valparaiso 73-22.  Southeastern led 37-15 at halftime, then outscored the Vikings 26-2 in the third quarter. The Royals never allowed Valpo more than eight points in a period.

Jackie Maulucci had an outstanding game, scoring a career-high 27 points, including six 3-pointers. Sydney Parrish added 24 points and became the Royals’ all-time leading girls scorer during the game. Parrish also had seven rebounds, while Maulucci dished out five assists and Makayla Hinshaw handed out four assists.

Southeastern beat the host Lake Central 58-23 in its second game. The Royals got off to a strong start, leading 16-2 after the first quarter and 28-9 at halftime.

Parrish led the way with 23 points, and also handed out five assists. Lydia Self collected seven rebounds, while Maulucci dished out six assists, in addition to scoring nine points.
Southeastern is 3-1 and hosts Franklin Central on Friday to begin Hoosier Crossroads Conference play

The evening of November 5th made some history in Fishers.   It was the first time a Democrat had been elected to local office in anyone’s memory.  Actually, two Democrats won in this local election cycle… Sam DeLong and Jocelyn Vare.   I have extended an invitation for Ms. DeLong to join me in a post-election podcast.

In the meantime, Jocelyn Vare was ready to talk about life after her election campaign as she prepares to assume her city council seat in January.  I spoke to her about just that.

Hamilton County Reporter/WISH-TV

Duke Energy is rewarding the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools for being efficient in the use of electric power.

HSE contracted Ameresco to upgrade over 5,700 lighting fixtures at Sand Creek Elementary, Sand Creek Intermediate, and Hamilton Southeastern Intermediate and Junior High. Ameresco replaced the existing fixtures with new energy efficient LEDs fixtures. The project translates into considerable energy and cost savings for the district.

“We are pleased to see Hamilton Southeastern School District take advantage of these rebates by upgrading its lighting with more energy-efficient bulbs and fixtures,” said Louis P. Maltezos, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “This project is both a cost saving and an energy saving measure,” remarked Energy Manager Bob Rice.

Lighting accounting for the second largest portion of energy used in commercial buildings— typically around 25-30 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is estimated that in addition to the initial rebate, HSE will reduce its electric bill over $53,884 annually.

“I am extremely proud that our district has taken these important steps to conserve energy throughout the district,” said Dr. Allen Bourff, Superintendent of the Hamilton Southeastern School District. “We are lessening our district’s impact on the environment and, at the same time, saving valuable taxpayers dollars. This rebate check is evidence that our hard work is paying off–literally!”

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School officials have been on the hunt for a location to build a new elementary school building in Wayne Township, replacing and expanding the capacity of the maxed-out Durbin Elementary School.  School officials cannot expand the current Durbin site in Wayne Township due to the lack of water and sewer hookups.

The HSE School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to purchase about 40 acres of land located at 156th Street and Boden Road, in the City of Noblesville.  The contract approved by the board calls for a payment of $47,500 per acre to the current owner, which puts the total cost in the range of $1.7 million to $1.9 million.

Superintendent Allen Bourff said the elementary school, if constructed, would need about 22 acres of land, allowing the school corporation the option of constructing another school building on that tract of land in the future.

School corporation attorney David Day said there are long-range plans that call for the possibility of a roundabout construction at the 156th Street and Boden Road intersection.  Day also said that per school Financial Officer Mike Reuter, the school district has sufficient funds to pay for the land without the need of a bond issue.

Bourff added that if the board decides to build an elementary school on the newly purchased acreage, he plans to retain the current Durbin Building and use it for other purposes.

Board Member Brad Boyer asked about the need for a new elementary building in light of the demographer’s projection of fewer kindergarten through 4th grade students in the future.  Bourff responded that this will not be an additional building, but will replace the current Durbin building and take pressure off nearby elementary buildings with overcrowding issues.

Now that Fishers has been hit with the full force of winter, the road construction list is much smaller, but the Lantern Road closure continues south of downtown and there is work on 96th Street.  Most importantly, slow down and keep the construction crews safe.

Here is the listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

===============

LANTERN ROAD 
Lantern Road is closed to through traffic, beginning south of 116th Street to Fishers Pointe Boulevard, as part of the Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project to improve the sanitary sewer underneath Lantern Road. Access to Lantern Road remains open from the north (via 116th Street) for local residential, business, and Fishers Elementary School traffic. The closure for this portion of the project is expected to last approximately 90 days. Check out the project Fact Sheet to learn more.

Jerry McKibben has been the demographer used by the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District for many years, and his latest forecast shows a slight increase in the overall student population in the next few years and a slight decline after that.  But he also predicts a decline in the kindergarten through 4th grade population as the high school populations grows.

McKibben provided a report to the school board at Wednesday night’s regular meeting.  He said most forecasters were factoring-in a recession by this time, but the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates well below 5%, which was not predicted a year ago.

This has kept the housing market very hot.  In Fishers, there are more existing homes being sold compared to new homes being constructed.  He added that the results of the 2020 census, when released in 2021, will provide valuable data to the local school district.

The concept of the “large school effect” was explained, when some families believe their children cannot compete in a large school to participate in extra-curricular activities.  McKibben says most HSE students in this category end up attending Mount Vernon schools in neighboring Hancock County.

HSE Schools may lose a small amount of the student population over the next ten years, but will not lose nearly the number of students projected for most school districts in the state of Indiana during that same ten-year period, according to McKibben.

You can view the entire McKibben report on HSE Schools at this link.