HSE Schools close to a deal with Hub & Spoke, Purdue Polytechnic

LarryInFishers.com
(left-to-right)Supt. Allen Bourff, Asst. Supt Jan Combs & Executive Director of Secondary Education Matt Kegley talk with board members about Hub & Spoke, as well as Purdue Polytechnic contracts

The Hamilton Southeastern School District is poised to sign contracts with the City of Fishers, Hub & Spoke, Purdue University and Purdue Polytechnic that will provide new and innovative educations experiences for local high school students.  During a Tuesday morning work session, board members were briefed on the status of negotiations.

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are in the works with both the city and Hub & Spoke to provide space for students to become involved in the building trades.  The Hub & Spoke building, nearly completed at its location on 106th Street and I-69, is envisioned as a center for the building trades, including training opportunities for adults and high school students.

Matt Kegley, Executive Director of Secondary Education for HSE Schools, briefed the board on the status of negotiations with the City of Fishers, Hub & Spoke, Purdue University and Purdue Polytechnic.  An agreement with Purdue is needed to deal with licensing and trademark issues dealing with the use of Purdue’s name.  The Purdue Polytechnic MOU will govern the educational program offered to students at Fishers and HSE High Schools.

Based on Kegley’s briefing, most or all the contracts may be ready for approval at the next regular school board meeting, scheduled for March 11th.

If the Purdue Polytechnic agreement is finalized, the school corporation will need to appropriate the money to fund it through board action.  The money is in the education fund, but is not part of the 2020 school budget, so a board action will be required to properly appropriate the funds, according to school officials.  It is expected HSE Schools will provide teachers and one administrator for the Purdue Polytechnic program.

As described in the work session, high school students accepted into the Purdue Polytechnic program will attend classes at Hub & Spoke, but will remain HSE school district students and eligible to participate in extra-curricular activities.  Superintendent Allen Bourff says Purdue Polytechnic has programs with charter schools, but the deal with HSE would be the first public school district to become a part of Purdue Polytechnic’s program.

Bourff said school officials are working on an agreement with the city to build-out space for this program, which could cost about $250,000.  Nothing has been finalized.