Anyone reading local social media lately has likely run across a number of posts and comments about HSE Schools.

First, a group calling themselves “Fishers One” is organizing and posting online, first about the school board’s process for selecting the new HSE School Superintendent.  Other posts from the group have been critical of the SEL (social, emotional learning) program at HSE Schools and SEEL at the high school level (social emotional equity learning).

Another group has emerged online taking the opposite view, with the name of “One Fishers.”

As you can see, you need a scorecard to keep track of the players.

In his weekly video update, HSE Superintendent Allen Bourff addresses what he describes as “some of the misconceptions that have recently circulated online regarding the district’s social, emotional, learning (SEL), as well as the equity & inclusion work.”

Bourff describes SEL as a way to promote students’ life skills, needed for the work place, college or military service.  To Dr. Bourff, SEL includes conflict resolution, time management, communication, empathy and self awareness.

This is nothing new to public schools, according to Dr. Bourff.  “School’s have fostered students’ social, emotional development for years,” the superintendent said. “It’s been known as character development, sportsmanship or citizenship.”

He describes the SEL program in grades kindergarten through 8th grade as a research based program used by other Indiana school districts.

All the SEL lessons are available on the school district Web site using this link.

This is the first year high schools will be piloting SEEL content.  Each high school will take a slightly different approach to this  “We call it SEEL because in High Schools our equity coaches have partnered with the SEL coordinators to develop the content,” said Bourff.

Dr. Bourff then turned his attention to assertions HSE Schools are promoting Critical Race Theory in SEL and curriculum, saying this is not happening in the district, “it is not true.”

“Equity & inclusion work has been embedded in our district since 2004,” said Dr. Bourff in the video.  “The district considers its responsibility to create a safe space where students can grow academically and socially.  We work together as central office administrators, principals, counselors and teachers to prepare students for the future that awaits them.  It’s a collaborative effort.”

Dr. Bourff’s entire video posted Friday afternoon can be viewed at this link.

It’s time for the weekly road construction update from the City of Fishers.

Below is the full listing, as provided by the city:

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The Fishers Police Department and the local YMCA are teaming-up to offer a Teen Academy this summer.

For details, see the news release below issued by the Fishers Police:

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The 19th session of the Fishers Police Department Teen Academy will be held in conjunction with the Fishers YMCA from July 19-23, 2021.  This year’s academy will be held at Riverside Intermediate in Fishers.  The Teen Academy is one week of law enforcement-type training that will allow teens to better understand how law enforcement works.

            The purpose of the academy is to provide teens with an opportunity to better understand police officers and, more specifically, to strengthen the relationship between the officers of the Fishers Police Department and the community.  Officers will provide an overview of the roles and responsibilities of FPD Officers and insight into some of the specialized units and skills within FPD.  Topics will include how to make a traffic stop, how the K-9 Unit works within the agency, the role of the Fishers Dive Team, how Crime Scene Investigators process scenes, and how to safely navigate social media and the internet. Students will have some classroom instruction and practical role play training each day.

The academy will begin with physical fitness at 9:00 each morning.  Participants will then attend informational sessions followed by practical hands-on training to reinforce the lesson(s) of the day.  Each day will end with a social activity between officers and students, and participants will be dismissed at 3:30 p.m.

            The academy is open to youth in junior high and high school.  Applicants must be enrolled in or planning to attend a junior high or high school in Fishers in the fall of 2021.  Each applicant is subject to a screening process; advanced registration is required.  Walk-ins will not be allowed.  There are a total of 40 spots available for this year’s academy.  Begin the registration process by submitting interest at this link, https://www.fishers.in.us/1331/Teen-Academy-Registration.  Once pre-registration and the background screening have been completed and an applicant has been approved for participation, applicants will receive an email from FISHERS, IN with final registration information and camp details.

            Registration is open April 30, 2021 through June 4, 2021.

We now know the approved start and end times of the school day in the 2021-2022 school year following a vote by the Hamilton Southeastern School Board Wednesday.  Elementary students will begin their day at 7:40am. Intermediate/Junior HIgh at 9:15am and High School at 8:30am.  The changes were made to accommodate the bus scheduling system, which helps in the budgeting for the coming school year.

The board was presented with new scheduling proposals for both high schools and two junior highs.

To review the proposal for the high schools, use this link.

Only two junior high school buildings are proposing new schedules for the coming school year, Fall Creek and HSE Intermediate / Junior High.  You may those tentative schedules at this link.

Administrators are also proposing Targeted Learning Time, replacing Smart Periods, as a way to address learning loss.  For more on that proposal, use this link.  The reference to SEEL stands for Social Emotional Equity Learning.

The board voted unanimously to allow students to keep their issued electronic devices this summer without an extra rental fee with the need for summer remediation programs.

The board gave final approval to the school calendars for the next two school years.

The 2021-2022 calendar is available at this link.

The 2022-2023 calendar can be found at this link.

When Janet Chandler began teaching at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School, it was a mostly rural school with a relatively small student count.  She saw that change dramatically over the years.  Ms. Chandler is being recognized for her years of service to HSE Schools and her students.

Ms. Chandler was recently honored by the president of the Indiana State Teachers Association with the 2021 Hoosier Educator of the Year Award.  She is the president of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association and will represent Indiana at the national-level as she competes with teachers across the nation for the National Education Association Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence.

The HSE School Board recognized Ms. Chandler with a trophy Wednesday night.

In addition to serving as the long-time President of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, Ms. Chandler coaches the Mock Trial and We The People teams at HSE High School.

HSE Schools produced a video in Ms. Chandler’s honor, which can be viewed on the school district’s Facebook page at this link.

After a summer of 2020 which mostly had us staying home, the City of Fishers has an ambitious list of events this 2021 summer season.  All events will be handled in close consultation with the Fishers Health Department.

It all begins in a few days, May1st.  There is plenty of parking in nearby garages.

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

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Fishers Parks’ Summer Camps
Begins June 7
Still looking for the perfect summer camp for your child? Registration is ongoing for Fishers Parks’ annual summer camp program, which offers a wide variety of adventure with 19 camps in our parks, at the new Maker Playground at Hub & Spoke, at the AgriPark, and in HSE Schools. See a full camp lineup at playfishers.com/SummerCamp.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to enact a $5 million spending reduction plan recommended by administrators.  Chief Financial Officer Cecilie Nunn told the board recent retirements and resignations among the teaching staff, along with funds from the American Recovery Act, translate into no need for a staff reduction-in-force (RIF) in the 2021-2022 school year..

Nunn acknowledged that the new state budget just enacted by the legislature will increase funding for public schools in the 2-year period beginning July 1, but there are many unknown factors at this time.  For example, the state will be funding virtual students at 85%, after funding such learners at 100% during the pandemic.  Also, officials do not know what staffing will be required, because student enrollment numbers are not known for the coming school year, virtual or in-person.

Superintendent Allen Bourff said administrators will come back to the board if there are any updates on how the added state funds may change the spending cuts already enacted.

There is a long list of savings passed by the board, as it was generally laid-out at the previous meeting.  Savings of $3.3 million are projected by re-establishing class sizes in grade K-6 consistent with the last referendum, and using American Rescue funds.  More than $401,000 will be saved by freezing incremental pay raises for support staff and administrators. Several open jobs will not be filled, including 16 bus driving positions.

There was some discussion about the elimination of recycle bins and Nunn indicated that was a small line item and could be handled if the board so chooses to keep them.

You can review the entire list of budget cuts enacted by the board at this link.

Families with students in the Hamilton Southeastern School District will have the chance to opt into a virtual learning program for the upcoming school year after the school board voted to approve the recommendation from school administrators detailed in a Tuesday morning work session.  The vote was 6-1 with Suzanne Thomas voting no, saying she wants more time for public comment.

The plan calls for HSE teachers to instruct virtually grades K-6, with some type of virtual plan for pre-school.  Indiana Online, which has provided summer school virtual learning for HSE Schools, will provide the virtual classes for grades 7-12.

Indiana Online had planned to charge HSE Schools $2,800 per student, but agreed to lower that fee to $2,400 per student once state lawmakers went back to 85% funding for virtual students in school year 2021-2022.

Parents may apply for the virtual learning program beginning May 3 and ending May 14.  The school district wants a commitment for the first semester of the coming school year at minimum.

A Webinar is scheduled for May 5th to explain the virtual program for grades K-6.  Indiana Online will conduct a Webinar for grades 7-12 on a date yet to be announced.

Superintendent Allen Bourff is retiring at the end of June and Dr. Yvonne Stokes has been hired to replace him as of July 1.  Dr. Bourff told the board, in answer to a question raised by board members in Tuesday’s work session, that he had discussed the virtual learning proposal with Dr. Stokes and she is supportive, with one caveat.  Stokes is concerned that the 7-12 Indiana Online curriculum might not be as rigorous as HSE’s program.

Board members discussed that the comments from the public centered on knowing whether masks will be required before deciding on a virtual option, but school officials said there is no way of knowing what Centers for Disease Control and other experts recommendations would be in August of this year.

The Fishers Arts Council is preparing its May display at Fishers City Hall.

Below is a news release from the Arts Council with more details:

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The Fishers Arts Council offers three unique exhibits in its two galleries at city hall in Fishers starting May 1st. The main exhibit hall features the work of photographers Freddie Kelvin and Tom Mueller. In the Alcove for the second month of a three-month exhibit is Brinton Farrand. There will be a free, public reception on Friday, May 14th at the art gallery from 6pm until 8pm to view the art, meet the artists, and enjoy live music.

The Kelvin and Mueller exhibit is entitled, “Our Reality, Our Dreams” and will be on display through May while Farrand will continue for another month through June. Kelvin’s photography “has always been based on instinct.” While he is fascinated with nature photography. He says, “I have become increasingly fascinated by water and reflections, where the worlds of reality and dreams collide.”

Mueller brings a photographic project documenting all facets of the Conner Prairie living history museum, about which he wrote a book. The majority of his prints in this exhibit come from the portions relating to farm animals, especially the rare breed animals and the natural environment on the museum’s extensive grounds.

Farrand’s exhibit is of latex paint in dribbles is entitled, “Embrace the Chaos, Out of Chaos Comes Order.” He says, “I am now following my passion of creating artwork that expresses my observations of the world around us. I enjoy watching people in everyday life, inventing art that reflects our society. I want to explore people’s emotions, their joys, sorrows and toils. I paint to express my opinion of what our society does to influence us. I believe the glitz and glamour of the political arena does not reflect the person in the streets just trying to get by.” As always, the art is available for purchase and can be viewed Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm and on Saturdays from 10am-12pm, excluding holidays.