Future plans for building and grounds maintenance for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) schools was the focus of a Wednesday evening school board work session.  One issue at the center of the plans is the future of Fishers Elementary School.

Fishers Elementary, located at 11442 Lantern Road, sets on 8 acres of land.  All other HSE elementary schools have 20 acres.  The school is just south of downtown Fishers, where there has been a great deal of commercial and residential development.

$12 million is the estimated cost of maintenance needed at Fishers Elementary in 2023.  School Superintendent Yvonne Stokes says the board needs to discuss the future of the school.

“The question is, do we put that kind of money into the building?” said Stokes.  “It’s landlocked in terms of space to build or add on to it.  If a decision was made to rebuild, where would we rebuild?”

Lantern Road Elementary is due for a $14 million maintenance program in 2022, but that could be impacted by any decision made on Fishers Elementary.

Facilities Director for HSE Schools, Harry Delks, went over all the plans for maintenance projects up through the year 2033.  Katy Dowling, Chief Financial Officer for HSE Schools, told the board all maintenance funding  plans are based on holding the current property tax rate for debt at .5898, the same rate HSE Schools have had since 2013.

No decisions were made at the work session.

The students at Durbin Elementary School will be headed to the new Deer Creek Elementary starting in August of 2022.  Durbin will undergo a $2 million – $2.2 million renovation project beginning in May of 2022 and expected to be completed by October of 2022.  Durbin is to house the Focus program, now in Fall Creek Junior High…The Transitions program, moving from both high schools….and the Academy, moving from space the school district currently leases.

For a more detailed look at the maintenance plan presented to the school board, use this link.