State law requires school districts to hold a public hearing before bargaining begins between the school corporation and the local teachers’ union.  Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools conducted that public hearing Wednesday night at the regular board meeting.  No one from the public chose to speak, however, comments from HSE Schools’ Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Katy Dowling pointed to some recent developments that will reduce the amount of money available for teacher compensation.

She cited “particularly alarming” instances where state and federal grant allocations are lower than before.  For example, Dowling says there are 100 additional students in HSE Schools qualifying for ENL (English as a New Language) services, yet there will be no additional grant money to cover those costs.  The local school corporation must fill that gap.

Dowling also cited excess costs for Special Education programs, saying the district will incur about a quarter million dollars in additional expense “due to a change that came midstream.”

These additional expenses will come from the Education Fund, the same account that finances teacher compensation.

The message from Dowling is this:  due to these changes requiring the district to tap into the Education Fund and cover the expenses once funded through state and federal grants, this will leave less money to pay teachers.

At a time when teachers are leaving the profession for other opportunities, it is discouraging that the funding available going into bargaining with the local Hamilton Southeastern Education Association will be lower due to less funding from state and federal grants.