The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has been searching for a new superintendent since September of 2023. We now know the name of the person hired – Patrick Mapes.
The formal approval will come for a board vote Wednesday, February 28, at 6pm.
Mr. Mapes said he “retired” as Perry Township Schools superintendent in December of 2022. It appears he has “unretired” to join HSE Schools.
Prior to leading Perry Township Schools, Mr. Mapes was chairman of the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board and spent nearly 15 years serving in various capacities, including superintendent, within Delaware Community Schools in Muncie, Indiana. He was also the assistant superintendent of public instruction at the Indiana Department of Education for three years and was selected to join the U.S. Department of Education as the regional advisory chairperson on education issues. While he leads HSE, Mr. Mapes will also continue to serve the state as an appointee to the Indiana State Board of Education, which oversees K-12 education policymaking in Indiana.
The Mapes family plans to move from their current home on the south side of Indianapolis to the Fishers area.
“The HSE school board is confident Mr. Mapes will be a great addition to the district’s administration and will help spearhead continued efforts to enhance our schools and communities,” per the HSE Schools news release.
On Friday morning, a short-term contract with Mr. Mapes will be approved by the board in a 7:30am meeting. Below is the language of the interim contract.
It would be great to know something about Mr. Mapes, his policy views and history, and where he would be likely to fall on various issues in this divided time. Who will benefit, and who will be set aside? I’d like to believe this choice would bring maximum benefit to all, but I wasn’t born yesterday.
He is the VP of a charter school company (Stride Inc., so he has a financial interest in making public schools worse. Plus, he was appointed by an openly reactionary school board that suppressed all public input on his appointment, so he almost certainly has a personal interest in doing so as well.
Fascinating…thanks. Let us hope his tenure is fleeting.