As Director of PK-12 Initiatives for HSE Schools, Steve Loser has been working with the Ford Next Generation Learning program and the Pursuit Institute.  He talks about that and more in this podcast.

I was out-of-pocket much of Friday, but discovered a story written by Rachel Fradette of the Indianapolis Star, saying Edra Waterman is leaving as Director of the Hamilton East Library.

As I have written before in this space, myself, my wife Jane and my daughters have been patrons of the library for many years.  Library users in Noblesville and Fishers owe a great deal to Edra Waterman.

According to Rachel Fradette’s story, Edra will be leaving in December.  There is no indication yet into what is next for her.

Edra Waterman has shown me nothing but professionalism and kindness in my interactions with her.  Edra, good luck in your next endeavor!

Here is the listing for road projects during the work week starting Monday, November 13.  Note that the closure of 106th & Hoosier Road will be extended but is expected to be open by the end of this year.

Here is the full listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers area road construction for the work week beginning Monday, Nov. 13 →

Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School girls volleyball coach Jason Young and team members were before the school board Wednesday night, but they had to limit their time.  The coach and team had a media outlet set to interview them shortly thereafter.

And why not?  This coach and team enjoyed their second straight 4A state championship and went 33-0 on the way to this year’s state title.  The state championship match this year was the team’s 67th straight win.

Congratulations to the HSE HS girls volleyball team!

It was a sea of red as teachers in the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District filled the board room Wednesday night to support the new contract agreement with the HSE Schools.  The board also expressed enthusiasm for the pact, approving it 7-0.

There were 6 people speaking during public comment, all in support of the contract. Stephanie Hunt also urged the board to extend the contracts of 3 top administrators not yet extended, now that the funding referendum has been approved by the voters.

The contract, covering the certified staff for the current school year, provides the highest starting teacher salary in Hamilton County and also provides additional pay for retention.  There were some enhancements to the benefit package.

In other news from the Wednesday night board meeting:

–Contracts for Embodied Teams and Hirons Public Relations received board approval.

–The board heard a presentation from Erin Mohr on the student High Ability program.

–Board President Dawn Lange once again thanked all those helping with the campaign to approve the funding referendum.  She also said the deadline for applications to be the new superintendent are due by December 1st.  The board will begin looking at the applicants in December, with further steps taken on the search during 2024.

One thing I have always noticed about Fishers is the way the city honors military veterans.  That includes the creation of the Fishers Armed Services Commission, established by the Fishers City Council.

That Commission will be in charge of the Veterans Day ceremony set for Friday, November, 10th, 11am at the Fishers YMCA on 126th Street.

This year’s guest speaker is Vice Admiral Terry M. Cross, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired. Cross served as Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from July 2004 until June 2006. In this role, he was the U.S. Coast Guard’s second in command and the Agency Acquisition Executive. Cross previously served in several positions with the U.S. Coast Guard, including Commander of the Pacific Area, Assistant Commandant for Operations, and a deck watch officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch. After retiring from the Coast Guard in 2006, Cross accepted a position as Director of Homeland Security Programs with EADS North America (now Airbus North America), retiring in 2011 as the Vice President for Homeland Security Programs.

All are welcome to attend this free event.

There will be some changes coming to the Fishers City Council.  The 2 Democrats currently on the council lost their bid for re-election Tuesday.  One new Democrat will be serving the South West District, Bill Stuart.

Democrats Jocelyn Vare and Crystal Neumann lost.  A new Republican will assume an at-large Council seat, Tiffanie Ditlevson.

Democrat Howard Stevenson was unsuccessful in his bid for an at-large Council seat.  “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but I’m proud that I ran a positive campaign,” said Stevenson in a social media post. “I want to congratulate Todd Zimmerman, Cecilia Coble, and Tiffanie Ditlevson and wish them the best. I will continue to serve the Fishers community that I love to make it even better for everyone.”

The only Republican to lose in this round of city elections was David Giffel, with Democrat Bill Stuart the winner.  “While the election didn’t go our way, I want to congratulate Bill Stuart on winning the Fishers City Council SW (South West) seat,” Giffel said in a post-election written statement. “Your campaign resonated with the voters, and I wish you the best in your new role.”

Some races were not particularly close, but others were.

Stuart’s win over Giffel was by a margin of less than 2% of the votes cast.  In the at-large council race, Jocelyn Vare was less than .5% away from winner Divletson.  In the North Central District, John DeLucia won by less than 2% of the votes over Crystal Neumann.

So, Bill Stuart, John DeLucia and Tiffanie Ditlevson will be new members of the Fishers City Council as of January 1, 2024.

The result of this election is that Republicans will retain solid control of Fishers city government.

I have written previously about the attacks some candidates have withstood in this city election.  Sadly, negative campaigning often works and that’s why it is utilized so often.  But it is my view that campaigning in the mud does extend into governing and makes good government more difficult to achieve.  Fishers will pay a price for this campaign over time.

So, let’s see what happens in 2024.  After all, Scott Fadness was unopposed as Mayor of Fishers and we will see what the coming 4 years bring us.

An army of volunteers rolled-up their sleaves and went to work advocating for passage of a school funding referendum at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools, part of the Advance HSE Political Action Committee.  With no organized opposition, the operating referendum passed by a wide margin Tuesday, and is projected to provide $24 million per year for HSE Schools beginning in 2024 and will last for 8 years.

“Once again, our community has demonstrated the commitment that it has for our schools. Thank you for supporting this referendum,” said Dr. Matt Kegley, Interim Superintendent, in a written news release. “The engagement of our community stakeholders in shaping HSE’s future, the tireless efforts of dedicated volunteers in conveying the importance of the referendum and the voter approval for renewal, attests to the strong relationship we have with the residents of Fishers and neighboring Noblesville.”

In the news release issued after the vote counting was complete, HSE officials gave “thanks to Advance HSE led by PAC chairperson Laura Smoots, Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), Mayor Scott Fadness and the Fishers City Council, Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, and the countless HSE staff, parents and community members who generously volunteered their time, efforts and financial resources to this cause.”

The final vote total was 15,751 Yes…..6,733 No.

With the “yes” vote on the referendum, HSE Schools will plan for staffing and programs in this school year and beyond. Since I moved to Fishers in 1991, HSE Schools have won every referendum placed before the voters.  That string continued in 2023.

(There was an error in the vote total in the story which has now been corrected)

208 out of 208 Precincts (all of Hamilton County)

HSE School Funding Referendum

Yes          15,751

No            6,733

City Clerk

Jennifer Kehl (R)            11197

Janet Pritchett (D)        9549

City Council At-Large (top 3 win)

Cecilia Coble (R)                     11482

Tiffanie Ditlevson (R)            9859

Todd Zimmerman (R)           11117

Howard Stevenson (D)        9560

Jocelyn Vare (D)                     9621

City Council  South East District

Pete Peterson (R)

City Council  Northwest District

Selina Stoller (R)                  1785

Bill McLellan (D)                   1651

City Council  North West District

John DeLucia (R)               1258

Crystal Neumann (D)       1216

City Council  South Central District

John Weingardt (R)          2113

Lane Skeeters (D)              1559

City Council South West District

David Giffel (R)                1907

Bill Stuart (D)                   1967

City Council  North East District

Brad DeReamer (R)               2262

Samantha Chapman (D)     1677

It is Tuesday, November 7, 2023…time for our once-every-four-year city election here in Fishers.  In this election cycle, there is an additional item on the ballot – an operational funding measure for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.

First, if you are cutting it close getting to the polls before the 6pm deadline, do not fear if you happen to see a line of voters waiting.  Indiana law says as long as you are in line by 6pm, you will be allowed to vote.

Indiana is one of only 6 states offering a straight-party voting option, meaning you can vote for either Republicans or Democrats across the board.  However, the straight-party option does not apply when voting for at-large city council members.  You must individually cast those votes.  There are 5 candidates on the Fishers ballot, you are allowed to cast a vote for up to 3 of the 5.

Also, a straight-party vote will not register on the HSE Schools referendum, that requires a separate selection by the voter.

Although there is no mayor race in this Fishers election (Scott Fadness is unopposed for another term) the city council election has been an interesting set of races to watch.

I plan to be in Noblesville at the Judicial Center for the vote count tonight and will update the numbers as I get them here at LarryInFishers.com.