Sarah Donsbach’s final regular school board meeting is December 11 as her 4 -year board term comes to an end.  She chose not to seek re-election.  Wednesday night’s board meeting was not her last, but she chose to speak out on her board experience then.

“Our community, state and country have dramatically changed in the last 4 years and this past election cycle proved to be one of the worst,” said Ms. Donsbach.  “Vitriol and deeply personal attacks we wage against each other online, and most recently, in an effort to win elections, have only continued to pollute and divide our community and district.  Frankly, we are allowing it to destroy our civility.”

She then turned to comment on some of her fellow board members.

“The behavior of this board and its members have engaged in the last 4 years cannot be the example we set for our youth,” Donsbach said.  “This board cannot continue to show our students that partisanship and promises to outside groups are more valuable than statesmanship, honesty and respect.”

She implored her fellow board members, all returning in January except for Donsbach, to do the work necessary to earn back trust from the stakeholders, students and staff.

The late Senator Richard Lugar and President George H.W.Bush were quoted on how public service is done.

Sarah Donsback ended her statement with this.

“Stop the games, stop the drama, stop the politics and focus on the needs of the students.”

The bargaining team for the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) updated teachers in a rainy outdoor meeting prior to the Wednesday night Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting.  “We are hopeful we are getting closer and closer,” said Craig Frawley, a leader on the teacher bargaining team.

Frawley and fellow bargaining team member Brie Toste detailed the back and forth proposals in negotiating sessions so far.  At Wednesday’s meeting, Frawley said HSE administrators offered each teacher a $1,200 pay increase, HSEA  countered with a $1,600 pay hike.

But there are two other sticking points in these talks, according to HSEA.  Those choosing the traditional PPO health insurance plan will see an 8.5% increase in premiums.  HSE is pushing for teachers to choose the high-deductible plan, which bridges the gap in coverage with Health Savings Accounts.  The bargaining team recently sent a message to teachers explaining how the high-deducible plan with a Health Savings Account would work.

The largest reaction from the teachers listening to this update was the administration’s proposal to eliminate the salary schedule.  Frawley said that would give HSE administrators  the right to place any teacher where they would choose on the pay scale.  The last offer from HSE giving each teacher $1,200 included elimination of the salary schedule.

HSEA bargaining team members emphasized how hard the union has fought to keep the teacher salary schedule throughout all the changes in state law, arguing giving that up would be “huge.”  The bargaining team told teachers it is important to protect the contract language the union has fought so hard to keep.

The final bargaining session is scheduled for Friday this week.  If no agreement is reached, a mediator appointed by the state will work with both sides to come to an agreement.  If that is not accomplished within 30 days, the state will begin a fact-finding process in which a contract could be imposed on both parties.

The discussion was robust and the public hearing featured 20 speakers, all opposing a proposed charter innovation school by Opportunity Education.  School board members face a state-mandated deadline and must decide yes or no as to whether the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School District will allow the charter.

The charter high school, named for the time being as “Fishers Prep,” would have 500-600 students when all grades are up and running.  James Troupis from Opportunity Education, a nonprofit organization, made a detailed presentation before the board on what the charter school would offer.

Steve Loser, Director of K-12 Initiatives fir HSE Schools, says he would aim to recruit the 8.7% of students (K-12) in the HSE District that have already chosen a private or charter school.  However, he added there would be some students at Fishers Prep already attending HSE Schools, meaning the state funding support for those students would go to the charter and leave HSE.

Loser also said he has received a legal opinion that none of the referendum money available to HSE Schools can go toward students attending the charter.

Without the Fishers Prep High School, Loser told board members it will take a much longer period of time to build a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program complimenting what already exists at HSE Schools.

The public hearing on the proposed charter featured 20 speakers, including the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) teacher bargaining team, currently negotiating a new contract with the HSE District.  Although one speaker did describe a good experience with one area charter school, she and the 19 others spoke in strong opposition to the proposed Fishers Prep high school.

Loser also announced an in-person community forum on the proposed charter school Thursday, November 21, 6pm, at the Launch Fishers Theatre.  Registration is encouraged, because if a number of people plan to be there, the forum could be moved to a larger venue.

So, the December 11 school board meeting looms large, with a key vote on the charter school coming from board members.

I will say this about the ASM Global staff gearing up for the opening of the Fishers Event Center – they are reaching out for all the publicity they can get.

Wednesday morning, at the invitation of ASM Global, I attended a small portion of a 2-hour-plus orientation for part-time employees that will be staffing the Center at events.

ASM Global’s Mitch List, General Manager of the facility under a contract with the City of Fishers, spoke before the group of workers, welcoming them into to fold.

The Event Center opens November 22 with the Turnpike Troubadours, a country act, headlining the opening night.

The Indy Fuel delivered a commanding 4-1 victory over the Toledo Walleye in a rare Wednesday morning game. After a back-and-forth start, the Fuel dominated the third period to secure the win on the road.

The game’s opening moments belonged to Toledo, as they outshot Indy 6-1 in the first five minutes. Bryan Lemos of the Fuel took the game’s first penalty for tripping at 5:27, and Toledo quickly took advantage. Trenton Bliss capitalized on the power play with a goal at 5:45, marking the 50th of his career. The Fuel faced another early setback when they incurred a bench minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, but they killed off the penalty to keep the Walleye’s lead to one.

Late in the first period, the Fuel saw an opportunity to change the tide as former teammate Anthony Firriolo took an interference penalty at 15:17. When Chaz Reddekopp joined Firriolo in the box for cross-checking, Indy found themselves with a 5-on-3 power-play advantage. The Fuel seized the moment, and at 17:12, Kyle Maksimovich netted a power-play goal, tying the game at 1-1 with assists from Nathan Burke and Colin Bilek.

Both teams fought hard in the second period, though neither could break the tie. The Walleye were unable to capitalize on an early power play, and a too-many-men penalty late in the period kept the Fuel’s momentum alive.

Indy came out strong in the third period, with Kevin Lombardi scoring his first goal of the season—and his first professional goal—at 5:10, giving the Fuel a 2-1 lead. They soon extended their advantage when Cam Hausinger scored on a power play, bringing the score to 3-1.

With three minutes left in the game, Toledo pulled their goaltender in a final push to close the gap. However, Kevin Lombardi took advantage of the empty net, scoring his second goal of the game at 17:26 to seal the victory. The Walleye’s final power play in the last minute was not enough to rally, and the Fuel skated away with a 4-1 win, outshooting Toledo 26 to 22.

Check out artwork and wares from local artists and artisans at the inaugural Winter Art Sale from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14 at the Fishers Art Center. The free event is an opportunity to find one-of-a-kind gifts, including paintings, jewelry, textiles, ceramics and more.

“When you buy gifts made by local artists, you’re really giving to the artist and the recipient, so you’ll feel twice as good,” said Shannon Bennett, vice president of events and exhibitions.

What:                   Winter Art Sale

When:                  Noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 14

Where:                 Fishers Art Center, 1 Municipal Dr., Fishers

Cost:                     Free admission; artwork and festive refreshments for sale

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a fire broke out in the Lake Stonebridge neighborhood, prompting a swift response from the Fishers Fire Department. At approximately 4:00 a.m., firefighters arrived to find heavy flames and smoke engulfing a home near 116th Street and Hoosier Road.

The homeowners, along with their pet, had already evacuated safely by the time emergency crews arrived, averting any injuries. The fire reportedly began in the garage and spread quickly into the attic space of the main living area, requiring an immediate and multi-faceted response from the firefighters on scene.

Firefighters initially launched an aggressive interior attack to control the flames. However, due to the fire’s rapid spread, they quickly transitioned to a defensive approach before resuming an offensive strategy to bring the blaze under control. Their coordinated efforts prevented the flames from reaching nearby homes, successfully containing the damage to the affected property.

The Fishers Fire Department expressed gratitude to its crew for their hard work in protecting the neighborhood, as well as to the community for their vigilance. Fire investigators are currently on scene working to determine the cause of the fire.

In a statement, the department also reminded residents to remain alert and reach out with any fire safety questions.

I wrote yesterday in this space that the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA) posted on social media that Monday’s bargaining session with representatives of Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools did not go well, from HSEA’s point of view.  Teachers are being encouraged to attend the Wednesday night school board meeting wearing black to show support for the HSEA bargaining team.

HSEA is also urging teachers to speak at a public hearing slated for the Wednesday board session on the proposed charter school, that would be run by Opportunity Education.  HSEA is opposing the charter.

Tuesday evening, HSEA posted on social media a 3-page letter sent to each HSE School Board member raising concerns about the proposed charter school.  The exclusive bargaining unit for HSE teaching staff raise issues in the letter, such are loss of state funding for the up to 500 students that would eventually attend this school, whether money provided by the recent referendum would be funneled to the charter, and a long list of other issues.

You can read the entire letter sent to each school board member below:

Continue reading HSEA letter to HSE School Board members about proposed charter school →

Whenever the topic of local road work comes up, the ongoing construction at 146th Street and Allisonville Road is front and center.  It has reconfigured traffic temporarily and motorists find lane closures on a regular basis.

The Hamilton County Highway Department urges drivers to observe the 35 miles-per-hour speed limit in the construction zone.  Officials say the next change in the traffic pattern will come in December.

Construction vehicles will continue coming and going from the area, so please be alert when driving in the zone.

If there is any good news, the latest projection from Hamilton County says construction should all be completed by August 1, 2025.  Once finished, there will be an overpass on 146th Street over Allisonville Road and there will be a roundabout controlling traffic on ground level at Allisonville.

The completion percentages for the categories of construction are listed below.

There was a chill in the air Tuesday morning outside Fishers City Hall as the routine meeting of the Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety got underway.  Mayor Scott Fadness reassured those at the session loud noises around City Hall, heard in the meeting room, were workers starting to install the Christmas decorations.  This is the first holiday season for the new Fishers City Hall/Arts Center.

The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for $50,000 in the 2025 city budget providing “experiential” learning by Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) students at Ritchey Woods (1st Grade), AgriPark (2nd Grade), City Hall (3rd Grade), and the Maker Playground (5th Grade).  The school board will vote on approving the MOU Wednesday.

“I think it is impressive that this is above and beyond our half-million dollar Innovation Grant,” Mayor Fadness said.  “It shows strong support for the schools.”