Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Superintendent Allen Bourff’s contract was extended by the school board through June 30th, 2019 with a base salary amount of $180,495.  As per Dr, Bourff’s contract with the school corporation, incentive compensation for the period from January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 was approved by board members at $19,372.50.

The board approved the superintendent’s extension and incentive payment as part of the consent agenda, normally a routine school board agenda item, without comment.

After the meeting, Acting School Board President Howard Stevenson (filling in for absent Board President Karen Harmer) told LarryInFishers, “We are pleased with the performance (Dr. Bourff) has provided to us this school year, with the referendum’s success and all the efforts he’s had for us.”

In other board items:

–Parents are beginning to respond to how their students will use technology this upcoming school year.  In grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. 384 responses are in, 225 of those plan to rent iPads (59%).  171 of the 394 will leave their iPads at school (45%).  In grades 3-8, 288 of 672 respondents plan to rent iPads (43%).  In grades 9-12, laptops are involved, 99 plan to rent out of 311 responding (32%).  Obviously, not everyone has responded yet.

–The board approved the entire recommended changes to fee structures.  You can read the entire list at this link.

–HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter provided the board a timeline for this year’s budget process.  The first school board budget work session will be held  September 20th.  A public hearing on the spending plan is set for October 12th.  Final adoption will come at the October 26th board session, just a few days before the state-mandated budget deadline of November 1st.  Reuter told members this will be a very different budget process compared to recent years, due to the passage of the recent 7-year operating referendum.

–Danesa Stolz with the City of Fishers Parks & Recreation Department presented an overview of the Nature First program.  You can see her PowerPoint presentation at this link.

–Superintendent Bourff says most of the hiring for the upcoming school year has been completed and administrators are preparing for the upcoming school year.  He reiterated a comment he made at the last board meeting that board members face decisions on how to handle building space issues with additional classes added after the successful referendum campaign, possibly at the next board session.

–The Mudsock varsity football game will be at HSE High School this year on September 9th.

–Several students represented the HSE School System at the Destination Imagination national competition in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Team Dingos took home a global championship and Renaissance Award at the secondary level in the In Plain Sight Scientific Challenge.  Here’s a listing of how some fared at nationals:

• Team DIngos – Renaissance Award and 1st place, Scientific Challenge, Secondary Level.
• Team Do or DI – 3^rd place, Improv Challenge, University Level.
• Team DI-nosaurs – 5^th place, Technical Challenge, Elementary Level.
• Team Super Dupers – 8^th place, Technical Challenge, Secondary Level
• Team SPeCiMeNS – 8^th place, Fine Arts Challenge, Middle Level
• Team We Haven’t FigureD It Out Yet – 13^th Place, Structural Challenge, Secondary Level
• Team Fierce 7 – 16^th place, Structural Challenge, Middle Level
• Team TEK 7 – 18^th Place, Technical Challenge, Middle Level
• Team This Must Be a Mistake! – 21^st place, Structural Challenge, Elementary Level