When four new Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) school board members assumed office at the start of 2023, it was assumed there would be changes. That has been the case, particularly in school administrators.
Many will remember the September 2023 resignation of Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Stokes with the board agreeing to pay the remainder of her contract (several months). Other central office administrators have also chosen to leave. They include: Kim Lippe, now principal at Brownsburg High School….Nataki Pettigrew left as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Director at HSE to assume the same position with Washington Township Schools in Marion County (the new HSE superintendent says the DEI position will be eliminated here)…Michelle Brittain-Watts left HSE to take the job of President and CEO of Edison School of the Arts in Indianapolis.
At a recent HSE Board meeting, approval was given to the resignations of Katy Dowling as Chief Financial Officer and Jimmy Lake as Chief Operations Officer. The board document attached to the meeting agenda indicated the remainder of their contracts will be paid in full.
With the exception of Dr. Brittain-Watts, I came to know each of those administrators and admired each for their professionalism and dedication to their duties as HSE Schools. I wish them all well in their future endeavors.
There was one resignation that did not come from the HSE Central Office but will have a major impact on students attending Fishers Junior High School. Dr. Crystal Thorpe has left her position as principal at FJHS to accept a central office position with Washington Township. I was very impressed with Dr. Thorpe after recording a podcast with her about 3 years ago (listen here). A significant measure of a building principal’s effectiveness comes from the teaching staff, and the feedback from the FJHS teachers tells me they are all very sorry to see Dr. Thorpe go.
With the new majority on the HSE School Board in office just over a year, one should expect more changes to come.
Of all the changes made by the district since the start of 2023 the one that hit me the hardest was Dr. Thorpe leaving the district. She was my principal for my last 16 years in education before I retired at the end of last school year. Her and the school’s accomplishments since 2007 are well documented. It breaks my heart that her leadership and talents have left our district. It is hard to take that her advancement to the central office level was not done in our district. One of things that made me most proud of Fishers Junior High was the number of former students that are now on staff at the school. The outstanding culture of FJH is a reflection of the “grow your own” mindset. Dr. Thorpe’s departure is an exponential loss of more than just one administrator.
Another huge loss was Brooke Lawson, who went to Carmel after the board almost didn’t accept the $5 million grant that she was instrumental in bringing to HSE to support mental health. Carmel had the foresight to see the value that she brings to a district.
Unfortunately, the far right members of the HSE School Board (Orr, Pascoe, Albright, and Lang “OPAL”) have decided that diversity in leadership positions is not important. They were hellbent on eliminating the DEI position and removing Dr. Stokes. In the meantime they alienated strong leaders in the district who are leaving rather than put up with the far right political agenda in education. It is a pattern throughout the State of Indiana which has led to the brain drain in this State. I am happy that Dr. Thorpe, Ms Lippe, Ms Pettigrew, and Ms Brittain-Watts found employment in school districts in which they feel respected and that they have not left central Indiana.
I do not believe that the OPAL board members represent the best of our community and fear that their ignorance will deter minorities from feeling welcome here. I was at the FHS championship basketball game Sat. After winning, the FHS team was announced individually, as well as the coaches, team staff, and FHS principal. After each name was announced there was a nice ovation, especially for the FHS principal Jason Urban. I thought that was very telling on the type of job Mr. Urban is doing. When Superintendent Patrick Mapes was announced, there was a smattering of applause, noticeably less than each other member of the “team”. I can’t help but think that is a direct reaction to Mr. Mapes regressive policies.
The liberals in Fishers are out in force on this comment section. So let’s get down to a few truths. The mental health grant included a clause to hire staff from Black colleges. Were the writers of the grant concerned about the mental health of the students or just using the grant as a way to promote more DEI? Mr. Mapes should be applauded for doing away with the DEI position. DEI has done nothing but create more division and chaos in our schools. Reducing administrative bloat is fiscally responsible. Monies can be used for teachers and staff who have face time every day with students rather than hiring more redundant administrative positions.
Concerning Dr. Thorpe, I do wish her well. But, the accolades being piled upon her and the crying of such a great loss to Fishers Junior High, well that is simply not the case. Staff members as well as parents have shared personal accounts that paint a different picture. I will be asked to provide more details, but those stories are not mine to tell.
When Dr. Stokes was hired she wasted no time bringing in her own crew to help her run HSE. Now that Mr. Mapes is in charge he has the same right to hire staff who he believes will be the most effective. It would be most courteous if the liberals would allow Mr. Mapes to do his job without the constant whining.
Let’s not forget that the Fishers community saw what happened to academics and standardized test scores at Hamilton Southeastern in the last few years. We all know that rankings for our public schools have dropped causing negative consequences to our community overall. Changes were necessary to stop the downward slide. Let’s support Mr. Mapes so he can get HSE back on track.
I’m not a liberal and am not happy with the newest members of the board caring more about politics than what is in best interests of the students. The newest members of board who campaigned as fiscal conservatives have not been conservative at all-paying 3 contracts of people who have resigned in full and did away with survey that was already paid for/majority of individuals complaining about a student survey have 0 kids in district-so all they had to do was nothing-for those of us in district with kids we had option to opt out which less than 5% did. Also students are more than test scores and test scores have been excellent overall
So basically your whole point is that DEI drives HSE schools down including test scores. This is old, archaic thinking that is from the 1960’s
And the mental health grant didn’t include a statement that says you have to hire from black colleges – it said increase the base of your applicants to add diversity to the staff. Let’s play this out – In a staff of 40, currently we have barely any minority counselors. The grant adds 10 or 12 staff members ( can’t remember the exact number) Approx. 40 members going to 50 members. So at max 20% of the staff is minority ( this is hiring all minority candidates – which will never happen because not enough minorities even apply for these positions)
Why can’t this happen ? What are you scared of? Why can’t minority students get the representation they need and get advice from people that look like them and have gone through their experiences?
My kids have been in the district for the last 9 years – one of them had an Asian lady for one semester. That’s it! No minority representation.
However, the minority grant did not stipulate minority hiring only increasing the pool of candidates. Guess what, u can change the board and think I am liberal but guess what – wanting diverse thought on the board , school admin and teaching staff is not political . It’s accommodating the needs of ALL students.
Another point, “the liberals” have done a good job not dragging the new superintendent through the mud like how Dr Stokes was crucified before even she started. Yes / u have whining but I didn’t see the blatant disrespect including a current board member holding signs against Dr Stokes even before she started her tenure.
Public schools are for all. The term “ liberal” and “conservative” have no place in the discussion of public schools that are given the responsibility of schooling ALL children. All means all.
Realtor.com is a website used by potential home buyers. Good schools is a major reason cited by many as to why they choose to live in Fishers. Realtor.com provides statistics from Greatschools.org for school rankings. Public schools in Fishers used to have ratings of 9 and 10 out of 10. Now there are many schools with ratings of 6 and 7. Fishers Junior High School has a rating of only 6 out of 10 total, with academic progress being only a 5.
Maintaining public schools with a focus on academics will reduce the number of children testing below grade level as well as keep our schools ranked high. Families will continue to seek out Fishers if our schools strive for high academic standards.
Also concerning the comparisons between the former superintendent and Mr. Mapes, there is one word…experience. Mr. Mapes has so much experience to offer. Why can’t liberals put politics aside and give him a chance? If Mr. Mapes succeeds then that means our students succeed. Isn’t that what this community wants?
First… I rebutted your comment because I didn’t know if you realized that you ranted about diversity and inclusion and then ended with how bad our schools were … one has nothing to do with another. We need to represent the students in the administrative staff – this is not political.
2. Wanting to have good schools isn’t a political thing. Being pegged as a “liberal” because I want my kid to see more of themselves at school isn’t political.
3. The housing market in Fishers was never lacking. We have been listed as a fast growing suburb. I understand using data to make a point but please use relevant data. If I want to know how good a school is doing, I am not starting with realtor.com. Also noticed, you pulled FJH data, did you do it knowing who the principal is that left?
I will not comment on the new superintendent as then I will do what you do and because I do want to give him a chance. The same chance that wasn’t given to Dr Stokes.
I believe we have a fantastic school district where most kids are thriving. I demonstrate that by volunteering in the schools and being involved. However, I am disenchanted with the current political environment that is surrounding the leadership, because schools should be free of politics. Make the right decision, thinking about all kids in the building and not just the majority. You might think you know this answer, but unfortunately you don’t.
Schools should not be a political battleground. But today everything seems to be political. DEI is a strategy used by the Democratic Party to try to reward and strengthen their voting base. It has nothing to do with hiring teachers and staff who look like the diverse student body. Because if it did then the former superintendent would have hired staff based on the ratios of the many different ethnicities present at Hamilton Southeastern. Regardless, hiring based on race quotas instead of choosing the most talented and qualified candidates is a poor strategy indeed. A strategy where our students lose because they deserve the best teachers and staff. DEI stands for “didn’t earn it.” Mr. Mapes has stated that he wants HSE to be the best, and that means hiring the best candidates for administrative, teaching, and staff positions. Candidates who have earned it.
Public schools should be reflective of the communities which they serve. Fishers is a predominantly conservative and white community. The majority of HSE students go on to study at university. Maintaining high academic standards is necessary so our students will be prepared for college.
Actually if you have spent any time understanding DEI and Dr Kegley even reiterated in the board meeting that the initiative is to increase the applicant pool. You still hire the best athlete for the job. This is also corporate policy. Just increase your applicant pool. That’s what it means. You still hire the best person for the job.
Please understand, this is where you and I differ. Diversity is needed in the schools to represent my child so they can at least see one person of color in the 13 years of school. Is that too much to ask? Dont muddle it with statistics that have no bearing on this.
You don’t have to label it any kind of way. Just common sense says that you need to have a diverse pool. We do not have that in Fishers. It is not political.
Perhaps Hamilton Southeastern is not the right fit for your family. Fortunately, with an expanded school choice and voucher program there are many excellent school options available in our area. Public schools simply do not have the funding available to make every parent 100 percent happy all the time. In my opinion, HSE does a good job in serving our community. Hopefully Mr. Mapes will reinforce and focus our schools on academics so fewer students will be below grade level and even more of our students will be encouraged and ready to attend colleges and universities.
Perhaps HSE isn’t for me?
Hmmmm….. ! Your true colors are what makes it scary for my kids,
As a white conservative woman, I am extremely concerned about the rhetoric from Ann in this thread.
The point made by Mitchell was asking for her children to have representation in the educators and the system.
The rebuke to this statement is that the community is primarily white. Check your facts: data.census.gov.
1 in five members of our community is not white (we are more diverse than the state of Indiana as a whole)
11.7% of our community was not born in the US
Those numbers are only growing.
As a woman who in business, who faced times early in my career, where I wanted another person like me, a woman, as a mentor and guide, I can relate my own experiences to this mother who desires for her children to have representation in the education system.
I did not see the ‘ask’ to hire unqualified teachers/ administrators, rather the ask to try to seek and encourage qualified people that represent the entire community to apply, and for our system to genuinely consider them and help them feel that a different perspective is valued.
Again relating to my learning as a young business woman in corporate America, a man mentoring me was not the same…he could not relate to my experiences as a woman. (Eg a biz meeting continuing in the men’s room where decisions where made and I could not be present, or that, I as the more senior person, was asked to get coffee when junior males were not, etc). I believe that those things changed as a result of awareness, of intention.
And unless we are intentional in our schools, I can only imagine the unconscious bias that could be occurring.
Our community is full of division because so many refuse to engage in civil discourse, refuse to work for compromise, and refuse to work for the common good. Name calling and insults run rampant on social media. Any comment is viewed as negative if it doesn’t reinforce a liberal point of view. And many parents believe the education and welfare of their child is more important even if it takes away rights and benefits of other children. A prime example of this was the microaggression policy. To stop this vicious cycle, stakeholders need to look at the big picture. Decisions need to be made for the benefit of the majority, not the minority. No public school system can please everyone.
It is obvious that many of you have not looked at the résumés of several of the leaders who have left HSE. If you did you would see that these leaders were more than qualified to do their jobs. Almost all of them hold PhD’s… Dr. Stokes, Dr. Brittain-Watts, Dr. Pettigrew and Dr. Thorpe (all of whom are strong beautiful black women) and many of them have won awards, including Dr. Stokes winning the Governor’s award for excellence in education – 2018. These leaders weren’t hired because they were black. They were hired because they have skills and talent and being black just happened to be a bonus for the district as it allowed our minority children to see strong, black leaders. But so many of you can’t see past their skin color… you didn’t give them a chance fearful that your own personal agendas and vendetta might get squashed.
And please stop talking about the district’s academics. They are doing fine academically but I’m not sure that will continue since HSE just promoted someone to be in charge of curriculum who is not qualified to do the role. But I’m sure you’re OK with that since he’s a white man.
PhDs or EdDs? There is a big difference.
I am in agreement with your statement. Unfortunately many advanced programs in Education lack rigorous study including statistical research. Plagiarism also seems to be an increasingly common problem.
It’s interesting how you continually make these sweeping statements. Again, when education is mentioned along with 4 minority women, there is lack of rigor and plagiarism.
This is the highlighted problem with our society. It’s called unconscious bias.
Again with the assumptions and insults. This is why there is division in the community. I was making a general comment in support of the fact that EdD programs and PhD programs are not the same. PhD programs have higher academic standards and more rigorous research requirements.
It wasn’t meant to be an insult. Unconscious bias is a very real and demonstrated. I didn’t call you names . I was hoping you would realize your continuous negative commentary and I reacted to that. Our society is divided because I will not accept your terms where you do not see the need for diversity. All I ask is to give us the same chances you give other people in the district that do not look like me. No – I am not moving. No – I am not moving my kids to another school. We are here to stay. Fishers needs to embrace the diversity and realize there are different needs and cater to them. That’s how a society blossoms. We have a fantastic school district that I am proud to say will be my children’s alma mater. The school is declining was a political rhetoric started before the elections. The current board members realize that as well and clear from their commentary in the last 18 months. I rest my case!
So impressed with the change this school board has taking in turning the HSE district around. Let’s vote for some additional board member that will focus on academic excellence.
I have urged our community to give Mr. Mapes a chance to be successful at HSE. Success means fewer students below grade level and more students prepared for life after high school, including academic preparedness for college and university.
The Fishers community is not a racist community. The Democratic Party is trying to push a false narrative that Fishers is racist in order to energize their base and increase voter turnout for their party. More cheap political stunts from democrats in Hamilton County.
DEI, CRT, and SEL are all political tools being used in our public schools to indoctrinate, not educate. The number one priority of a public school system is to educate. Educate to prepare our children to be successful. Ignoring the fact that more students are testing below grade level will not make the problem go away. If our community truly wants the best for all students then we need to focus on academics, not social issues.
If you are a home owner, then check your property tax bills. You are paying a lot of money to our public schools. How do you want your money spent? If you want our public schools to maintain high academic standards then conservatives running for school board need your vote. Thank you.
I don’t need democrats to tell me that rascism exists in Fishers.. it’s not indoctrination. It’s what my husband and I deal with in our daily lives. To tell me, it’s indoctrination tells me that you don’t understand the cause of the problem.
I am a homeowner. And believe your way is not the answer to the future of Fishers. It’s detrimental. And I hope more people will see the light and I believe they will. We need to move forward and not backwards.
I am so grateful my children are grown and not in HSE schools. I would be losing my mind over this school board (who clearly have their own agenda), and also over people who do not think that politics has/should have anything to do with this, yet calls people who think differently than them “liberals”. (Insert my eye roll here.)
Liza, I am so glad you are here and standing your ground in Fishers!
Your vote is very important. Your choice of candidate will help shape this community. Schools and libraries should not be political, but they are. And watch out for those who “claim” to not be liberal.
How to tell a Liberal from a Conservative…ask these two questions.
Are you concerned that our public schools are lowering academic standards and fewer students are proficient in reading and math?
L: That’s a lie. We have amazing schools. Stop talking about academics!
C: We need to make academics a top priority.
Are you concerned about pornographic material accessible to young children in our libraries?
L: That’s a lie. There is no porn in our libraries. Stop banning books!
C: Books containing mature content should be shelved in the adults section.
The current crop of new school board members demonstrated their true colors early when they refused to show up to the school board debates between candidates, and instead attended Moms For Hitler house-rallies and convinced them to talk to the other parents to vote their way. It was awful, and they really took advantage of the low voter turnout.
Let’s get the facts straight. The debate you are referring to was held and promoted by a liberal organization that was supporting the liberal candidates running for office.
And it’s obvious by your comment that the fact that four conservatives won school board seats is still upsetting to you. They won because they got out there and did the work, informing the public of the direction the public schools were heading. Citizens didn’t like hearing about the change in focus from academics to social issues. CRT, SEL, DEI, panorama surveys, microaggression policy, restorative justice, and teacher training on anti racism. The focus of our schools had switched from academics, and test scores were falling.
The four new conservative board members promised to turn things around. They ran on a platform to return our schools to academic excellence. It will be up to the voters to decide in the next school board election whether to vote for conservative school board members with a priority on academics or liberal school board members who want social justice reform.
Ann, do you have kids in the district?
Another way to determine a liberal from a conservative in Fishers, Indiana…
Do you believe that you have to have children attending Hamilton Southeastern Schools in order to have an opinion about our public schools?
L: Yes. If they don’t have kids in school then they should be quiet. And they shouldn’t serve on any committees or school board.
C: No. Public schools collect tax money from homeowners to support public schools. Stakeholders for a public school include the entire community. The public school serves the entire community. Everyone has a seat at the table.
Ann… you definitely have the playbook memorized and a good steward of the money being spent to spread the message. Well Done!
The reason I asked this question is it is obvious to me with your very clinical answers that you have not set foot in a school building. And that you repeatedly go back to your political bias every time. There is no personal stories, just regurgitating what you have been fed. I never said you didn’t have a seat at the table – that is the assumption you made.
It’s interesting how you wanted experience for the superintendent. Same vein, I would like you to have some experience to make a decision about the district my children attend. Have a vested interest and then you would make better decisions. Be a part of the community that you have so many opinions and falsehoods on – you don’t have to have a kid in the district but at least understand the issues at hand. Thank goodness, there are people who don’t believe that the school is spiraling downwards. That was last years wrongful commentary, Things can always get better and be improved.
There is a middle. Use conjunctions. Nothing is black and white, This is not a political issue .
From the article titled “Who are Stakeholders in Education” by the Indeed Editorial Team
Voters
Voters elect the officials who set the regulations governing schools and educational institutions. They also select the board members in their local academy. Voters want to make sure that the portion of tax money that regulators spend the relevant portion of tax money sensibly and that schools provide students with a quality education.
Taxpayers
Taxpayers are the people funding the education system. They want to make sure that the authorities spend that money effectively. Taxpayers’ aim is for children to receive a good education, including the values and skills necessary for successfully entering the workforce.
Community
Local communities are stakeholders because they’re the ones who benefit from an educated community. Well-educated students are likely to become civic-minded, self-confident leaders They may participate in community programmes and local campaigns.
If anyone has been following this conversation then I hope it’s becoming clear that there are distinct differences of opinion between liberals and conservatives in Fishers, Indiana.
Liberals do not want to discuss academics because they know that HSE has a large number of students below grade level. They do not want the public to have a vested interest in the schools, because they know that our community is predominantly conservative and will vote for conservative candidates. They make personal attacks against those with differing opinions instead of engaging in civil debate.
Every member of this community has a vested interest in our public schools. With the next election, I hope you will cast your vote. A vote for conservative candidates is a vote to support academics and a quality education. Conservative candidates respect all community members and understand that we all have a seat at the table.
Sorry Ann! This is not a political debate. Reading your posts , we know clearly that you are not for all students.
Get out of your press kit. Engage with the constituents who are part of the school district. Paint the right picture . Keep the national talking where they belong. Seek to understand our community.
Public education is for all students and if you sat down and talked to the students and/or educators you would realize how deeply passionate they are about the schools. This political divisiveness does not belong here. The people on here promoting the divisiveness obviously are not looking out for the best interest of the students. As a parent with children in the schools I absolutely have more of a vested interest in their success and their classmates. Actually get to know people and stop with the l and c jargon and for the last time CRT was never taught in HSE Schools.