The 2019 Spark Fishers Festival is coming soon.  This is the second year for the city-sponsored celebration.  I spoke with Sarah Sandquist and Stephanie Perry for a preview

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has had its struggles in recent months, with a major controversy about the school nondiscrimination policy the latest and most dramatic.  Acting Board President Sylvia Shepler read a statement at the conclusion of Wednesday night’s board meeting, directly dealing with those struggles, by issuing an apology, saying “we can and will do better.”

The board said it has not upheld the school corporation’s normally strong reputation within the local community and around the state.  Shepler’s statement acknowledges.  “…it appears our actions have further divided and brought unnecessary criticisms from the media, our community, our staff and our students.  On behalf of the board, I want to apologize.”

“We do not want any student or staff to face harassment or discrimination,” the statement goes on to say. “In fact, our primary goal is to provide the best environment for every student to meet their highest potential. We desire to have the best working environment for our staff and are committed to supporting them as best we can.”

The statement also addressed divisions among the board members at times, saying not every decision will be unanimous, but need not be contentious.

“Our comments and discussions as we deliberate in the public are not the opinion or position of the board, but rather the process we use to reach the best end goal,” the statement says. “When we vote, the board speaks with its singular voice. The discussion should be behind us and our administrators and staff are provided guidance.”

The board also voiced support for the school district’s staff, citing the “tremendous work” they do each day.  The board thanked the HSE Schools employees “for your patience as we’ve struggled and stumbled in the past and again reiterate – we will do better.”

The full text of the statement is provided below:

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As the acting board president and on behalf of the HSE Schools board of trustees, I have a statement I’d like to make. During recent months we have been painfully reminded that our school board has not been acting nor upholding the strong reputation our schools hold within our community and around the state. Rather it appears our actions have further divided and brought unnecessary criticisms from the media, our community, our staff and our students. On behalf of the board, I want to apologize. If we cannot be unified and find ways to collaborate, then how can we expect something different from our staff and students? We can and will do better.

As a board and as individuals, we each love and care for every one of the 21,000 students and 2,500 employees of HSE Schools. We do not want any student or staff to face harassment or discrimination. In fact, our primary goal is to provide the best environment for every student to meet their highest potential. We desire to have the best working environment for our staff and are committed to supporting them as best we can. We have always and continue to believe that Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation is the best public-school system in the state of Indiana, and we will strive to keep it on top.

As a board of community members coming from diverse backgrounds, experiences and beliefs; we are aware that not every decision will be unanimous. However, they need not be contentious. We will do better in our efforts to listen and respect one another in order to best support our students and staff. We also want to reiterate the board speaks with a singular voice. Clearly there are 6 and soon to be again 7 voices that comprise the board. Each represents the community and has a valuable contribution to make. As we deliberate, we must respect and honor all ideas, positions, opinions. Our comments and discussions as we deliberate in the public are not the opinion or position of the board, but rather the process we use to reach the best end goal. When we vote, the board speaks with its singular voice. The discussion should be behind us and our administrators and staff are provided guidance.

Due to recent events, we also missed an important time to communicate with our teachers, administrators and support staff. We apologize for missing that opportunity and want to personally thank you for the tremendous work you do each day in serving our students. You are the heart and soul of HSE Schools and know that we are forever grateful for your servant heartedness. We thank you for your patience as we’ve struggled and stumbled in the past and again reiterate – we will do better.

To our community. I again remind you that each board member loves and cares deeply for each of your children. We want each to succeed and reach their full potential. We are honored and grateful for the trust and confidence that you have placed in our schools. We know you have choices and we thank you for choosing HSE Schools as the place to educate your children.

Thank you.

Sylvia Shepler

HSE School Board

Several new staff members were announced for the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation’s administrative staff at Wednesday’s meeting.

Cecilie Nunn will replace retiring Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter.  Mrs. Nunn has worked for HSE Schools since October 1997, serving in two roles: Clerk of Accounts  Payable/Accounts Receivable and Director of Business. She has worked closely with the Chief Financial Officer to accomplish many important projects throughout the years.  Mike Reuter plans to retire at the end of the calendar year.

Chad Cripe was approved as the new HSE High School principal in May, but appeared before the board for the first time Wednesday.  He begins his new job July 1st.  Mr. Cripe has been serving as the principal at Tippecanoe Valley High School in Akron, Indiana. Tippecanoe Valley has nearly 600 students, grades 9-12.

Kim Lippe has been named Executive Director of Staff and Student Service at HSE Schools.  She has worked in several roles within the corporation, including four years as an Assistant Principal at Hamilton Southeastern High School, three years as an Associate Principal of the Hamilton Southeastern Freshman Center and the past four years as Principal of Fall Creek Junior High.

Marc Williams was approved last month as Assistant Principal of Fall Creek Intermediate.  He has been an educator for over a decade and came to HSE Schools in August 2015 as a resource teacher for the Department of Exceptional Learners at Fishers High School.  In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Williams has served as a member on school and district-wide Equity Teams.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board has announced the four finalists to serve the remaining term of Michael Bottorff, the at-large member from Fall Creek Township.

The four finalists are:

Travis Brown

Peter Griffin

Jason Lantzer

Clint Wilson

The board will hold public interviews with each of the candidates at a meeting set for Tuesday, June 18th, at the school administration building.  This meeting will not be live streamed on video because it is not being held in the regular board meeting room.

The board will then name to new board member at the next regular board meeting, set for June 26th.

by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

Bids will be taken June 28 by the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority on removal and sale of the Nickel Plate rails, thus marking the beginning of the end of the railroad between downtown Noblesville and Indianapolis. The port authority is owned by Hamilton County and the cities of Noblesville and Fishers.

Removal of the rails and railroad ties is the first step toward converting the rail right-of-way to a pedestrian and bike trail. The railroad south of Noblesville has not been used for train traffic for several years, and its future has been the subject of a long-running debate between the port authority and groups that wanted to preserve the rail line.

City and county officials met Monday to discuss the rail removal process and division of proceeds from the sale of the hundreds of tons of scrap iron and wooden ties estimated at around $2 million. But, the cost of removal and repair of dozens of streets the railroad crosses is unknown until bids are received.

The Nickel Plate north from Noblesville to Tipton will remain an active line for excursion trains operated by the Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad. The railroad was built in 1851 and was key to the development of communities through which it passed. Commercial use of the line ended in the 1990s and was taken over by the port authority, created to save the railroad from abandonment.

Monday’s meeting, following a regular county commissioner session, was called a work session where no final decisions were made. Other matters of mutual concern were also considered, including an update on the State Road 37 upgrading project now getting underway through city and county jurisdictions.

Also considered was Noblesville’s plan to improve Seminary Park with facilities accessible under the Americans With Disabilities Act., better lighting, sidewalks and signage.

It has been the topic of debate and discussion, now it is upon us – construction on State Road 37 in Fishers.  That rebuilding of the highway is set to begin later this summer.  Preparations are beginning on how to deal with the massive project.  I spoke in May with Keriann Rich of IMAVEX and Ashley Elrod from the City of Fishers about the unveiling of the 37 Thrive program, helping businesses and the public deal with the issues surrounding the construction.

I have had people ask me the following question – what do classroom teachers do during the summer break?  After all, that is part of covering the local school scene. right?

Well, yes, I do cover the HSE Schools and I do know a number of teachers.  Frankly, if I were a classroom teacher, I would just spend the summer break time recovering from the work load and stress accumulated over the course of the school year.  Some teachers do that, and they each are absolutely entitled to do so.

But there are a number of teachers that take time over the summer to make themselves better teachers by working in groups and sharing ideas.

One such opportunity for teachers to gather and work on becoming better educators started Monday at Fishers High School.  It’s called the Authentic Learning Summit.

This is a program for teachers in and around the HSE Schools, where instructors can take the opportunity to become better at the set of subjects called STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Dr. Christy Hilton from the Indiana Department of Education (DOE) started the program by explaining the process to become STEM certified and, possibly, eligible for state funding.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told the assembled educators how education is tied to parents’ desire to allow their children to have a better life.

“People will cross oceans in rafts, they will walk, march for miles and miles and miles, at the opportunity for their children to have a better outcome than they had,” said Fadness.  “As a city, if we want to be vibrant, if we want to be sustainable for the foreseeable future, there’s no single, bigger motivator to attract talented people to our community than the belief that those people, when they come here, their children will have a better outcome than they had.”

The mayor also expressed his belief that strong education is not just the responsibility of the schools and teachers, but is a mission for the entire community.

The Authentic Learning Summit is funded by a variety of sources, including the State of Indiana and the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation.

Just returned Saturday afternoon from a whirlwind 3-day trip to New York City, taking in some normal tourist things and two major Broadway shows.  (For more details on the trip, my wife Jane and I recorded a podcast at this link)

While I was away, a few news items of note happened.

First, Samm Quinn of the Indianapolis Business Journal posted a story online June 7th about 14 homes along 116th Street being bought-out for a new development.  These homes a near Maple Street, west of Chatham Tap.

the Hageman Group is behind the proposed development, the details of which have not been revealed.  You can read Samm’s story at this link.

Second, Fox59 reported that a vehicle was stolen Friday afternoon from the Top Golf parking lot in Fishers.  Indy Police day the stolen car was found on the east side of Indianapolis and two arrests were make.  Find more details from Fox59 at this link.

Speaking of Fox59, they plan to have a summer kickoff event at the Fishers Nickel Plate Amphitheater June 21st, 7-10am.  More information at this link.

Last, but certainly not least, my congratulations to the HSE High School baseball squad for defeating Mishawaka and heading to Victory Field for the state championship final game against Columbus East, June 17th, 8:30pm.  Good luck, Royals!!

According to HSE Schools, 24 people have submitted applications to fill the school board term of Mike Bottorff, who resigned from the board citing family responsibilities as the reason.  The deadline to apply was 4pm last Friday.  So, the question is, what happens next?

The school board will meet in executive session June 12th in order to  determine a set of  3-5 finalists.  The names of those finalists will be announced either before or during the June 12th public board meeting, after the private session.  Those finalists will be interviewed by school board members at a public meeting set for June 18th, 3pm, at the school administration building.  Board members plan to act as a panel in questioning the candidates.

The board will hold a vote at the June 26th regular board meeting naming the new board member.  It is not known when the new school board member will be sworn-in. Under state law, when there is a vacancy on a school board, the remaining board members vote on the replacement.

There are six HSE School Board members remaining.  If there would be a tie vote on naming a replacement for Mr. Bottorff, , or the board could not agree on the new board member, a Circuit Court judge would make the decision.  The Circuit Court judge in Hamilton County is Judge Paul Felix.

The new board member will serve the remaining term for the Fall Creek Township at-large seat held by Mike Bottorff.  That seat is up for re-election in the fall of 2020.

My wife Jane & I had been talking about going to New York City and catching a play or two on Broadway.  It had been about 36 years since I had visited the city and almost as long for Jane.  We saw two outstanding plays and took in a jazz club, along with other tourist adventures.  Here are Jane and I talking about our trip in podcast form: