Rick Wimmer, former Fishers High School varsity football coach, is now retired, but his suspension years ago, and what Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools did and did not disclose about that suspension, were before the justices of the Indiana State Supreme Court Thursday morning.

The legal arguments centered on what Indiana lawmakers meant when writing into the public records statute that public employee discipline disclosures must include the “factual basis for” the decision in a 2003 change to the law.  The HSE Schools attorney, Liberty Roberts, a partner in the Hamilton County law firm Church, Church, Hittle and Antrim, argued that the factual basis test applied to school districts should be a narrow one.  Adam A. Marshal, a senior staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, represented WTHR and told justices the factual basis test should include much more than HSE Schools provided to WTHR-TV journalists.

When Mr. Wimmer was suspended roughly 5 years ago, WTHR made two requests that went to the Indiana Public Access Counselor’s Office.  HSE responded to WTHR’s request for a factual basis for the suspension of Mr. Wimmer, only saying he failed to control the classroom and provided a section of school policy with a long list of possible violations.  The HSE District provided no other facts.

The Public Access Counselor’s office appeared to side with WTHR, saying a factual basis for the suspension needed to include more than HSE provided to the television station’s journalists.  Public Access Counselor opinions are advisory.

WTHR, with the help of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, filed suit seeking more details of the reason for Mr. Wimmer’s 5-day suspension.  The Hamilton County Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals sided with HSE Schools, leading to the oral arguments before the state’s highest court when WTHR appealed.

The legal arguments presented to the court, and the questions posed to attorneys by the justices, centered on what the Indiana General Assembly meant by the phrase “factual basis for” in the 2003 change in the statute.

The privacy rights of public employees, versus the public’s right to know under the law, is the issue justices must decide in their decision.  There is no indication when that decision will be handed down.

The 5 justices pressed both attorneys with hypothetical situations on what must be provided by a school district that would meet the test of disclosing  “factual basis for” public employee discipline.

One thing all agreed upon in the Thursday morning proceedings – this statute language has never been before the state’s high court previously and whatever decision the justices publish will have ramifications state-wide.

When Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness revealed his plans to build a new city hall along with ambitious arts & community centers, he indicated confidence that what he calls “quality of life” projects could be constructed without an increase in the city tax rate.  Speaking before the City Council Finance Committee Wednesday evening, the mayor provided an early hint as to how he plans to accomplish this.

Fadness presented a chart showing how debt payments owed by the city will begin to fall starting after 2024.  The mayor says the new city hall, possible adjoining arts & culture center as well as the large community center could be financed beginning in 2030 or 2031, without a hike in the city tax rate.

Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren, speaking to LarryInFishers after the meeting, said the buildings should be completed and in use well before 2030, even with the debt for the projects being issued in 2030.

The mayor went through completed projects the city has financed over the past 8-10 years…such as the new police and fire headquarters, building out more of the city’s fire station system, State Road 37 construction, improvements on Allisonville Road and the 106th Street I-69 interchange.

“I think we are in a really good place as you see we kind of crescendo with debt payments in 2023 and 2024,” Fadness told committee members.  “We are exceptionally confident that we wouldn’t be seeing a tax increase due to that debt (crescendo) in 2023 and 2024.

Fadness promised the council committee more details on the “quality of life” projects soon.

“We’re going to refine those numbers and come back to you at a later date to start talking through the actual financial instruments,” said the mayor.

As we emerged from the shutdowns of COVID-19, we know the pandemic is not over but vaccinations have provided a way for people to gather once again.  The City of Fishers has been back at work putting events together.

The city released a comprehensive list of events for the fall season Wednesday.  Here is that listing:

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The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools have lost 215 students this fall compared to the previous school year’s student population.  That was revealed at a Tuesday morning school board budget work session.

Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling told board members the current HSE District student count is 21,180.  The official student count reported to the state will be taken Friday, September 17th.

School Board Member Michelle Fullhart noted that the neighboring school district in Carmel is also losing students this fall.

School officials say there are only 127 students on virtual learning this semester.

Dowling reviewed the various funds the school corporation uses and how she projects they will be handled in the new budget year, starting January 1.  In October, the school board  will hold a public hearing on the budget and finalize the spending plan later in October.

Dowling told LarryInFishers it is too early in the process to project the total budget for all funds for 2022, but the reduction in student enrollment could see about $1.5 million less in funding from the state, which pays local school districts based on student enrollment.

The current 2021 HSE budget, including all funds, stands at $259.2 million, a 3.37% increase over 2020 spending.  That budget included $4 million less in state funding due to a loss of approximately 400 students compared to the previous year.  Attrition and COVID funding from the federal government resulted in no employee layoffs this year.

Dowling, emphasizing this is a projection until all the numbers are in, believes the school district’s share of the tax rate will remain steady, perhaps even go down slightly.  The current HSE tax rate is $1.24 per $100 of assessed valuation.

Dowling said support from the City of Fishers is very generous in partnering with the school corporation.

“I’ve never seen the level of cooperation between a school district and a governmental entity that we have here,” Dowling told the board.  “We are very fortunate.”

In the late 1970s, I had just started as the morning news anchor for WCSI Radio in Columbus, Indiana.  I was also tasked with covering any news events scheduled during the day.

I was to cover a meeting of the Indiana State Senate Finance Committee.  The location of that Columbus meeting was a building that I had never entered.

Upon arrival, the front doors were all locked and it appeared there was no one in the building.  I double-checked and found I was at the correct address.

Then the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, John Mutz arrived.  One thing I knew for sure – the meeting wouldn’t start before the chairman arrived.

We were both a few minutes late and could not figure out how to enter this building.  Finally, I found what looked like a fire-escape style ladder on the side of the building.  We went up the ladder, found a large steel door, and found the meeting, waiting for the chairman to arrive.

That was the first time I ever met John Mutz.  He struck me as a good and down-to-earth man as we partnered to find a way into that Columbus building.  As I continued my journalism career, I found Mr. Mutz had a reputation for integrity, even among those not on his political wave length.

John Mutz later became Lieutenant Governor for the State of Indiana, but lost in his bid for governor.  He became a corporate executive as well as a leader in the nonprofit sector, heading up the Lilly Foundation for a time.

The name of John Mutz surfaced in an Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) article published in the September 10th edition.  Reporter Emily Ketterer wrote about Mr. Mutz’s involvement in the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism’s Local News Initiative.

As a former politician, office holder and private sector leader, Mutz saw how the lack of local news was hurting communities.  He wanted to do something about it.  He put his money on that concern.

Data cited in the IBJ article says 200 counties and 1,300 communities throughout the United States have no local news sources as of early 2020.  Indiana has fared a bit better with only two counties without some local news source – Scott and Crawford.

John Mutz donated an initial $250,000 to start the Local News Initiative program in 2017,  then later kicked-in $2 million two years later.  He also arranged for foundation funding to augment the program.

The Medill School is helping news organizations in focusing on how to serve readers.  The online advertising dollars are being scooped-up by the big tech platforms, meaning local news outlets must lean on reader revenue.

The program helps in gathering and interpreting data to develop content relevant to the local community served.

I have been writing about the tragic slow death of local news outlets for years.  Seeing a man like John Mutz supporting a major endeavor aimed to helping these local news outlets is encouraging.  Let us just say I am a bit more hopeful about the future of local news now.

You can read the IBJ story at this link.  (Note: Subscription may be required)

A Friday night crash, shortly before 5:30pm, resulted in the death of a motorcyclist at 96th Street and Olio Road.  James Michael Alexander Douglas, 26, from Indianapolis, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

A statement issued Monday by Fishers Police cites preliminary evidence and witness statements indicating the crash occurred when the Yamaha motorcycle, traveling northbound, collided with a Honda CRV as it was turning southbound from Geist Crossing Road.  The driver of the Honda, Jose Lucas Lugo Padua, 79, from McCordsville, suffered minor injuries in the accident.

Fishers Police continue their investigation into the crash.

I have already written about the Mudsock Football Game Friday night, featuring the local rivalry between our two high schools, Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern.

During halftime, before the Fishers High School band took the field, the district recognized the teachers of the year.

Here is a video of the celebration (my apologies, a big shaky from recording on a cell phone)…..

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was remembered in local places throughout America and the world on September 11, 2021.  Fishers was one of those communities.

City officials here embedded some of the commemoration into already-scheduled events, such as the weekly Farmers Market and Safety Day.  But faith leaders from throughout the city assembled in a special multi-Faith gathering at the Nickel Plate Amphitheater to speak about how their faith got them through the 9/11 attacks.

Fishers Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren spoke at the Multi-Faith event, describing what it was like being a first-year student at the Naval Academy and dealing with 9/11, as well as its aftermath.

Here are a few photos taken at the 9/11 2021 events in Fishers:

Continue reading Fishers remembers 20 years since 9/11 →

There was a football Mudsock Game played in 2020, but the crowd was limited and the atmosphere was nothing like the past.  Over the years, this Friday in September has grown to one of the biggest (some say the biggest) event each year in Fishers.

Thousands of fans cram into one of the local football stadiums, this year Fishers was the home team.  Home field advantage didn’t help the Tigers as the HSE Royals came up with a convincing win, 45-13.

The game is not all of what the Mudsock event entails.  The teachers of the year in buildings throughout the HSE District are honored at halftime.

The weather was perfect and a sellout crowd enjoyed just being at the event after the lockdowns and limited crowds in 2020.

This was our new Superintendent’s first Mudsock Game.  I asked Dr. Yvonne Stokes what she thought of the huge crowd.  Let’s just say she was impressed.

There was a major glitch in the second half of the game.  The scoreboard no longer worked, so game time was handled by the officials on the field, leading to a little confusion at times but it had no impact of the outcome of the contest.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is looking at some options on how to redistrict building boundary lines and a committee is looking at all the choices board members will have.  This will be needed when the new Deer Creek Elementary School opens, replacing Durbin Elementary school, but Deer Creek will have a much larger capacity for students.

A district-wide redistricting plan could be considered, or just looking at the district lines in the Deer Creek and Southeastern Elementary school areas could be changed, aimed at  preventing overcrowding, with residential home growth continuing in that area.  How the end of the pandemic will impact home values will be part of the equation.

“If we were to do a complete redistrict, what are the odds that we’re going to have to turn around and do it again if there is a stabilization that takes place in two years?,” HSE Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling told board members.  The board needs to consider how often students and parents will need to undergo a redistricting process, according to Dowling.

Dowling says the committee has no recommendation to present to the board as of Wednesday night’s meeting.  However, it is hoped that a final vote on a redistricting plan could be approved by the board sometime during the month of December, allowing families enough notice to know where there children will be attending school in the upcoming school year.

In other school board items from the September 9th session:

–First reading was given to changes in school policies.  Five people spoke on this issue, making various suggestions on changes to the policies.  All but one policy will return at the next meeting for final approval.

–Superintendent Yvonne Stokes praised a mental health program funded by a grant helping some students adjust to in-person learning after a school year with mostly virtual classes.  Also, HSE Schools received a $50,000 safety grant that will be utilized to partially fund salary and benefits for the School Resource Officers from the Fishers Police Department.

–The start of formal bargaining between the local teachers’ union and the school corporation means a public hearing must be held by the board as those talks begin, but no member of the public chose to speak.

–Fishers High School Senior Alex Horan was recognized by the board as a Snapshot of Success.  Alex is the recipient of the Judge John Price Scholarship for the Outstanding Eagle Scout of the Year.  For his Eagle Scout project, he redid his charter organization’s (The American Legion Post 470) deck.