At Wednesday’s Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board meeting, members of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association bargaining team spoke before the board with comments about the upcoming negotiations between HSEA, representing district teachers, and HSE administrators.  One point the two members of the HSEA negotiating team made was a change from interest-based bargaining to a more traditional, also called positional, bargaining model.  What is the difference between these two methods of conducting bargaining?

During my 28 years as a federal civil servant, I spent time as both a union official, and a part of management, at different times during my career.  I have seen both types of bargaining up close and personal.  There is a difference.

One of my college professors likened traditional (positional) negotiations to a football field.  Both parties start the talks in their respective end zones, both knowing the final agreement will end up at mid-field, between the 40 yard lines.  It takes longer and can sometimes (but not always) be confrontational.  It takes a long time to keep exchanging proposals with small or no concessions from each side.  Putting it another way, it is a long slog.

Interest-based bargaining is a much different approach.  Here, each side knows what they want in a final agreement and lay it out during the first bargaining session.  The parties immediately look for ways to end up in a place where both sides can achieve most of what they want, without the lengthy process of keeping that goal hidden in traditional negotiations.

For interest-based bargaining to succeed, both parties must be honest and trust each other.

HSEA is saying the interest-based negotiations of past years have produced contracts praised by both parties and the community as a whole.  And it normally only takes a few days.

Also, HSEA is concerned that the current school board and administration are hiring attorneys to conduct the bargaining on behalf of the district.  The teachers’ union argues that local administrators headed-up the management side of the table in past years, and voiced concern about the change.

Indiana law says teachers-school district bargaining can begin now and the deadline for a deal is November 15.

Will traditional bargaining, not interest-based, produce a fair agreement for teachers and the HSE District?  Will having attorneys represent the district help get a final agreement or become an obstacle to a deal?

Only time will tell whether these changes in HSE Schools’ approach to bargaining a new contract with HSEA will be a good thing, or not.

The Hamilton East Public Library system (HEPL) has two buildings, one in Noblesville and another in Fishers.  Should Hamilton East expand with another library building, or expand services to a growing community in another way?

That is the question library officials are trying to answer.  The public is being asked to participate in the future path by completing a survey (find it at this link).

The Library does own land at 15100 Olio Road, between 146th and 156th Streets (near Ruoff Music Center), but Kelsey Sweet, Director of Marketing and Communications for HEPL, says “no decisions will be made until we know more about the wants and needs of our community and we are in the very early phases of planning.”

Ms. Sweet says the library is looking to “adjust our services and future plans to grow alongside our community. This could result in additional programming opportunities, collaboration with other like-minded public entities, additional deployment of the Library outreach vehicle, remote holds lockers at locations throughout the community, or an additional branch location.”

So, as the communities served by HEPL continue to grow, the library is looking at many options on how to serve the growing population.  That could mean a third library branch building, or an enhancement of services from HEPL.  That is why the library system is reaching out to the public, asking what they want from their local library.

Bottom line, no decisions have been made but many options are open on where HEPL goes from here.

The weather feels more like summer than fall this September, and the Fishers area road construction report reads like one in mid-summer rather than the middle of September.

Below is the weekly update on road construction for the work week beginning Monday, September 16:

Continue reading Fishers area road construction – work week starting Monday, September 16 →

it is tradition that before the band takes the field at halftime of the Mudsock Football Game (Fishers vs. HSE) the teachers of the year for the district are honored.  On September 13, 2024, the teachers took the field to have their names announced.

Here is the video, at the link below.

I spoke to a number of people around town this past week on what to expect in the annual Mudscock rivalry football game pitting crosstown rivals Fishers and HSE against each other.  The consensus from those “in the know” on the local football scene was that HSE was the better team and would likely win.

Those with experience in this qualified their prediction with this – it is a rivalry game and anything can happen.  It did at HSE High School Friday night.

The first half was all Fishers, although the Royals did score a touchdown.  HSE came out with a lightning strike, a long pass that gave the Royals a quick touchdown to start the second half.

It became a dogfight after that throughout the second half.

In the end, the Fishers Tigers pulled the upset and won the Mudsock trophy on the Royals home field.

Most of these games in the past have been competitive, even when one of the two teams would appear to be the better squad.

But the biggest part of the Mudsock Game is the spectacle, the huge crowd and the energy everyone could feel being a part of the contest.

Congratulations to the Fishers Tigers for a well deserved win.  The HSE Royals fought to the very end and made this a close game, with Fishers winning 37-35.

I always enjoy the Mudsock Game.  This year, I was once again reminded why.

In this Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board election, all those living within the HSE District vote on the elections within all three townships.  In Fall Creek Township, Terry Tolle is a candidate.  Here is my podcast conversation with Terry.

It was quite an honor to be invited to speak before the Fishers Newcomers Club Thursday afternoon.  I gave a short speech and took many questions.

The ladies asked questions about Fishers and what is happening around the city.  Some included how the city does (and does not) cater to the needs of senior citizens, the status of various road projects and development around the city.

My thanks to the Newcomers Club for the invitation.  It was a pleasant experience for me.

The 16th Geist Half Marathon is ready to go Saturday, September 14.  This year’s expanded event features three race distances: a half marathon (13.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), and 5K (3.1 miles) race supported by nearly 350 community volunteers.

City officials say registration numbers have already surpassed last year’s numbers, with more than 2,500 participants prepared to run.

The post-race party will feature a pancake breakfast to raise funds for Hero Hut, a nonprofit that works to build community for veterans and first responders, along with food and drink from vendors including MashCraft Brewing, Athletic Brewing, Java House, and Smoothie King.

Event registration is open through Friday, September 13, at 11:59 p.m. at GeistHalf.com. 

There will be road closures in the area of the Half Marathon.  More details are available at this link.

Here is the Saturday schedule:

Start/finish line is located on the north end of the Olio Road bridge across Geist Reservoir (11300 Olio Road, Fishers). Event booths will be setup beginning near 116^th Street and Olio Road.

The community comment part of Monday’s Fishers City Council meeting featured 5 speakers critical of Fishers Pride for holding a drag show during a Sunday Fishers Pride event on Holy Family Episcopal Church.  Those comments centered on what those speakers considered a sexualized event with young children present.

Organizers of the event responded that the drag show was in no way sexualized and the children present were with their parents who allowed the youngsters to attend the show.

Now, the leaders of the 2 major political parties have responded to this controversy.

Hamilton County Republican Chair Mario Massillamany, in a statement circulated earlier in the week, argues “images of a sexualized drag show targeting children at this event are deeply concerning.”  He also criticized Hamilton County Democrats for their involvement in the Pride event, as well as candidates for Hamilton Southeastern School Board.

Hamilton County Democratic Chair Jocelyn Vare responded by citing a 2015 proclamation supported by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and passed unanimously by the City Council, declaring the city “must create an environment of equality, in which human dignity, inclusiveness, and diversity are celebrated values, and an environment in which discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.’”  Vare goes on to say, “A few noisy individuals have purposefully demonized a performance at a recent family-friendly community event that was held to celebrate diversity, inclusivity and love.”

You can read each entire statement below:

Continue reading Local political parties weigh-in on Fishers Pride event →

A new Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools policy on communications between staff members of the school district and students passed unanimously Wednesday by the board of trustees Wednesday night on second reading, with a long discussion about exceptions.

The HSE Policy Committee recommended language in first reading, board members had some concerns, so the Policy Committee took a second look at the policy and what exceptions might be needed.

Board member Sarah Parks-Reese told a story of a student that took her life at a local  junior high and discussed situations where a teacher may have established a trusting relationship with a student and wanted to talk with the teacher outside the district’s communication system.  A long discussion resulted in board member Ben Orr raising the issue of liability on the part of a teacher communicating with a student that harms her/his self.

The policy provides exceptions where staff members are acting as a parent, such as arranging for a babysitter.  There is also an exception for emergency situations where school system connections are not as quick for the user.

In the end, the board voted unanimously to pass the policy as last recommended by the Policy Committee.  The new policy is effective January 1, 2025, allowing time for training and communication about the new policy.

You can read the policy language at this link.