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Dear Friends & Neighbors,
As the 2026 Hamilton Southeastern School Board elections approach, it’s important to take an honest look at what’s at stake – and what we’re already seeing take shape.
Over the past decade, HSE schools became a testing ground for highly political ideas: expanded equity bureaucracy, restorative justice frameworks, ideological training for staff, handbook language that blurred boundaries, and decision-making that often felt disconnected from parents and classrooms. Fishers One emerged – and candidates were elected – not to politicize schools, but to push back against a system that already had.
Now, many of the same activist networks are regrouping. Expect polished messaging about: “unity,” “nonpartisan governance,” and “moving past division.” Behind those words are the same organizations and voices that previously drove staffing decisions, curriculum changes, and policies that divided the community and distracted from academics. Social media activism will again play a central role, often personal, misleading, and designed to discourage reasonable community members from engaging.
The risk in 2026 is not loud conflict – it’s quiet reversal.
If school board seats are won by candidates supported by fully partisan organizations operating under neutral branding, the district could quickly return to governance defined by ideology, not academic outcomes.
Most families want the same things for HSE Schools:
- Strong academics and high expectations
- Safe, orderly schools
- Respect for parents and teachers
- Transparency and local accountability
Fishers One will continue to inform, organize, and support candidates who keep the focus where it belongs: classrooms, students, and results – not politics imported from outside the community. Engagement matters, even when it’s uncomfortable. Unfortunately, silence creates a vacuum.
We encourage you to stay informed, not just to what candidates say, but who is organizing, funding, and amplifying them.
The future direction of HSE Schools will be decided by those who show up to vote.
Jennie J. Nicol
Fishers
Unless you want to go back to what we had before this board, you have to pay attention and vote.