The Hamilton Southeastern School District is faced with redistricting all school boundaries for grades kindergarten through eighth grade, and the process is underway.
Dr. William Carnes, interim Assistant Superintendent for HSE Schools, told school board members Wednesday that Monday and Tuesday of this week, at four separate locations, 115 parents from all K-8 schools put together their own revised boundary map, 18 plans in total.
Carnes says none of the 18 will likely become the final product, but the parents used a software program that gave them immediate feedback on every plan and tweak, including what impact any change would have on the overall redistricting process.
The next step in the process, according to Dr. Carnes, is putting all the 18 ideas together with the board’s priorities for consideration in the redistricting process. Those priorities, the extent possible, are listed below in no particular order:
- Assign students to attend school closest to their home
- Attempt to design a “feeder” pattern
- Maintain neighborhoods and subdivisions
- Consider a stability of programs for exceptional learners instructional learning spaces
- Provide capacity at schools with the greatest potential for growth
- Reduce the number of portable classrooms
- Examine the continuation of choice as an option at the high school level
HSE Schools Superintendent Allen Bourff will present a proposed redistricting plan to the board on Nov. 28. The board is expected to vote on the redistricting plan in December.
The redistricting is needed because the new Southeastern Elementary, on Cyntheanne Road, will open in August 2019.
The school district produced a video about the redistricting process, which you can view at this link.
Superintendent Bourff has a video message about redistricting, which you can view at this link.
In other board news from Wednesday:
- Administrator Matt Kegley reviewed the Graduation Pathways program. Click here to review his presentation to the board. Click here to review the executive summary of the program.
- The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Fishers Police Department, dealing with officers working in HSE Schools as School Resource Officers (SROs). The document has been updated to reflect recent court decisions.
- Board members reviewed a draft agreement with Conner Prairie to conduct a program for HSE fourth-grade students. The Conner Prairie board is also reviewing the same document. A final agreement should be ready for board consideration at the next meeting.