FISHERS — The Hamilton Southeastern School District, one of Indiana's most renowned districts, faces a teacher contract standoff that has parents worried about their children's education.
More than half of the district's teachers are members of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association. This week, 86% of that group voted to refuse a new bargaining agreement that offered no raises. According to the School District, the new contracts would keep HSE's average teacher salary amongst the highest in the county.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
In a statement provided to WRTV, HSE Superintendent Patrick Mapes said in part, “We are disappointed that the teachers’ association has chosen not to ratify the tentative agreement that the administration team reached with the bargaining team. At HSE Schools, we remain committed to finding a solution that is both fair to our educators and responsible to our taxpayers."
Mapes went on to say that budget cuts made by the state government forced the district to make hard decisions.
Mapes' full statement can be found at the end of the article.
"Teachers want to be made whole. We want to ensure that teachers are held harmless, that they're not taking home less money this year than they did last year," said Tyler Zerbe, Hamilton Southeastern Education Association president.
Zerbe pointed to neighboring districts that are providing increases by using cash reserves.
"The reason why Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield, I believe, are able to give teachers increases this year is because those school districts are going into their cash reserves in order to do so. And our school district, at least as of right now, is unwilling to," Zerbe said.
Parents like Stephanie Hunt, who has four children in the district, fear that teachers leaving for other districts could hurt their children's education.
"I absolutely believe and know that we are going to lose educators. If we don't as a community step up and tell our administration and our school board that our teachers matter more than politics," Hunt said.
Hunt believes the district's reputation depends on keeping quality teachers.
"It is a well-known fact that your public school system supports your economy, and if our schools start to fail, then our economy, our city, all of the things that we enjoy about Fishers are going to falter," Hunt said.
Hunt wants the administration and school board to show more respect for teachers rather than creating division.
"We have to find a better way to fund our schools and make sure that our kids are taken care of," Hunt said.
Both sides are working to return to the bargaining table before moving to mediation.
Mapes' Full Statement:
“We are disappointed that the teachers’ association has chosen not to ratify the tentative agreement that the administration team reached with the bargaining team. At HSE Schools, we remain committed to finding a solution that is both fair to our educators and responsible to our taxpayers. Throughout this process, our approach has been guided by facts. The State of Indiana requires school districts to spend at least 65 percent of the education fund revenue on teacher salaries and benefits. During the last reported expenditure of education funds for teachers, HSE dedicated nearly 84 percent of the education fund tuition support revenue, to teacher salaries and benefits, the highest percentage in Hamilton County, and invests 96 percent of the district's referendum dollars directly in our teachers. We also lead the county in starting salaries for teachers with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, average teacher salary, 403(b) retirement contribution and HSA contribution. That level of investment reflects our community’s shared priority of maintaining exceptional instruction in every classroom.”
—
Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
