By Ann Craig-Cinnamon
The interim superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools delivered the annual “State of the Schools” address to a Fishers Chamber of Commerce luncheon September 17.
Dr. William Carnes, a Fishers resident, was picked to replace Dr. Brian Smith until a permanent replacement is found. Smith left Sept. 1st to become the executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association.
Dr. Carnes laid out school district numbers and then talked about successes and challenges.
Carnes said HSE continues to grow but at a slower pace and reported that enrollment for the current school year is at 20,511 students. On academics, Carnes reported that 14 of 18 schools had 90% or more of students pass both the English/Language Arts and Math portions on istep tests.
He called the College Career Academies at the high schools, with their relationships with IU, Purdue, Ball State, Ivy Tech and other colleges, a game changer. “I think that’s really going to change how we approach the nexus between the high school experience and college experience and education experiences beyond that,” Carnes said.
He pointed to HSE21, which has a goal of getting iPads in the hands of all students, as another example of a program that is forward-thinking.
As for challenges, Carnes said redistricting for grades K-8, while painful, is necessary and is a process that must be undertaken.
Another challenge is hiring a new permanent superintendent Carnes said. “My most important job is to put myself out of a job,” he said.
Concerning progress on that front, he commented that it’s the most important thing the school board has on its plate. “They’re making progress. That’s about as much as I can tell you about that. They’ve been working hard. They’ve been making progress and it is moving along. They would never give a timeline because it might fall apart at the last minute and that’s a horrible experience.”
Carnes only briefly mentioned low funding and financial issues that have affected the district in recent years, saying we need to continue to work with our legislators for a formula that supports districts like HSE.
He called the district extraordinary and pointed to the spirit of working together. “I have never in all of my experiences seen the level of cooperation that I see here between the county, the state, the Chamber and the entire school family. That level of cooperation blows my socks off. We work together. We understand what is important. So we must do this simply because the economic well-being is tied to the success of the school district.”
