Submitted by Hamilton Southeastern Schools
Mapes
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, Hamilton Southeastern Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Mapes released the following statement regarding the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association’s decision not to ratify the tentative agreement reached earlier this month.
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.
Graphic provided
While we are proud of these commitments, HSE faces a budget crisis not of our own creation, which cannot be ignored. Prior administrative decisions, state policy changes under Senate Enrolled Act 1, coupled with a decline in enrollment in the district, will reduce district revenue by a projection of over $4 million annually. Without adjustments, the district would deplete its available cash reserves within two years.
The tentative agreement publicly reviewed last week included approximately $1.1 million in benefit enhancements, funded in part by approximately $681,000 in cash balance transfers to offset increased insurance costs. When the agreement was rejected, those improvements could not take effect, and health insurance contributions reverted to prior contributions under state law.
If an agreement is not reached during the state collective bargaining timeline, the school district will not be able to utilize any cash reserves to reach an agreement with teachers.
No employee group, and no member of the district leadership, including the Superintendent, received a salary increase this year. The Board of School Trustees has been clear in its responsibility to attract and retain educators in a fiscally responsible manner. Our current path is focused on stability and long-term protection of our instructional programs.
Our teachers are essential to our success, and our respect for their work is unwavering.
We will continue to negotiate in good faith within the state’s prescribed process and remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that supports our staff, students, and community.
