FISHERS, Ind. — Parents will soon see four new faces on the Hamilton Southeastern school board.
The newly elected members said they felt called to get involved after noticing what they said was a shift in their child's education, especially when students were engaged in remote learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They said they felt the subjects being taught weren't living up to the district's academic responsibilities and claimed the focus was on the wrong things in the classroom.
The new board members are focused on making sure the values of the community reflect the school system and the school system is reflecting the values of the community. They want to encourage parents to get more involved in their student's education and make sure they feel empowered to do so.
"Spelling tests and math worksheets and a lot of things we grew up with kind of went away. It moved towards this real focus on your feelings and emotions, a lot of current events and political topics," new member Ben Orr said.
"The significant drop in our iLearn scores in math, reading and English across the board for our district was really concerning for me, especially when I see how strong we can be," new member Dawn Lang said.
"We want to provide an excellent academic education for every child in our school system. I want to see administration transparency and parental involvement," new member Dr. Jaunita Albright said. "We need to give parental rights back to the parents and have them involved in our children's education."
"Together, we will build up our youth, support our teachers and align with those on the front line to secure the safety and future outcomes of our community," new member Tiffany Pascoe said. "It is a symbiotic relationship that we must nurture and secure. We must never take it for granted. I know I won’t. It is my sincerest honor, and with my deepest gratitude, to represent the constituents of HSE District 1."
The new members will be sworn in during a board meeting on Jan. 11, 2023.
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