HSEA Teachers

It's about that time! Join us on TUESDAY for our campaign kickoff at Hub & Spoke! Can't make it but still want to be involved?! Drop us a DM and you'll be added to our email list!

☀️ We hope you're enjoying your summer!

The HSEA Election Committee is now accepting requests from candidates interested in seeking HSEA's endorsement. If you would like to be considered, please email [email protected] to receive our candidate questionnaire.

We look forward to connecting with you and learning more about your campaign!

The Human Side of RIFs

Although HSE and HSEA have worked collaboratively over the last few months to address the current Reduction in Force (RIF), HSE Schools had other options besides cutting effective educators.

At the bargaining table, HSEA proposed retirement buyouts that would have saved the district money while also preventing the loss of dedicated, effective teachers. We know many veteran teachers are delaying retirement because of the rising cost of health insurance and the gap before Medicare eligibility.

Instead, HSE lost more than 100 years of combined teaching experience in these 18 educators.

Teachers with just a few years left until retirement.
Teachers who entered education as a second career because they felt called to teach — and fell in love with it.
Teachers who were leaders in their buildings.
Teachers deeply respected by colleagues, parents, and students.
Teachers who were all rated effective in one of the highest-performing districts in the state.

And yet, these were among the stories of 18 teachers who were told they no longer had jobs.

18 teachers left wondering what they did wrong.

18 teachers forced to watch the careers and futures they built suddenly disappear.

18 teachers carrying the embarrassment and heartbreak of being RIF’d.

But those teachers have nothing to be ashamed of. Those teachers did nothing wrong. To us, these teachers are not numbers on a spreadsheet. We know their stories.
We have seen the devastation in their eyes and heard the fear in their voices as they ask, “What now?”

We hope district leadership will continue to work collaboratively with the union to exhaust every possible alternative before resorting to RIFs in the future because teachers are not line items in a budget that can simply be cut.

They are human beings.

They are mentors, leaders, neighbors, and caregivers.

They have devoted their lives to students and to this community.

They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

HSE teachers and HSE Schools community,

Today was a hard day. 18 teachers ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade were informed they would be part of the Reduction in Force (RIF) and would not be teaching at HSE Schools next year. While this is a process no one wanted to happen, HSEA and HSE administration worked together to ensure the RIF process was followed as listed in the Teacher Handbook. Again, no one, including administration, wanted this process to happen.

Contrary to public belief, the RIF process is not solely based on seniority. The factors in determining a RIF are listed in the following order:

1. Average teacher evaluation category over the previous three evaluation cycles
2. Academic needs of students (licensure and attendance at PLCs)
3. Average teacher evaluation rating scores over the previous three evaluation cycles
4. Years of experience (length of service in HSE Schools)

According to the RIF process, teachers whose jobs were eliminated are placed on a two-year recall list. If positions become available, they would be recalled to the district in the process laid out in the Teacher Handbook.

HSEA is committed to meeting with each teacher who was RIFed. During these meetings, HSEA will discuss due process rights, unemployment benefits, and insurance coverage. We understand the upheaval this process brings to these teachers, and we are steadfast in our belief that these teachers’ needs must be met.

The elimination of these jobs is a result of several factors. HSE’s student enrollment is declining, resulting in a loss of funding each year; however, make no mistake, these cuts are also a direct result of SEA 1, a law passed by the Indiana General Assembly, signed by Governor Mike Braun, and supported by Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith that decimates funding for public schools and first responders. Every public school district in Indiana is facing budget cuts, and, as the sixth lowest per student funded district in the state, HSE is among those feeling the worst of it. We must stand against such laws that have detrimental effects on the cornerstone of Hoosier communities, because, at the end of the day, eliminating teaching positions directly impacts student learning environments.

HSEA remains committed to our teachers, our students, and our communities. We are with you today, tomorrow, and every day after that.

HSEA Members,

Tomorrow, Monday, May 4,
is a day that none of us in HSE wants. Please join us in wearing black to support our colleagues who will be faced with learning they no longer having a position for next school year. This is a result of the state’s negligent funding of public schools and our own district’s declining enrollment. We know that tomorrow is going to be a tough day — please check in on each other and let your HSEA Leadership team know if there is anything you may need.

HSEA would like to cordially invite all potential HSE school board candidates to join us from 5:30-6:30 on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, to learn more about the benefits of an HSEA endorsement, the timeline for the HSEA/ISTA endorsement process, and the expectations HSEA has for any endorsed candidates. We will host this meeting via Zoom. Potential candidates should email [email protected] with their name and the district they will potentially be running for. After an email is received potential candidates will receive a Zoom link for May 6th.
Please share with anyone who may have interest in joining us!
Thank you!