Petition to Keep Area 004 (Highlands at Stony Creek & Silo Ridge) in the Fall Creek Intermediate & Fall Creek Junior High Feeder Pattern

To the Hamilton Southeastern School Board

We, the families of Area 004 (Highlands at Stony Creek and Silo Ridge), respectfully request that our neighborhood remain in the Fall Creek Intermediate (FCI) and Fall Creek Junior High (FCJH) feeder pattern.

Our request is grounded in the district’s own stated redistricting goals, validated capacity metrics, and the demonstrated community impact of this proposed change.

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1. The Final Recommendation Was Never Presented to the Community

The district collected feedback on Option 2, Option 3, and Option 4, but the final recommendation:

Does not match any of the options reviewed by families
Was never shown or modeled for public comment
Received no survey feedback
Was not included in the presentation materials

The community was denied a fair opportunity to evaluate or respond to the exact configuration now impacting Area 004.

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2. Moving Area 004 Violates the Board’s Own Redistricting Goals

According to the district’s published objectives, redistricting should:

A. “Attempt to create logical feeder patterns for school progression.”

The final recommendation does the opposite:

It removes an established, consistent, long-standing feeder path for Area 004.
It breaks a logical and cohesive K–12 progression pattern that the neighborhood has followed for decades.
It reroutes students away from their current peer networks despite no operational necessity.
It separates students from the high-school community they have been aligned with since elementary school.
It disconnects Fall Creek Junior High students from the high school their JH community is traditionally aligned with.

Junior highs directly collaborate with their feeder high schools through:

Musical and performing arts programs
Shared extracurricular activities
Early athletic pathways or conditioning programs
Community-based events, mentorship programs, and academic partnerships

By shifting Area 004 into a junior high that progresses to Fishers High School—while their community identity, peer networks, and program participation have long been aligned with HSE High School—the district creates a feeder-break that:

Disrupts continuity
Limits participation in established JH–HS programs
Forces students to leave a high-school community they have already begun engaging with

This configuration violates the goal of establishing logical feeder patterns.

B. “Reduce impacts upon neighborhoods and subdivisions.”

This recommendation increases, rather than reduces, impact:

Area 004 has already absorbed repeated disruptions due to boundary shifts directly south of us.
Children have experienced ongoing friend-group turnover and repeated school-path instability.
The proposed change introduces new disruption without delivering meaningful district-level benefit.

C. “Better utilize existing schools in established portions of the district.”

FCI and FCJH already operate within acceptable capacity ranges with Area 004 remaining.
Removing Area 004 does not meaningfully improve utilization structures.

D. “Provide capacity at schools with the greatest growth potential.”

District data shows:

Area 004 provides minimal capacity relief
Other areas contribute significantly more to capacity balancing
Fluctuations at FCI/FCJH with or without Area 004 fall within normal year-to-year variation

The proposed shift fails to advance the district’s stated goal.

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3. District Utilization Metrics Show Minimal Capacity Impact — and a More Balanced Result if Area 004 Remains

The district’s own enrollment and capacity data show that keeping Area 004 (Highlands at Stony Creek & Silo Ridge) in its current alignment produces only small, manageable shifts — and actually improves overall balance across intermediate and junior high buildings.

INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL IMPACTS:

Using the district’s capacity data (Slide 11) and Area 004 student counts (Slide 20):

Fall Creek Intermediate (FCI)

Utilization would be 88.46% if Area 004 remains
Compared to the district’s proposed 86%
This difference falls within normal enrollment fluctuation

Sand Creek Intermediate (SCI)

Utilization would be 83.37% if Area 004 remains elsewhere
Compared to the district’s proposed 86%
SCI remains safely below capacity in both scenarios

These figures confirm that Area 004 does not have a material impact on intermediate-level capacity needs.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IMPACTS:

Using the district’s junior-high capacity data (Slide 11) and Area 004’s JH enrollment:

Fall Creek Junior High (FCJH)

Utilization would increase to 89.64%
Compared to the district’s proposed 88%

Fishers Junior High (FJH)

Utilization would decrease to 92.21%
Compared to the district’s proposed 94%

This produces a more balanced junior-high utilization profile:

FCJH stays well within its capacity
FJH receives meaningful relief
No building exceeds its operational threshold

SUMMARY OF CAPACITY FINDINGS

Across both Intermediate and Junior High levels:

The district gains no material capacity advantage by removing Area 004
All buildings remain comfortably within operational ranges
Keeping Area 004 in the Fall Creek pathway results in better overall building balance
The disruption to students is far greater than any measurable operational benefit

From a capacity perspective alone, maintaining Area 004 in its current alignment is more effective than the proposed change.

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4. Area 004 Is Deeply Integrated Into the Fall Creek Community

Families in Highlands at Stony Creek and Silo:

Participate extensively in Fall Creek-aligned programs and events
Maintain long-established relationships with FCI/FCJH teachers, staff, and students
Share a strong community identity rooted in the Fall Creek feeder pattern

Reassigning Area 004 fractures this established cohesion for no measurable gain.

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5. Stability for Students Should Be a Priority

The district emphasizes minimizing disruption — yet the proposed change:

Introduces instability for students who have already experienced repeated downstream impacts from past boundary shifts
Disrupts peer groups and established social connections
Forces transitions that are not required by capacity data

This undermines the district’s stated commitment to student-centered boundary planning.

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6. Equity Considerations: SES, ENL, and IEP

We respectfully ask the board to consider the potential effects on:

SES (Socioeconomic Status)
ENL (English as a New Language)
IEP (Special Education / Individualized Education Plans)

Redistributing Area 004 may unintentionally disrupt:

Teacher caseloads
Program balance
Service distribution
Classroom composition
Continuity of support for vulnerable learners

Maintaining Area 004 in its current alignment is more likely to preserve stable staffing patterns, equitable caseload distribution, and consistent access to established support networks.

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Our Request

We respectfully petition the Hamilton Southeastern School Board to:

Maintain Area 004 (Highlands at Stony Creek & Silo Ridge) in the Fall Creek Intermediate and Fall Creek Junior High feeder pattern.

This outcome best supports:

The district’s redistricting goals
Community stability
Student wellbeing
Logical feeder progression
Equity stability
Fairness in process
Capacity metrics showing minimal benefit to moving Area 004
A more balanced distribution across buildings

Signature Statement

By signing this petition, I affirm my support for keeping Area 004—Highlands at Stony Creek and Silo Ridge—within the Fall Creek Intermediate and Fall Creek Junior High feeder pattern, and urge the Hamilton Southeastern School Board to reconsider the final recommendation.

Suzanne Thomas

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