Hamilton Southeastern Schools is swinging the budget axe, announcing Monday (May 4) that it will eliminate nearly 60 positions across the district and has issued reduction-in-force notices to 18 kindergarten-through-sixth-grade teachers. District leaders say the cuts are driven by falling enrollment and growing budget pressure, while union officials are calling the notices a “difficult” blow for teachers and students.
District: Enrollment, budget pressures drive cuts
Superintendent Matt Kegley told families the district has spent months combing through staffing levels and finances, concluding that nearly 60 positions need to be cut districtwide so staffing lines up with current student counts. As reported by FOX59, Kegley wrote that the notifications were a hard step for the district, and that administrators will share more specifics at the school board meeting next Wednesday, May 13.
Union: 18 teachers face RIF notices, two-year recall list
The Hamilton Southeastern Education Association said 18 K-6 teachers received formal RIF notices and will be placed on a two-year recall list if positions reopen, according to coverage of the union’s post. You Are Current reports the union also pointed a finger at the state’s recent property-tax changes, arguing those shifts have deepened the district’s funding shortfall.
SEA 1 and the wider school funding squeeze
Local officials and education advocates say Senate Enrolled Act 1, the 2025 property-tax overhaul, shrank the revenue available to many school districts and has triggered a wave of hard budgeting calls across Indiana. Policy analysis and reporting on the law’s impacts have warned that SEA 1 alters revenue dynamics and could push districts to cut staff or ask voters to approve referendums to replace lost money, according to State Affairs.
Enrollment slide helps explain where the axe fell
HSE has logged a steady enrollment decline in recent years. Fall-count data show a drop of more than 1,500 students since September 2020, and roughly 863 fewer students over the last three years, figures cited by local reporting. Coverage from the Indianapolis Star notes the district says kindergarten enrollment has been hit particularly hard, which is where most of the teacher reductions are concentrated.
What happens next for staff and families
District officials say they will continue to monitor retirements, resignations and open positions that could allow some of the affected teachers to be recalled before the 2026-27 school year begins. Final staffing numbers and any additional details are expected to be presented at the HSE Board of Trustees meeting next Wednesday, May 13, according to You Are Current.
The reductions mark a notable shift for one of Indiana’s larger suburban districts and are almost certain to dominate that board meeting, as officials try to balance classroom needs against a shrinking revenue stream. Parents, teachers and local groups are already gearing up to press the board for details, clarity and any potential alternatives when it convenes.
