During the Hamilton Southeastern school board meeting on Dec. 11, 2024, it was announced that the district will now be requiring students to pay for the entirety of their online summer classes. This was confirmed at the board meeting on Jan. 22, 2025. Students will be allowed to take one class free of charge during the summer of 2025, and then payment will be the responsibility of students and families from then on.  

In previous years, students were allowed to take up to two classes through Indiana Online Academy free of charge. According to the presentation shown at the meeting in December, this change is due to “reimbursement shortfalls.” 

“Last year, the cost of summer school classes exceeded $400,000,” Assistant Superintendent Jason Urban said. “Given the district’s current budget deficit, we are actively seeking ways to improve our financial situation.” 

The ability to take classes over the summer has been used by many students, with students at FHS earning 2570 credits last summer alone. Popular courses have been health, physical education, government, economics and Spanish III. This change is also due to the new networks which were discussed at the meeting. The networks will take effect next school year and are designed with the new state graduation requirements in mind. Each network contains three classes that students can take to explore career options. The new diploma requires students to earn more credits. While the district is still covering one online class for students, it may cause some students to change their plans for next summer, as well as next school year. 

“I was going to take some senior year classes over the summer in order to have a flex schedule,” junior Jack Fahner said. “But now I may not because classes are expensive.”