Meet Dr. Laura Hammack, superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new school year is right around the corner, meaning it’s the perfect time for parents and students around central Indiana to learn more about local school districts and their leaders.
Dr. Laura Hammack is the superintendent of Beech Grove City Schools. She was appointed to the role last July, taking over for Dr. Paul Kaiser. Before coming to Beech Grove, Hammack served five years as the superintendent of Brown County Schools.
Classes are set to begin next week, but the school district — like many others in Indiana — still needs teachers, Hammack says.
“There is no question that the teacher pipeline is a truly significant issue for schools across the state. We are one week out and we have about a handful of positions that we still have to fill,” Hammack said. “Our principals are working very hard to make sure that we have our highest quality staff ready for our students.”
To address the teacher shortage, Beech Grove has created a pathway program called “Grow Our Own Educator.”
“This is a really innovative program that we have at Beech Grove High School, where any student who is interested in the profession of education is able to enter a pathway that will allow for them to get experience in our schools, working with young people,” Hammack said.
The district has worked with Marian University and the University of Indianapolis to help direct some of those students back to Beech Grove.
“We have these relationships now so that our students go off to become prepared to be educators and then come back and serve the community of Beech Grove in the hallways that they know so well.”
A big part of the program is funded through a $4.8 million, three-year grant from the federal Teacher and School Leader incentive program. Some of the grant money is also being used to support teachers, according to Hammack.
“We know that our educators just are not compensated to the level that they should be. This allows for additional compensation for our educators to earn based on student performance, some extra dollars that they can take home,” Hammack said. “We also are leaning into some more professional development.”
Hammack says some of those educators are preparing to open the new Hornet Park Early Childhood Center.
“We have been constructing an addition to our current kindergarten and first-grade building. It is an early childhood center that is serving three, four, and five-year-olds who are getting ready for kindergarten. It is world-class and state-of-the-art, and we cannot wait until those kids are in that building,” Hammack said.
Parents still have time to sign kids up to attend Beech Grove City Schools. The first day of student instruction is next Wednesday.