Superintendent’s Office

December 19th, 2023

Dear FTCSC Families,

We hope this message finds you well. Today, we share significant news with our FTCSC school community, and it is with mixed emotions that we make this announcement.

After what will be seven years of dedicated service to our FTCSC district, our FTCSC School Superintendent, Dr. Bruce Hibbard, has decided to retire on August 1, 2024. Dr. Hibbard has been an invaluable leader, guiding our educational community with passion, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Throughout his tenure, our district has faced various challenges, including rapid enrollment growth and the impacts of COVID-19. Dr. Hibbard successfully navigated our community through these challenges, achieving numerous milestones and advancements that have positioned FTCSC as a leader in Central Indiana.

Dr. Hibbard has played a pivotal role in fostering a positive learning environment, implementing innovative programs, and ensuring our students receive the best education possible. Implementing programs like Common Formative Assessments gives teachers real-time student performance data, allowing them to make instructional adjustments during an educational unit.

Under Dr. Hibbard’s leadership, our district’s enrollment grew by almost 25%. He implemented a strategic organizational realignment, creating six K-3rd elementary schools, two 4th-6th intermediate schools, a 7th-8th junior high, and a 9th-12th high school to manage rapid growth. Additional facilities have undergone expansions, including Edgewood Intermediate, Kitley Intermediate, Franklin Central Junior High, and the Transportation Department, to name a few. Dr. Hibbard also spearheaded the design of FTCSC’s seventh K-3 elementary school, New Bethel Elementary, which will open next school year. Moreover, he led the renovation of Wanamaker Early Learning Center, providing essential preschool services to our FTCSC school community. Currently, Dr. Hibbard oversees the additions and major renovation of Franklin Central High School, as well as the ongoing construction at New Bethel Elementary.     

We extend our deepest and sincerest gratitude to Dr. Hibbard for his unwavering commitment to enhancing our schools and ensuring the success of our students. He leaves a legacy that will undoubtedly inspire us for years.  We look forward to his continued leadership for the next seven months until his official retirement.

Our FTCSC School Board will commence the search for a new FTCSC Superintendent. We are confident that we will find a leader who will continue to build on the educational excellence of our students and staff while navigating the continued growth of Franklin Township. We will keep you updated on the FTCSC School Superintendent search.

Please join us in expressing gratitude to Dr. Hibbard for his exceptional service to our FTCSC school community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kent Pettet

Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer

Update: March 11th, 2024
Meet the new Superintendent here!


About Our School Superintendent

As the chief school executive of Franklin Township Schools, Bruce provides for the
preparation and submission of recommendations relative to all matters requiring Board
action. His passions are the building of a cohesive leadership team and the development of an academic framework that will prepare students for their future. For his leadership efforts, Bruce was presented with the (re)Defining Excellence in the District Award by Solution Tree in 2011.

Bruce earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Ball State University; a Master of Science in Education Administration from Butler University; and his PhD in Education Administration from Indiana State University.

Bruce’s professional experience includes teaching social studies in the Indianapolis
Public Schools. He taught seventh grade social studies for ten years at Frankfort Middle School in Frankfort, Indiana. He was a high school assistant principal at Frankfort Senior High School and Noblesville High School. He spent five years at Northridge Middle School in the North Montgomery School Corporation as Principal. During his tenure at Northridge, he was named the Indiana Association of School Principals, 2003 District Four Middle Level Principal of the Year. After finishing his PhD, he became the Assistant Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township on the north side of Indianapolis. He served as the Superintendent of the New Albany Floyd County Schools for eight years in the Louisville metro. Bruce has been Franklin Township’s Superintendent since July of 2017.

He and his wife Kristin are the grateful parents of three children (Isaac, Thomas, and
Caroline).