Here’s who won school board races across Marion County
(MIRROR INDY) — While many sitting school board candidates held onto their seats in the election Tuesday, some incumbents, including in Indianapolis Public Schools and Pike Township, lost.
Residents of 10 Marion County school districts had the chance to weigh in on future leadership within their local school systems.
Only residents of Speedway — a district whose board members are appointed by the Speedway Town Council — did not see school board seats on their ballot.
Candidates who were elected will begin their terms Jan. 1. School board members generally serve four-year terms and will occupy their seats through December 2028.
Mirror Indy is sharing vote totals Tuesday night with 100% of Marion County precincts reporting their results to county election officials.
Beech Grove
Incumbents April McManus, Beth Prindle and Tara Wolf defended their seats on the Beech Grove school board. Newcomer April Rinks was also elected to the board. Each of the four candidates earned about 21% of votes.
The five candidates ran for the four open at-large seats on the district’s board. Seven members total serve on the Beech Grove board. With about 16% of the vote, candidate Dennis Wilson II did not earn a place on the board.
The election comes less than a year after one of the board’s longtime members, Rick Skirvin, retired from his seat amid a defamation lawsuit brought by three students he accused of theft. The board appointed Brian Downard to serve the rest of Skirvin’s term which extends through 2026.
Decatur Township
Two current school board members — Larry Taylor and Estella Vandeventer — will retain their seats on the Decatur Township board.
The incumbents ran unopposed. They occupy two of Decatur Township’s five at-large board seats.
The two board members will stay on to oversee Decatur Township’s new superintendent, Scott Collins, who joined the district in July from Connersville’s Fayette County School Corporation.
Franklin Township
Incumbent Beth Yoder and newcomer Ryan Donovan won their elections for seats on the Franklin Township school board.
Both candidates ran unopposed. Yoder, who represents the northwest portion of the district, will continue in her role. Donovan will serve the southwest part of the district. They will occupy two seats of the five-member board.
The two board members will start their terms amid rapid growth in the district — enrollment has grown 43% since 2006 — and as new Superintendent Chase Huotari completes his first year of leadership. Huotari was promoted to the role after former Superintendent Ben Hibbard retired in August.
Indianapolis Public Schools
Deandra “Dee” Thompson, Ashley Thomas, Allissa Impink and Gayle Cosby won seats on the IPS board.
Kenneth Allen, defeated by Thompson, was the only incumbent seeking reelection this year and only Impink ran unopposed in the races that saw eight candidates vie for four open positions on the board.
Thomas won 66% of the vote against Alan Schoff and will represent the southeast part of the district. Cosby won 54% of the vote over candidate Hasaan Rashid and will represent the east side. Impink, the unopposed candidate, will represent the southwest part of IPS. Thompson — who unseated Allen and a third candidate, Carrie Harris — won 56% of the vote and will represent the district at large. In that race, Allen earned 21% and Harris secured 22%.
The winners join three others on the seven-seat board. New members join the board as IPS officials continue rolling out their Rebuilding Stronger consolidation and redistricting plan and will have a voice in how the school corporation approaches relationships with area charter schools.
Lawrence Township
Shaila Mulholland and incumbents Amy Norman and Crystal Puckett won their races to join the Lawrence Township school board.
Mulholland and Norman ran unopposed and will represent the south and northeast areas of the district, respectively. Puckett successfully ran for the district’s open at-large seat, winning with 65% of the vote.
The candidate’s win came following a contentious race which divided board members’ support after a lingering dispute over administrative pay spilled into campaigns this fall.
The five-member board will also oversee the final phases of the district’s Blue Ribbon Facilities plan, including the construction of a new administration building at Fort Benjamin Harrison, and will help decide the future use of the former Craig Middle School, where administrative offices are currently located.
Perry Township
Astin Vick and incumbents Emily Hartman and James Hernandez secured their seats on the Perry Township school board.
While Hartman and Hernandez ran traditional campaigns, Vick earned her seat as a write-in candidate. All three will represent the district at large.
The Perry board — which had four of its seven seats up for election this fall — will need to decide how to fill an open position after only three candidates sought to join the board.
They could appoint a new member or allow a sitting board member to stay on for another term. The board is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.
Pike Township
Incumbents Angela Barnes and Nichole Kelley, and newcomers Toni Wilson and Steve Hoofer, will serve on the Pike Township school board.
The four members earned the most votes of five candidates running to fill open seats on Pike’s seven-member board. Incumbent Matthew Hopp lost, earning just 15% of the vote.
Barnes led the race with 24%, Wilson followed with 23%, Kelley earned 20% and Hoofer secured 18%.
Board members will oversee the district’s recent tax increase passed in the spring to support staff retention and school safety. The referendum fund is expected to collect almost $16 million annually — though, under a recent change in state law, some of that may be shared with area charter schools.
Warren Township
Incumbents Howard Dorsey Jr., Julie French, LaShauna Triplett and Gloria Williams will all retain their seats on the Warren Township school board.
A fifth candidate, Candee Hopkins, with 18.1% of the vote, did not receive enough support to unseat sitting members in the district’s at-large election. The four incumbents make up more than half of Warren’s seven-member board.
Dorsey Jr. earned 18.6% of the vote, French secured 19.6%, Triplett held 20% and Williams brought in 23%.
Board members will oversee the spending of the district’s new, eight-year referendum and will provide guidance as administrators seek to reduce absenteeism rates and boost students’ performance on the state’s standardized ILEARN exam.
Warren’s recent referendum is expected to raise about $11 million a year for transportation costs, staff retention, school safety, student technology and other academic needs.
Washington Township
Steven Thompson joins incumbents Tracey Krueger and Deidre George Davis with successful bids to join the Washington Township school board.
The three candidates ran uncontested for seats on the district’s five-member board. Davis lives in the southwest part of Washington Township and was elected to the board’s District 1 seat. Thompson lives on the east side of the township and was elected to the District 3 seat. Krueger was selected for the township’s open at-large seat.
In the coming term, school board members will oversee a leadership transition from retiring Superintendent Nikki Woodson in July 2025, to Sean Taylor, who was selected for the role in a meeting last month.
Wayne Township
Cheri O’Day Marcotte joins incumbents Susan Graves and Karen Burke in new terms on the Wayne Township school board. The three members will serve in at-large positions on the seven-member board.
The candidates secured 23%, 30% and 29% of the vote outperforming a fourth candidate, Walter Miller, who earned 17%.
Their terms coincide with an evolving conversation at the state level about high school graduation requirements. While Wayne Township is on the forefront of offering early college and career programs, like its Ben Davis University and Area 31 Career Center, the district has historically graduated a high percentage of students using waivers to earn their diploma.
These waivers are traditionally given to students who don’t meet all graduation requirements but show other knowledge. State officials have increasingly encouraged schools to reduce their use of these waivers.
Officials are expected to announce a new set of high school graduation requirements by the end of 2024.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.