HANCOCK COUNTY — Friday marked the filing deadline for residents seeking seats on the county’s four school boards.
The 11 candidates who put their names in for the nonpartisan races are a mix of incumbents and newcomers, all hopeful they’re the ones chosen to help lead and oversee local schools.
Their names will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. Each board has two seats up for grabs.
School board members are tasked with working alongside their district’s superintendent to adopt budgets, develop school curricula and policies and oversee facilities, among other responsibilities.
Each is elected to a four-year term.
As Election Day nears, the Daily Reporter will bring readers more information on each candidate and their stance on certain issues. For now, here’s a look at who filed:
Eastern Hancock Schools
Three candidates will face off for an at-large seat, and an unopposed newcomer will fill the District 1 seat on Eastern Hancock School Board of Education following the election.
The corporation includes 1,225 students. The board has five members, one representative from each of the three townships that make up the school district and two at-large representatives, according to the school district’s website.
Alan Craney of Shirley and Tammy Stunda of Wilkinson will challenge incumbent and the current board president Mike Lewis of Greenfield for his at-large seat. Lewis has been on the board since 2014.
Tom Younts, who represents District 1, did not file for re-election. He’ll step away from the board after serving more than five terms, according to the school district’s website.
Tammy Settergren of Wilkinson will fill the empty post, representing families living in Brown Township; she is unopposed in November.
Greenfield-Central Schools
Greenfield-Central is the county’s largest school corporation with 4,563 students.
Its board is comprised of five elected members. Four members represent specific districts in the city of Greenfield; the fifth member is an at-large seat.
This November, seats representing districts 2 and 3 are up for grabs. Those holding the seats on the current board are stepping away to make room for new faces; and three Greenfield residents have filed to fill the void.
One race is opposed; one is unopposed.
Rebecca Taylor is running unopposed for the District 2 seat, representing the northeastern portion of the district. She will take over for current board member Steve Menser, who did not file for re-election.
Mark Lozier and John Rihm will face off for the District 3 seat, representing the southwest portion of the district. Current board member Retta Livengood did not file for re-election.
Southern Hancock and Mt. Vernon schools
Incumbents will rein in Southern Hancock and Mt. Vernon school board races.
The four current board members have filed for re-election and will not face challengers in the fall.
Southern Hancock School Board members Craig Wagoner and Brian McKinney, both of New Palestine, will keep their seats on the board. They represent District 3 and District 5, respectively.
They help oversee 3,683 students.
Mt. Vernon’s two at-large seats are up for re-election, and incumbents Kellie Freeman of Greenfield and Shannon Walls of McCordsville have filed for re-election. They will remain on the board, running unopposed in November.
Their district is made up of 4,103 students.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here’s a list of the candidates who filed to run in school board races in the general election:
Eastern Hancock Schools
– District 1: Tammy Settergren of Wilkinson
– At-large: Alan Craney of Shirley; Michael Lewis of Greenfield; and Tammy Stunda of Wilkinson
Greenfield-Central Schools
– District 2: Rebecca Taylor of Greenfield
– District 3: Mark Lozier of Greenfield and John Rihm of Greenfield
Southern Hancock Schools
– District 3: Craig Wagoner, Sr.
– District 5: Brian McKinney
Mt. Vernon Schools
– At-Large (two open seats): Kellie Freeman of Greenfield and Shannon Walls of McCordsville
[sc:pullout-text-end]