The Indianapolis Public Schools Board election is set to take place this fall, with five of seven seats on the ballot. The election comes as the district faces a deepening fiscal crisis, with a projected $40 million deficit and significant cuts to central office and school budgets.

Candidates and Issues

A total of 14 candidates have filed to run for the open seats, including incumbents, district parents, educators, and charter school staffers. The candidates include Heather Houston, an instructional coach with a special education license, and Alexander S. Nyirendah, vice chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party.

The election also comes after state lawmakers took away much of the elected board’s traditional power, handing control of IPS buildings, transportation, and property tax levying to a new body created by the state and appointed by the mayor, the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC).

The IPS board will still adopt policies, set district-wide goals, and hire and evaluate the superintendent. However, school board members will not oversee day-to-day school operations.

Partisan School Board Races

This is the first year Indiana school board races are partisan, with candidates able to declare a party affiliation or run as an independent. The partisan nature of the election has raised concerns among some candidates, who believe that school board service should be focused on students, not politics.

Original reporting: Mirror Indy — read the source article.