School Matters: School Board Candidates Reject Political Labels

Journalist Steve Hinnefeld breaks down what’s happening in state and local education in his ongoing column, “School Matters.”

Some Indiana legislators have been trying for years to inject politics into local school board elections. In Monroe County, at least, candidates aren’t playing along.

A new state law effectively encourages school board candidates to identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans. But none of the people who filed for seats on local school boards did so. Three said they are independents, and four didn’t disclose a party affiliation.

Ashley Pirani, a Monroe County Community School Corporation board member who’s running for re-election, said the traditionally nonpartisan nature of school boards has been a strength. Adding party labels, she said, is an attempt to “politicize and divide” board members.

“I felt that if I were to place an R, D, or even an I after my name it opens the door to bringing in topics that cloud the work we do on a daily basis,” Pirani said. “It would entice hot-button issues that detract from our work.”

Erin Wyatt, another MCCSC board member who’s seeking re-election, sounded the same themes. “I believe that partisan politics have no place in a public school system that serves all families,” she said.

Pirani doesn’t hide her politics. She was elected to be a delegate to the Democratic state convention in June. But that’s separate from school. “While no one on a school board is apolitical,” she said, “keeping our focus on the health and well-being of our district is most important.”

All three MCCSC incumbents whose terms expire this year —  Pirani, Wyatt, and Aja Jester —  are running again, and all will run unopposed. All three checked a box on the filing form that says, “I elect not to disclose any affiliation with a political party.” 

The deadline to file was June 18. Cole Pospisil filed as an independent to run against Jester in MCCSC District 7, but he withdrew his candidacy. He told the B Square Bulletin that he withdrew out of concern about violating the Hatch Act, which bars partisan political activity by federal government employees. Pospisil works at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Wyatt said in a statement that she could have filed as an independent, but even that “has a partisan air to it … I would prefer the focus of my candidacy to reflect my desire to make sure all students who attend or may potentially attend MCCSC are safe, healthy, cared for, and able to achieve academic and personal success, and that the community members we serve can see that we are doing everything we can do to support the superintendent and her administrative team in navigating the uncertainty brought on by recent changes in school funding.”

In the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation district, Dennis Adams and Kelly Scholl are running as independents for a Richland Township seat. Christa Curtis, who did not disclose a party affiliation, is unopposed for a Bean Blossom Township seat.

Indiana is adding partisan affiliations for school board candidates as a result of state legislation approved in 2025 after several years of effort by the Republican supermajority. Supporters argued that education is political and identifying candidates by party adds transparency and helps voters make informed decisions.

As Jake Allen writes in the Indianapolis Star, the change comes “as school board meetings have been entrenched in national politics. Board members across the country have received death threats, fielded angry parents while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and have been inundated with book-banning discussions and scrutiny of curriculum.”

But opponents pointed out that most school board business has nothing to do with politics. Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association, put it well: “There is no Democrat or Republican way to teach children.”

The 2025 bill that made the change was initially written to make school board elections entirely partisan, just like elections for mayor or county offices. That approach didn’t fly, and the bill was rewritten to let candidates decide whether to run with a party label.

Even so, it barely passed. The final vote was 26-24 in the Senate, where Republicans have a 40-10 advantage. In the House, which Republicans control 70-30, the vote was 54-40. “It was overwhelmingly unpopular, yet it still passed,” Pirani said.

Follow-up legislation approved this year spells out the order in which candidates’ names appear on the ballot: Those whose party got the most local votes in the most recent election for Indiana secretary of state appear first followed by those from the other major party. Independents and candidates who don’t choose an affiliation appear at the bottom.

As the Star reported, that will put Republicans first in 87 of the state’s 92 counties. Monroe County is one of five counties where Democrats would be at the top.

Candidates can’t just claim whatever party affiliation they choose, however. To run as a Republican, they must have voted Republican in the last two primary elections or have written approval from the party’s county chair. The same holds for Democrats.

Indiana is now one of five states where school board candidates in all school districts may or must run with party labels, according to Ballotpedia, the digital encyclopedia of American politics. In five states, races are partisan in some districts and nonpartisan in others. 

School board elections are still without party labels in the other 40 states. As of July 2025, 85% of U.S. school board elections were nonpartisan, Ballotpedia says.