RSVP to the 2026 Chalkbeat and WFYI IPS school board candidate forum
Reported byWFYI
Read the full story at WFYIAI-assisted summary
Indianapolis Public Schools voters will choose among fifteen candidates for five board seats this fall, and every current board member is on the ballot, according to WFYI. Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI are co-hosting a candidate forum at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, at the Central Library in Indianapolis. Moderators will pose questions, and audience members can also submit questions before and during the event. Readers can RSVP online to see which candidates plan to attend.
The article says the winners will form a majority of the board, the first chosen since the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC) was created. This year IPEC assumed several duties for IPS and the city's charter schools, including running facilities and student transportation and the power to place a tax question before voters. Board members still set district policy and goals, handle the budget, and hire and supervise the superintendent.
This year candidates may list a party affiliation for the first time. The article reports that most IPS candidates are running as Democrats, unlike much of central Indiana and the state. School board races are not part of straight-ticket voting, and candidates from the same party can compete against one another.
Early voting started Oct. 6 at the City-County Building, with more sites opening Oct. 24. Election Day is Nov. 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Marion County voting centers.
Why it matters
The election is the first since IPEC took over some responsibilities, so voters are choosing a board with a changed role. Families and staff can use the forum to hear candidates' views directly, and the partisan option adds a new element to a traditionally nonpartisan race.
- Candidate forums
- Partisanship in board races
- Voter guides
- Elected school boards
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- How should voters weigh the board's remaining duties, such as policy, budget and superintendent oversight, when judging candidates now that IPEC handles other functions?
- What do voters want to learn from candidates at a forum, and how can audience questions help surface those topics?
- How might the option to list a party affiliation affect the way voters think about school board races?
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