Here’s how to run for CCSC or S-OCS school board

During the Nov. 3 general election, Owen County voters will cast their ballots for school board member seats up for election this year.

The Spencer-Owen Community School Corporation School Board of Trustees has seven members, including a secretary, secretary pro tem, vice president and president. School board elections are held every two years.

This fall, three S-OCS seats will be on the ballot, including Districts 2, 3 and 5. The seats are currently held by Mark Rogers, secretary Lizz Bixler and Jack White, respectively.

The school board member seats that are not up for election this year are currently held by president Derek Morgan, vice president Deana Stickels, secretary pro tem Rick Smeltzer and Chad Cooper.

The S-OCS school board oversees the county’s four elementary schools, middle school and high school. The board is responsible for managing and making policies and decisions for the district and its facilities, employees, students and programs, according to the S-OCS school board policy manual.

The board members serve four-year terms and are responsible for appointing the superintendent.

Owen County school board filing is open from May 19 to June 18 at noon, Owen County Election/Voter Registration Deputy Linda Roy said in an email. Candidates must obtain 10 signatures and live in the district they are filing for.

Additionally, one Owen County seat on the Cloverdale Community Schools school board is up for election in the fall. The Cloverdale school board has seven members, and candidates can run for one Cloverdale Township and one Taylor Township seat, which are currently held by board president Vivian Whitaker and member Emily Haltom. The other five seats will be up for election in 2028.

To file, candidates are required to fill out a petition of nomination and consent for school board office form and a statement of economic interests for local and school board offices form. These can be found on the Indiana Secretary of State website or at the county clerk’s office. Candidates for the CCS Taylor Township position must file with the Owen County Clerk’s Office. The petition requires candidates to include their name, address and office sought.

For the first time this year, the races have the ability to be partisan. The petition requires candidates to choose one of four political affiliation options to appear on the ballot.

Candidates can choose to declare a party affiliation, independent candidacy, choose not to declare an affiliation or that they are not affiliated with a political party and don’t identify as an independent candidate. According to the Indiana School Boards Association, candidate affiliation is determined by the party the candidate voted for in the last two Indiana primary elections that the candidate participated in.

Additionally, candidates must have resided in the school district for at least one year prior to the election.

To be eligible for the school board election, candidates must be at least 18-years-old and registered to vote in the election district they seek to represent. Candidates also cannot have been convicted of a felony unless it was pardoned, reversed, vacated, set aside, not entered or expunged.

Individuals who are employed as teachers or employees of the school corporation are also not allowed to be members of the corporation’s governing body. They may run, but must resign before taking office.