Candidates running for Edinburgh school board this fall will not be required to represent a specific area of Blue River Township as long as they live in the township.
Previously, the five-member school board was split into districts. Two members represented the town of Edinburgh, two members lived in the township but not the town, and one member represented Edinburgh schools at-large, meaning they could live anywhere within the township, said Doug Arnold, superintendent of Edinburgh Community Schools.
Edinburgh school board members represent more than 800 students and 129 staff members. Board members vote on academic policies and course changes, approve the district’s budget and evaluate the performance of staff members.
Board members will continue to be elected on a staggered basis. Board president Cathy Hamm and board member Curtis Rooks will defend their positions this fall, with Justin Lollar, Alice Taulman and Daniel Teter up for reelection in 2022.
Having each school board member represent the township as a whole makes it easier on school board members, who might move elsewhere within the township during their term, Arnold said.
“As time went on, people moved and it became difficult with people moving to clarify who represented what area,” Arnold said. “It was the consensus of the board that if all board members were at-large, it would be no question as to who represented what area.”
The measure was approved last year, but this is the first election that the change applies to. Along with the question of school board members moving during their terms, another reason for the change revolved around the difficulty of finding people for the school board who lived in Blue River Township but not the Town of Edinburgh, Arnold said.
“A big problem we had was we couldn’t find anyone to run for those openings with the townships,” Arnold said. “It’s a lot easier to call everyone ‘at-large.’”
Edinburgh schools joins Center Grove Community Schools as one of only two districts in Johnson County to have all of its members represent the district’s entire geographic area. At Clark-Pleasant, Franklin and Indian Creek schools, board members are split into different townships, while at Greenwood Community Schools, board members are split into districts.
