Filing for school board opens in county districts

The first day of filing for school board brought only three candidates declaring their intentions to run in the Nov. 3 election.

There are 14 board seats at stake this year in the six Hamilton County school districts. Winners in the non-partisan elections will take office on Jan. 1, 2021.

Filing Wednesday for the Hamilton Southeastern board was Clinton Wilson, running for the Fall Creek Township seat on the seven-member Southeastern board.

For the Hamilton Heights Board, David Adam Sheller was the first to file for the White River Township seat on the five-member board.

Carl (Mike) Steele officially declared his candidacy for Westfield Washington School Board in District 3, also a five-member board.

On Thursday, one additional candidate filed. Kevin J. Cavanaugh filed for the Hamilton Heights Board in the Jackson Township district.

School boards next year will face a continued tough challenge dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in both the classroom and athletics as well as school security issues and budgetary matters.

School systems control the largest budgets and the largest number of employees in their communities.

Whether the challenges facing local schools increases or decreases interest in running for a school board position remains a question.

Filing for office ends at noon on Aug. 21 at the county elections office.