Cloverdale School Board

What a school board does

A school board is the elected or appointed governing body of a public school corporation, the legal unit that runs a local school district ^{[1, 2]}. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts policies, and approves the annual budget, while the superintendent and staff run schools day to day ^[3]. Most boards have five or seven members serving staggered four-year terms ^[3]. Starting in 2026, candidates may list a political party, run as independents, or list no affiliation on the ballot, and there is no primary for these seats ^{[2, 4]}.

Term

4 years, with elections staggered so part of the board is chosen every two years ^[3]

Elected

At the November general election (November 3, 2026, or November 2028 for some seats); depending on the local organization plan, members represent the whole school corporation (at large) or a district within it, and some boards are wholly or partly appointed ^[2]

Ballot label

Each candidate chooses a party label, 'Independent', or no affiliation, shown next to the name; no primary and no straight-ticket voting for these races ^{[2, 4]}

Pay

Set by board resolution: an annual amount of no more than 10% of the lowest starting teacher salary in the school corporation, plus a capped per diem ^[5]

On the 2026 ballot

632 races in 276 school corporations; 1,035 candidates, 197 races contested ^[6]

The job in full — what the Indiana Code puts in it, what it pays, and what to ask a candidate.

About Cloverdale Community Schools

• The district: Cloverdale Community School Corporation serves Cloverdale Township in Putnam County and Jackson, Jennings and Taylor townships in Owen County ^[24]. Its main offices are at 310 E. Logan St. in Cloverdale ^[25]. Since 2020 it has also run the Cloverdale Distance Learning Academy (CDLA), a virtual school run with a private partner. Former Superintendent Greg Linton said CDLA grew from 174 students in 2020 to a little over 2,100 ^[26]. At the August 2026 budget workshop, Linton reported 1,013 in-person students in 2025-26, up 53 from the year before, and 2,053 CDLA students as of February 2026 ^[27]. State enrollment data, which include the virtual students, show 3,206 students in 2026, compared with 1,406 in 2022 ^[28].
• Superintendent: Dr. Stacy Mason took over on July 1, 2026, on a three-year contract with a base salary of $123,500 ^[29]. She spent nearly 30 years with the Vigo County School Corporation ^[29]. She succeeded Greg Linton, superintendent for 12 years, who now leads CDLA ^[30]. In July 2026 the board approved an independent contractor agreement making Apex Education Services the chief financial officer and executive director of CDLA, with Linton serving in both roles ^[31].
• Board: seven members. They are Vivian Whitaker (president), Mike Rightmyer II (vice president), Donna Fidler (secretary), Joe Mann, Katrina Lewis, Emily Haltom and Melissa Carrell ^[25]. Seats are tied to townships, but the whole district votes on every seat ^[24]. Cloverdale Township has four seats ^[24]. Three were filled in 2024, when Fidler, Lewis and Mann were re-elected over Aragon Gould ^{[32, 33]}. The Banner Graphic called those three seats at-large ^[34]. The fourth is Whitaker's seat, last elected in 2022 ^[35].
• Seats on the 2026 ballot: ONE seat, the Cloverdale Township seat held by Whitaker. The state list says '1 seat', which matches the one-seat Cloverdale Township race in 2022 ^{[6, 35]}. Whitaker is running for re-election against Aragon Gould, a rematch of 2022, when Whitaker won 939 to 600 ^{[36, 35]}. The Banner Graphic reported that no candidate filed for the Taylor Township (Owen County) seat ^[36]. In an earlier race the paper noted that incumbents keep their seats in unfilled positions unless they resign ^[34].
• Party labels: Gould is listed as Republican and Whitaker as Nonpartisan ^{[6, 36]}. In March 2025, the full board, including Whitaker, signed a letter opposing SB 287, the bill that allowed party labels in school board races. The letter said that 'to have members declare their political party would undermine the integrity of our decisions' ^[37].
• Facilities and debt: in August 2026 the board approved a $4.5 million project to put synthetic turf on the football field and replace the track. Mason said the project would fix drainage problems and save on upkeep ^[27]. Mason estimated the net tax increase at about $0.0453 per $100 of assessed value. She said the district pays $1.36 million a year in debt service, falling to $1.17 million in 2036 ^[27]. On September 8, 2026 the board made a preliminary determination to issue up to $4,895,000 in bonds for district-wide renovations, including site and athletic improvements, equipment and technology ^[38]. A hearing on an amendment to the Cloverdale High School lease was set for October 12, 2026 ^[39].
• Budget and taxes: at the August 2026 budget workshop, Linton reported an education fund balance of $5,823,521 at the start of 2026 and a proposed 2027 operations fund levy of $3,991,449 ^[27]. He said the district always advertises a higher tax rate than is finally approved. 'The rate this year is much lower than last year and that's due to us having solid cash balances,' he said ^[27]. The board held a budget hearing on August 24, 2026 and planned to adopt the budget on September 14 ^{[40, 27]}. This guide found no board statement on how the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) affects Cloverdale. The district is not listed among those with referendums on the November 2026 ballot ^[41].
• Other 2026 decisions: in June 2026 the board added a special education teacher position at Cloverdale High School ^[30]. In August it adopted the SuperEval tool for superintendent evaluations ^[27]. A pre-bargaining hearing with the Cloverdale Education Association was held on September 9, 2026 ^[42].
• Forums: this guide found no 2026 candidate forum or questionnaire for this race. The most recent statements from both candidates are their 2022 Banner Graphic biographies and Whitaker's 2026 comments as board president ^[43].

Member, Cloverdale Township (Putnam-Owen) (1 seat)

2 candidates

Key points

• The district: Cloverdale Community School Corporation serves Cloverdale Township in Putnam County and Jackson, Jennings and Taylor townships in Owen County. Its main offices are at 310 E. Logan St. in Cloverdale. (Banner Graphic)
• Superintendent: Dr. Stacy Mason took over on July 1, 2026, on a three-year contract with a base salary of $123,500. She spent nearly 30 years with the Vigo County School Corporation. She succeeded Greg Linton, superintendent for 12 years, who now leads CDLA. (Banner Graphic)
• Facilities and debt: in August 2026 the board approved a $4.5 million project to put synthetic turf on the football field and replace the track. Mason said the project would fix drainage problems and save on upkeep. (Banner Graphic)

Sources