Civic
Every race on your ballot, with sources. Races by stateJoin the Luminary network

2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Grant Marion School Board

4 seats on the Marion Community Schools's board are on this year's ballot, with 6 names on them. Which seats appear on your ballot depends on where in the corporation you live.

Find your exact ballotAll school boards

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]
What the law puts in this job (12)
  • Hires, evaluates and can dismiss the superintendent, and approves the hiring and firing of principals, teachers and other staff recommended by the superintendent [1, 7, 3].
  • Adopts the annual budget, appropriates funds and oversees school finances [1, 3].
  • Decides whether to ask voters to approve an operating referendum (an extra property tax levy); the board adopts the resolution and the Department of Local Government Finance reviews the ballot language for compliance with state law [8].
  • Approves contracts, buys and sells property, and decides on construction, repair and demolition of school buildings [1].
  • Bargains with the teachers' union over salary, wages and wage-related benefits such as health insurance and retirement; state law excludes teacher evaluation procedures from those bargaining subjects [9].
  • Writes and updates policies and rules for schools, often in a policy handbook, including the student handbook [1, 3].
  • Buys curricular materials, provides them to students without charge, and runs programs such as student transportation and school lunch [1].
  • Must adopt a process for parents and residents to ask that library material be removed as obscene or harmful to minors, review requests at public meetings and keep a public catalog of library materials [10].
  • Hears written appeals of student expulsions, unless the board has voted not to hear them [11].
  • Must take official action openly; Indiana's Open Door Law says public agencies' official action is to be conducted openly so the people may be fully informed [12, 13].
  • A school board member must have lived in the school corporation (and, for a district seat, the district) for at least one year before the election, and a teacher or other employee of the school corporation may not serve on its board [2].
  • What the board does not control: the State Board of Education adopts statewide academic standards [14], the General Assembly sets the state school funding formula in the state budget [15], and voucher (Choice Scholarship) eligibility is set by state law [16].

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

What has changed in this job lately

Changes in the law the next officeholder will work under, most distant first.

  1. 2025

    Senate Enrolled Act 287 allowed school board candidates to declare a party affiliation; the Indiana School Boards Association opposed the change, and a supporter quoted by WNDU, a Noblesville school board member, said it adds transparency [17].

  2. 2026

    Candidates choose a party, 'Independent' or no affiliation on their nominating petition, and that choice appears on the ballot; a candidate claiming the Democratic or Republican party must have voted in that party's primary in the two most recent primaries they voted in, or have certification from the county party chair, or can be challenged and removed from the ballot [2].

  3. July 2026

    Chalkbeat reported, citing Indiana School Boards Association data, that 524 of 1,044 candidates chose a party, about 72% of them Republicans [18]; the Indiana Election Division's 2026 guidance and the wording of the law differ on the primary-voting test, a question county election boards decide [19].

  4. February 2026

    Senate Enrolled Act 25 set the order of school board candidates on the ballot, grouped by party, with candidates who list no affiliation placed after the party and independent candidates [20].

  5. 2025

    Senate Enrolled Act 1, a property tax law, limits how much operating revenue districts can raise through taxes and restricts school referendums to statewide general elections in even-numbered years [21, 22].

  6. 2025

    The same law requires districts to share operating revenue with brick-and-mortar charter schools that enroll their students, statewide starting in 2028 [21, 22].

  7. 2025

    The state budget opened Choice Scholarship vouchers to all Indiana families starting in June 2026 [16].

  8. 2026

    The Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, rather than the Indianapolis Public Schools board, now certifies Indianapolis Public Schools referendum questions for the ballot [20].

  9. 2023

    Senate Enrolled Act 391 changed the so-called $1 law so the Indiana Department of Education can order districts that lost at least 10% of enrollment over five years to close schools under 60% capacity and offer them to charter schools [23].

  10. 2023

    House Enrolled Act 1447 required school districts to set up procedures for complaints that library material is obscene or harmful to minors [10].

About Marion Community Schools

  • The 'Grant Marion Community School Board' races on the state list are for Marion Community Schools in Marion, Grant County. Federal data reported through PlainSchools show 3,668 students in 2024-25 and seven schools [24]. The district also runs the Little Giants Preschool, the Grant Regional Career Center and the Walton Performing Arts Center [25, 26].
  • The superintendent is Dr. Stephanie Lockwood [27]. In December 2024 the outgoing board congratulated the newly appointed superintendent [28]. On July 28, 2026, the board voted unanimously to extend her contract from June 30, 2028 to June 30, 2030 [27].
  • The board has seven members who serve four-year terms, with elections every two years [29]. The district lists the members as Alan Beck (president, District I), Chuck Griffin (first vice president, District IV at-large), Shanna Bento (second vice president, District II), Gabe Delgado (secretary, District IV at-large), Dana Gault (District I), Richard Hart (District I) and Serafina Salamo (District III) [30].
  • District 1 race: three seats. The state list shows three District 1 seats and four candidates [6]. The district lists three District I members whose terms end Dec. 31, 2026: Beck, Gault and Hart [30]. Beck and Hart are running again; Gault is not on the ballot [6].
  • At-large race: one seat. The state list calls it 'At Large, District 2' [6]. The district's roster labels its at-large seats 'District IV (at-large)', and the at-large seat with a term ending Dec. 31, 2026 belongs to Chuck Griffin [30], whom the board chose in 2022 to fill a vacant District IV at-large position [31]. He is not on the 2026 ballot, so the seat is open [6].
  • Budget and the 2025 property-tax law (July 2026): on July 14, 2026, the board unanimously approved moving $97,460.15 from the Debt Service Fund to the Operations Fund to account for the supplemental homestead credit [26]. Superintendent Lockwood told the board that the credit is money 'we will lose beginning in 2027' and described it as about a $300 loss per household [26].
  • 2027 budget (August-October 2026): on Aug. 11, 2026, the board moved its budget dates after the former chief financial officer left, and it approved a contract with Comprehensive Systems of Support for Schools to handle chief financial officer duties [32]. The new calendar set a public hearing for Sept. 22 and adoption for Oct. 27, 2026 [32]. At the Aug. 25 meeting, President Beck said the district was 'having to cut 3.7 million dollars' [33]. Marion Community Schools is not on the state's list of districts with a referendum in November 2026 [34]. Two other Grant County districts, Mississinewa and Oak Hill, have operating referendum questions on the ballot [35].
  • Facilities (August 2026): on Aug. 11, 2026, the board unanimously approved lease amendments through its building corporation to fund improvements in 2026-27 and 2027-28 [32]. Bond counsel said the improvements would focus on heating and air conditioning, lighting, flooring and wall coverings, with combined annual lease payments of no more than $3.6 million [32]. On Aug. 25 the board heard updates on storm damage to the Bill Green Athletic Arena, a replacement stadium scoreboard, the tennis courts, the track and lighting at the Walton Performing Arts Center [33].
  • Curriculum and policy (2026): in September 2026 the board approved new curriculum, including Amplify CKLA for K-6 English language arts [36]. Revisions to the computer acceptable-use policy were discussed on Sept. 8 and held for a later meeting [36]. Collective-bargaining hearings with the Marion Teachers Association began on the same date [36].
  • Forums: this guide found no 2026 candidate forum or questionnaire for these races.

Grant Marion Community School Board, District 1

4 candidates · 3 seats · Vote for up to 3.

Alan M Beck

Nonpartisan

Incumbent and board president, seeking another term in District 1, where voters choose three members [30, 6].

Beck's background

  • The district lists his occupation as 'Landscape designer, business owner of Comfort Landscapes' and says he joined the board in 2019 [30].

Beck's positions

Budget & taxes

  • At the July 14, 2026 meeting, discussing the homestead-credit transfer, he said: 'This SB1 is killing us in so many ways.' [26]
  • At the same meeting, Dr. Richard Hart asked whether the district could earn money from its facilities. Beck said the district should not have to 'come up with creative ways of making revenue to fund our operations' and called it 'a pipe dream' that facility rentals could pay for teacher salaries and buses [26].
  • On Aug. 25, 2026, he said the district was 'having to cut 3.7 million dollars.' He urged caution on the cost of a new stadium scoreboard and said the public may face 'possibly having a referendum years from now.' [33]
  • On the same date he said that in 2025 the state allowed 'a half a billion dollars of tax-funded money to go to private and charter schools,' and he urged residents to talk to legislators about public schools [33].

Academics

  • In July 2026 he praised the Grant Regional Career Center's programs and said the district should 'keep investing in that' [26].

Facilities

  • On Aug. 25, 2026, he said the stadium scoreboard replacement should cover the next 20 years without 'putting too much into it at a time when we're struggling.' [33]

Beck on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member and the board's president [30].
  • In August 2026 he thanked the transportation staff for the start of the school year [32].

How Beck got on the ballot

  • Was elected in District 1 in 2018 and 2022, according to BallotReady [37].
  • Filed for reelection; The state list gives June 4, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state lists him as Nonpartisan [6].

What we could not find about Beck

  • No 2026 candidate website, questionnaire or forum appearance was found; his positions here come from 2026 board minutes.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Beck

Christopher E Dodson

Nonpartisan

Candidate for one of three District 1 seats; this guide found no public statements from him [6].

Dodson's background

  • This guide found no published biography for this candidate.

Dodson on the current officeholder

  • This guide found no statement from this candidate about the current board's decisions.

How Dodson got on the ballot

  • Filed for District 1; the state candidate list gives May 29, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state lists him as Nonpartisan [6].

What we could not find about Dodson

  • No candidate website, questionnaire, forum appearance, news profile or campaign finance report was found; occupation and stated positions could not be confirmed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Dodson

Richard (Dick) Hart

Nonpartisan

Incumbent seeking another term in District 1, where voters choose three members [30, 6].

Hart's background

  • Is a District I member of the Marion Community Schools board; the district lists him as joining in 2023 and does not list an occupation [30]. Board minutes refer to him as Dr. Richard Hart [26].

Hart's positions

Budget & taxes

  • On July 14, 2026, he called the decline in operating money 'troubling' and asked: 'Is there some way that we could put someone on the task of generating revenue from what we have?' He pointed to outside use of the Walton Center as an example [26].

Transparency & community input

  • On Sept. 8, 2026, he objected to proposed revisions to the computer acceptable-use policy. He said the policy's wording could make board members who use personal computers for district business 'possibly criminally responsible' and encouraged the board 'to study it more before we bring it up for the next meeting.' [36]
  • On Aug. 11, 2026, he asked whether hiring a new insurance broker would end the district's other broker relationships [32].

Facilities

  • On Aug. 11, 2026, he made the motion, which passed unanimously, to approve the building-corporation lease amendments for facility improvements [32].

Hart on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member. The minutes this guide reviewed show him voting with the unanimous majority on the superintendent's contract extension and the 2026 facility financing [27, 32].

How Hart got on the ballot

  • BallotReady lists him as a District 1 candidate in 2018 and 2022 and shows his current term ending Dec. 31, 2026 [38].
  • Filed for reelection; The state list gives May 29, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state lists him as Nonpartisan [6].

What we could not find about Hart

  • No candidate website, questionnaire, forum appearance or news profile was found for 2026.
  • Occupation not confirmed. The district says he joined the board in 2023, while BallotReady lists him as a 2018 and 2022 candidate; whether he served before 2023 was not confirmed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Hart

Todd Nicholson

Nonpartisan

Candidate for one of three District 1 seats; this guide found no public statements from him for this race [6].

Nicholson's background

  • This guide found no published biography for this candidate.

Nicholson on the current officeholder

  • This guide found no statement from this candidate about the current board's decisions.

How Nicholson got on the ballot

  • Filed for District 1; the state candidate list gives June 18, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state lists him as Nonpartisan [6].

What we could not find about Nicholson

  • No candidate website, questionnaire, forum appearance, news profile or campaign finance report was found; occupation and stated positions could not be confirmed.
  • Possible match, not confirmed: the Chronicle-Tribune reported in December 2024 that Marion Community Schools board president Todd Nicholson was ending his term on the board that month [28]; this guide found no source confirming that the 2026 candidate is the same person.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Nicholson

Grant Marion Community School Board, At Large, District 2

2 candidates

Kent Darin Santee

Republican

Candidate for the open at-large seat, listed with the Republican label; this guide found no public statements from him [6].

Santee's background

  • This guide found no published biography for this candidate.

Santee on the current officeholder

  • This guide found no statement from this candidate about the current board's decisions.

How Santee got on the ballot

  • Filed for the at-large seat; the state candidate list gives June 18, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state list shows him with the Republican label [6]. A 2025 state law (Senate Bill 287) lets school board candidates declare a party [39].

What we could not find about Santee

  • No candidate website, questionnaire, forum appearance, news profile or campaign finance report was found; occupation and stated positions could not be confirmed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Santee

Mario Speed

Nonpartisan

Candidate for the open at-large seat; this guide found no public statements from him [6].

Speed's background

  • This guide found no published biography for this candidate.

Speed on the current officeholder

  • This guide found no statement from this candidate about the current board's decisions.

How Speed got on the ballot

  • Filed for the at-large seat; the state candidate list gives June 16, 2026 as his filing date [6]. The state lists him as Nonpartisan [6].

What we could not find about Speed

  • No candidate website, questionnaire, forum appearance, news profile or campaign finance report was found; occupation and stated positions could not be confirmed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Speed

Key points

  • Budget and the 2025 property-tax law (July 2026): on July 14, 2026, the board unanimously approved moving $97,460.15 from the Debt Service Fund to the Operations Fund to account for the supplemental homestead credit. (Marion Community Schools)
  • 2027 budget (August-October 2026): on Aug. 11, 2026, the board moved its budget dates after the former chief financial officer left, and it approved a contract with Comprehensive Systems of Support for Schools to handle chief financial officer duties. (Marion Community Schools)
  • The 'Grant Marion Community School Board' races on the state list are for Marion Community Schools in Marion, Grant County. Federal data reported through PlainSchools show 3,668 students in 2024-25 and seven schools. (PlainSchools)

Sources

Researched Saturday, October 10, 2026

  1. Indiana Code 20-26-5-4: Specific powers of governing body (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  2. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (School Board Offices) (Indiana Election Division)
  3. 800 school board seats are up for election in Indiana (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI)
  4. Why there are no education elections on your primary ballot (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  5. Indiana Code 20-26-4-7: Compensation of governing body members (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  6. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  7. Indiana Code 20-26-5-4.5: Selection and discharge of employees (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  8. School Tax Levy Referendum (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
  9. Indiana Code 20-29-6-4: Subjects of collective bargaining (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  10. Obscene, or just objectionable? Here's how Indiana schools are tackling library book complaints (Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism / Indiana Capital Chronicle)
  11. Indiana Code 20-33-8-19: Expulsion appeals (FindLaw (Indiana Code))
  12. Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-1: Open Door Law policy (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. What We Do (Indiana Public Access Counselor)
  14. Indiana Code 20-31-3-1: State academic standards (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  15. Indiana K-12 State Tuition Support Annual Report FY2023 (Indiana Department of Education)
  16. Indiana lawmakers expand voucher eligibility, increase school funding in budget (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  17. Indiana school board candidates split 50-50 on affiliating with a party (WNDU)
  18. 5 takeaways from Chalkbeat's panel on Indiana's changes to school board elections and referendums (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  19. Confusion on partisan school board law puts two IPS candidates' spots at risk (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  20. 2026 Indiana Election Legislation Summary (Indiana Election Division)
  21. Indiana school referendum elections: Districts seek funding for teacher pay, class size, buses (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  22. Indiana school district referendum guide 2026: What to know about your district's requested tax increase (WFYI and Chalkbeat Indiana (via WVXU))
  23. Indiana charter schools could now have an easier path to acquiring district buildings (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  24. Marion Community Schools (NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25) (PlainSchools)
  25. Meeting Minutes and Recordings (Marion Community Schools)
  26. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees, July 14, 2026 (Marion Community Schools)
  27. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees, July 28, 2026 (Marion Community Schools)
  28. President Nicholson leads final school board meeting (Chronicle-Tribune)
  29. About the Board (Marion Community Schools)
  30. Board Members (Marion Community Schools)
  31. Marion School Board fills vacant seats (Chronicle-Tribune)
  32. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees, August 11, 2026 (Marion Community Schools)
  33. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees, August 25, 2026 (Marion Community Schools)
  34. Referendum Information (November 2026 referendum documents) (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
  35. Referendum question is on the ballot. Now what? (Chronicle-Tribune)
  36. Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of School Trustees, September 8, 2026 (Marion Community Schools)
  37. Alan Matthew Beck (BallotReady)
  38. Richard "Dick" Hart (BallotReady)
  39. School board elections yield multiple contested races (Chronicle-Tribune)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.