Hendricks Mill Creek 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.

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 Mill Creek Community Sch Corp

• Mill Creek Community School Corporation serves Clay, Franklin and Liberty townships in southwestern Hendricks County, including Amo, Clayton, Coatesville, Stilesville and a small part of Plainfield; it runs Cascade High School, Cascade Middle School, and Mill Creek East and Mill Creek West elementary schools ^[24].
• Enrollment: administrators reported 1,591 students in January 2026, about 10 below the October 2025 count ^[25]; in June 2026 they cited a final October count of 1,583 and said grades 3–5 were nearing recommended class-size caps ^[26]. The board approves non-resident transfer students at its meetings, including eight in January and seven late requests in July 2026 ^{[25, 27]}.
• Superintendent: Brian Tomamichel; Kale Blickenstaff is assistant superintendent ^{[25, 28]}.
• The board has five members: Nic Allen (president), Pat Flanigan (vice president), Tom Whitaker (secretary), Missy Branscum and Tim Warran ^{[29, 25]}. Seats include at-large and township seats; the county ballot lists one At-Large seat and one Liberty Township seat, each vote for 1 ^[30]. GoodParty.org lists Branscum in an at-large seat with a term running 2025 to 2028 ^[31].
• Seats on the 2026 ballot: At Large (N Nathan Peters, unopposed, no party label) and Liberty Township (Dawn Renee Cooper and Lora Denney, both listed with an R) ^{[30, 6]}. None of the five current board members is on the ballot ^{[30, 29]}, so both seats will go to new members. The sources reviewed did not identify which current members hold the two seats being filled.
• Budget and SEA 1: in April 2026 administrators projected revenue reductions of about $3.3 million from state funding changes and a 12.5% decline in assessed valuation, said federal funding had dropped and COVID relief funds were exhausted, and said the district would respond through staffing reductions by attrition, program restructuring and cost-efficiency measures, using reserves for "a measured approach" ^[32]. In July 2026 the board voted 3-0 to shift part of its Supplemental Homestead Credit revenue to the Debt Service Fund to "lessen the impact of SEA 1 on the Operations Fund" ^[27]. In February 2026 the board approved a one-time early retirement incentive ^[33].
• Facilities: the board approved a $4,795,000 general obligation bond appropriation in March 2026 ^[34] and is carrying out HVAC, roof and secure-entry work at Cascade High School. In June 2026 it accepted Phase 3 bids of just over $1 million; auditorium HVAC work was cut from that phase and deferred ^[26].
• Academics: in January 2026 administrators reported that Cascade High School, Mill Creek East and Mill Creek West were rated Meets Expectations on federal report cards and Cascade Middle School was rated Approaching Expectations ^[25]. In April 2026 they reported an average SAT score of 995 and a district IREAD average of 67%, compared with a state average of 49% as stated in the minutes ^[32].
• Teachers: a tentative 2026–27 master contract with the Mill Creek Community Classroom Teachers Association was posted among the board's public notices, dated for approval on Oct. 21, 2026 ^[35].
• Forums: no candidate forum or questionnaire for this race was found in the sources reviewed. The Hendricks County election office posted a biography for Lora Denney only ^[36].

At Large

Unopposed

Liberty Township

2 candidates

Key points

• Enrollment: administrators reported 1,591 students in January 2026, about 10 below the October 2025 count; in June 2026 they cited a final October count of 1,583 and said grades 3–5 were nearing recommended class-size caps. (Mill Creek Community School Corporation)
• Facilities: the board approved a $4,795,000 general obligation bond appropriation in March 2026 and is carrying out HVAC, roof and secure-entry work at Cascade High School. (Mill Creek Community School Corporation)
• Superintendent: Brian Tomamichel; Kale Blickenstaff is assistant superintendent. (Mill Creek Community School Corporation)

Sources