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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Marion Lawrence School Board

2 seats on the MSD Lawrence Township's board are on this year's ballot, with 4 names on them. Which seats appear on your ballot depends on where in the corporation you live.

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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 MSD Lawrence Township

  • The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township serves the northeast side of Marion County and enrolled roughly 16,700 students last year [24]. In 2023-24 about 45% of students were Black, 31% Hispanic and 73% from low-income backgrounds [25]. The superintendent is Shawn Smith [26].
  • The board has five members [24]: three elected from geographic districts (Districts 1, 2 and 3) and two at large, on staggered cycles [25, 27]. District races are voted on districtwide by all township voters [25]. The district's board page currently lists four members: Amy Norman (president), Crystal Puckett (vice president), Jessica Dunn and Marta Lawrence [26].
  • Two seats are on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, each electing one member, matching the state list's "vote for 1": the District 2 seat, covering the northeast corner of the district, and one at-large seat [24, 6]. Winners serve through 2030 [24].
  • At large: incumbent Jessica Dunn, who ran for the at-large seat in 2022 and has served since 2023, is seeking reelection against Maria Bertram Cartagena [24, 27]. District 2: Marta Lawrence ran for this seat in 2022 and is listed as a current board member [27, 26]; she is not on the 2026 ballot, so the seat will have a new member [6].
  • All four candidates are running as nonpartisan [24].
  • Budget and taxes: the board will guide the district through possible fiscal effects of the state's recent property tax reforms, and the district has never asked voters for an operating referendum [24].
  • Facilities: the district is carrying out a large building improvement plan [24]; in 2024 Chalkbeat described it as a $400 million Blue Ribbon Facilities plan nearing completion, including a new administration building at Fort Benjamin Harrison [25]. The district installed metal detectors in its middle and high schools in 2024 [25].
  • Administrator pay: Chalkbeat reports that district pay for administrators has been among the highest of Marion County's 11 districts and has divided the board [24]. In November 2024 the board unanimously approved a 4.5% teacher raise but approved 3.5% administrator raises 3-2, with Dunn and Lawrence voting no; Lawrence cited state salary data showing the district's top earners make more than peers in nearby districts, while then-president Wendy Muston credited administrators for the district's budget management [28].
  • No candidate forum for this race was found in reviewed coverage. In the Chalkbeat survey, at-large candidates differed on administrator pay (Dunn said her view evolved to "you get what you pay for"; Cartagena said the district should show it can fund raises or explain why not), and on priorities (Dunn: avoiding an operating referendum; Cartagena: lobbying legislators on SB 1 and SB 518) [24]. District 2 candidates Brown and Willey both support competitive administrator pay; Brown emphasizes attendance and tying pay to performance, Willey resources under SEA 1 and teacher retention [24].

Marion Lawrence Township School Board, District 2

2 candidates

Larry Brown

Nonpartisan

Open-seat candidate; an implementation coordinator at Elevance Health and parent of district students [24].

Brown's background

  • Implementation coordinator at Elevance Health [24].
  • Holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University [24].
  • Parent of children in the district [24].

Brown's positions

Academics

  • Calls student attendance the district's biggest challenge and supports using attendance data to intervene early [24].
  • Wants to prioritize literacy and closing achievement gaps through early literacy programs and targeted interventions [24].

School safety

  • Lists school safety among his top three priorities [24].

Teachers & staff

  • Says Lawrence administrator salaries are "generally comparable" to similar districts and that compensation should be tied to performance and district goals [24].
  • Supports teacher training and tools [24].

Transparency & community input

  • Supports clearly communicating how compensation decisions are made and how administrators are evaluated [24].
  • Plans to attend school events, PTO and neighborhood association meetings to hear from residents [24].

How Brown would run the office

  • Partner with community organizations to help families overcome attendance barriers such as transportation and health [24].

How Brown got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as nonpartisan [6].
  • Running for the open District 2 seat [24].

What we could not find about Brown

  • No age, campaign website or social media page found.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • Common name; no other coverage could be tied to this candidate.
  • No direct statements about the current board's decisions found in reviewed sources [24].
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Sources for Brown

Craig J Willey

Nonpartisan

Open-seat candidate; an associate dean and professor at the IU Indianapolis School of Education [24].

Willey's background

  • Associate dean and professor at the Indiana University Indianapolis School of Education [24].
  • Holds bachelor's degrees in Spanish and actuarial science from Butler University and a doctorate in curriculum studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago [24].
  • Parent of children attending district schools [24].

Willey's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Says the most pressing issue is adequate resources for programs and educators, and he would monitor SEA 1's effect on the budget and "explore solutions to any shortcomings" [24].

Academics

  • Expects the district to keep leading on reading and foundational math, STEM and career and technical education [24].

Special education

  • Supports continued focused services for multilingual learners and exceptional learners [24].

Teachers & staff

  • Lists attracting and retaining educators and leaders as a priority [24].
  • Says the district can "pay administrators competitively and provide teachers what they need and deserve" [24].

How Willey would run the office

  • Advocate for Lawrence schools on state education policy [24].
  • Invite community input on issues facing the district [24].

How Willey got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as nonpartisan [6].
  • Running for the open District 2 seat [24].

What we could not find about Willey

  • No campaign website found.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No coverage beyond the Chalkbeat survey was found.
  • No direct statements about the current board's decisions found; he said Lawrence should "continue" its work on welcoming schools and educator retention [24].
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Sources for Willey

Marion Lawrence Township School Board, At Large

2 candidates

Maria Bertram Cartagena

Nonpartisan

Challenger; an engineer turned business owner who serves on the Lawrence Township School Foundation board [24].

Cartagena's background

  • Holds an MBA, has worked as an engineer and owns a local advising and capital investing business [24].
  • Her campaign site says she managed clinical development programs as an engineer at Eli Lilly and worked as a consultant for Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana [31].
  • Board member of the Lawrence Township School Foundation [24].
  • Parent of children attending district schools [24].

Cartagena's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Names the revenue effects of SB 1 and SB 518 property tax relief as the most pressing issue and says she would work with legislators "on both sides of the aisle" on district concerns [24].
  • Says she "will insist on fiscally prudent budgets" that direct resources to classroom learning and student services [24, 31].

Academics

  • Wants additional focus on English learners, noting 32% of students are Hispanic, while saying the district already does "a great job" with tutoring and support [24].
  • Supports diverse academic pathways [24].

Teachers & staff

  • On administrator pay, says she would work with the board to show the community the district can fund administrators' raises, and that if it cannot, "we need to provide reasons for not passing raises" [24].

Transparency & community input

  • Proposes parent advocacy groups, including a Spanish-language forum, and visits to neighborhoods where many Hispanic families live [24].

How Cartagena would run the office

  • Create one or more parent advocacy groups and bring community feedback to the superintendent and board [24].

How Cartagena got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as nonpartisan [6].
  • First run for the board found in reviewed sources [24].

What we could not find about Cartagena

  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No coverage beyond the Chalkbeat survey and her campaign site was found.
  • No direct statements about the current board's decisions found; she said she would "work side by side with the other board members" [24].
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Cartagena's campaign website

Sources for Cartagena

Jessica Dunn

Nonpartisan

Incumbent at-large board member since 2023 and an Indianapolis Public Schools administrator [24].

Dunn's background

  • Director of English as a new language for Indianapolis Public Schools [24]; her campaign site says she has spent 33 years in education [29].
  • Holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana University and a master's degree from Butler University [24].
  • Parent of children attending district schools [24].

Dunn's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Calls long-term financial stability amid reduced state funding the most pressing issue and says she would "maximize every state dollar before ever considering turning to our local taxpayers" [24].
  • Says the district has balanced its budget without an operating referendum [24].

Academics

  • Wants a focus on early literacy and 9th-grade pathway completion, with early, data-driven interventions and broader career pathways [24].
  • Supports setting transparent, measurable goals with the superintendent [24].

Teachers & staff

  • Prioritizes recruiting and retaining teachers [24].
  • On administrator pay, says she first questioned it but now believes "you get what you pay for," while calling for "radical transparency" with taxpayers [24].

School safety

  • Supports safe facilities, measuring the impact of mental health services and using annual staff and parent surveys on school climate [24, 30].

How Dunn would run the office

  • Maintain before- and after-school programming and expand community partnerships [24].
  • Monitor new student mental health providers for effectiveness [30].

Dunn on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member.
  • Credits the district with "a phenomenal job of balancing the operational budget" without an operating referendum [24].
  • Voted against the 3.5% administrator raises in November 2024; Chalkbeat reported she said her vote stemmed from concerns about district finances [28].

How Dunn got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as nonpartisan [6].
  • Ran for the at-large seat in 2022 and has served on the board since 2023 [27, 24].

Dunn's endorsements and funding

  • In 2024 she and Marta Lawrence endorsed Eric Young against incumbent Crystal Puckett [28].

What we could not find about Dunn

  • Her 2025 district board biography lists her IPS job as executive director of enrichment programs; 2026 sources list director of English as a new language.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No 2026 endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Dunn's campaign website

Sources for Dunn

Key points

  • Budget and taxes: the board will guide the district through possible fiscal effects of the state's recent property tax reforms, and the district has never asked voters for an operating referendum. (Chalkbeat Indiana / Mirror Indy / WFYI)
  • Facilities: the district is carrying out a large building improvement plan; in 2024 Chalkbeat described it as a $400 million Blue Ribbon Facilities plan nearing completion, including a new administration building at Fort Benjamin Harrison. (Chalkbeat Indiana / Mirror Indy / WFYI)
  • The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township serves the northeast side of Marion County and enrolled roughly 16,700 students last year. In 2023-24 about 45% of students were Black, 31% Hispanic and 73% from low-income backgrounds. (Chalkbeat Indiana / Mirror Indy / WFYI)

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. Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township: School board election voter guide (Chalkbeat Indiana / Mirror Indy / WFYI)
  25. Challenger looks to unseat incumbent in Lawrence Township school board election (Chalkbeat Indiana / Mirror Indy / WFYI)
  26. Board (MSD of Lawrence Township)
  27. Eight candidates compete for two spots on Lawrence Township school board (WFYI / Chalkbeat Indiana)
  28. Lawrence Township board passes 4.5% raise for teachers, 3.5% raise for administrators (Chalkbeat Indiana)
  29. Meet Jessica (Friends of Jessica Dunn for MSDLT School Board at Large)
  30. Priorities (Friends of Jessica Dunn for MSDLT School Board at Large)
  31. Maria Bertram Cartagena (campaign site) (Maria Bertram Cartagena campaign)
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.