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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Marion Pike School Board

3 seats on the MSD Pike 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 Pike Township

  • The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township serves northwest Marion County and enrolls about 10,640 students; about 60% are Black, 27% are Hispanic and 47% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch [24]. The superintendent is Larry Young, chosen in June 2022 after the departure of Superintendent Flora Reichanadter [25].
  • The board has seven members, all elected at large to represent the whole district [26]. The district's board page lists Terry Webster Sr. (president), Alonzo Anderson (vice president) and Wayne Moore with terms ending Dec. 31, 2026, and Angela Barnes, Steve Hoofer, Nichole Kelley and Toni Wilson with terms ending Dec. 31, 2028 [27].
  • Three at-large seats are on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, and all district voters may vote for up to three of the four candidates; winners serve four-year terms through December 2030 [24]. The state candidate list also shows three seats [6].
  • Incumbents Webster, Anderson and Moore are all seeking new terms; Sherie Latoya Scott is the only challenger [24]. All four filed as Democrats, the first year Indiana school board candidates could declare a party [24].
  • Referendum and charter sharing: in May 2024 voters approved an eight-year operating levy of about $14.5 million a year, with 59% of the vote, mostly to raise teacher pay and add academic support [26]. Pike is one of the first districts in the state to share referendum revenue with charter schools that enroll students living in the district [24].
  • Co-athletic director hiring (2026): after the board rejected an administration proposal on March 26 to replace the co-director structure with an assistant athletic director, a recommended co-director candidate withdrew citing online backlash, and parents at a July 8 town hall said the process lacked transparency [28]. In written answers, the board said the administration had given it inaccurate information about a candidate and that it acted under its legal authority to hire; it said it is preparing policies for board involvement in hiring directors and cabinet-level positions [29].
  • District climate letter (Sept. 9, 2026): the board published a letter saying a confidential survey it commissioned found 93% of respondents described the prevailing leadership style as "autocratic/dictatorial/authoritarian" and 50% did not feel valued and respected [30]. WFYI noted the letter does not identify the leaders or say how many people were surveyed; Superintendent Young had not publicly responded, and at the Sept. 10 meeting Webster said Young remains the active superintendent [25, 31]. Some residents at that meeting called the letter misleading and asked for survey details [31].
  • No candidate forum for this race was found in reviewed coverage. In the Chalkbeat/WFYI survey, the three incumbents differed in emphasis: Anderson on fiscal oversight, career pathways and earlier public communication; Moore on reviewing the hiring process and reporting proficiency rates; Webster on school safety and yearly measurable goals in math and reading [24]. Scott did not respond to the survey [24].

Marion Pike Township School Board, At Large

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

Alonzo Anderson

Democratic

Incumbent and board vice president; a firefighter and former banker whose term ends Dec. 31, 2026 [24, 27].

Anderson's background

  • Firefighter with the Monroe Township Fire Department, according to the district's board page [27].
  • Spent 15 years as a financial banker and studied at Vincennes University [24].
  • His daughter graduated from Pike High School in 2026 [24].

Anderson's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Lists maintaining fiscal responsibility as a top priority, including "responsible budgeting, financial oversight, and long-term fiscal sustainability" [24].
  • Says changes in state education and fiscal law should be implemented "without compromising Pike's high-quality educational experience" [24].

Academics

  • Supports expanding pathways in skilled trades, technical careers, teaching and entrepreneurship, saying college is "not the only pathway" [24].
  • Wants the district to explore strengthening financial literacy instruction [24].

Transparency & community input

  • Proposes town hall meetings, legislative-session podcasts on the district website and other updates so residents understand how state changes affect the schools [24].
  • Says "Transparency should not come after a decision is made — it should be part of the process from the beginning" [24].

How Anderson would run the office

  • Expand community engagement through more opportunities for families, staff and students to give feedback on district decisions [24].

Anderson on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member.
  • On the co-athletic director hiring, said he understood community frustration, that human-resources confidentiality rules limited what the board could share, and that the experience was an opportunity to develop "a more streamlined and equitable hiring process" [24].
  • Says the district has "a strong public history of responsible financial stewardship" [24].

How Anderson got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as a Democrat [6].
  • Filed as a Democrat and is seeking another term [24].

What we could not find about Anderson

  • No campaign website or social media page reviewed.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • Signed on to the board's Sept. 9 letter as a board member; no individual comment from him on it was found.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources; he told Chalkbeat/WFYI his social media campaign would begin in September [24].

Sources for Anderson

Wayne L. Moore

Democratic

Incumbent board member whose term ends Dec. 31, 2026 [24, 27].

Moore's background

  • Pastor at Olivet Baptist Church [24].
  • Current board member, age 64 [24].
  • Holds bachelor's and master's degrees, according to Chalkbeat/WFYI [24].

Moore's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Names fiscal responsibility as the most pressing issue [24].
  • Would hold the superintendent and staff accountable for finances and communicate them to voters "as often as possible" [24].

Academics

  • Wants a focus on English, math and reading and wants the community to have "a greater understanding of the proficiency of our students, not just graduation rates" [24].

Teachers & staff

  • Lists continued support for teachers, staff and support systems among his priorities [24].

Transparency & community input

  • Says the hiring process "needs to be reevaluated" and that he would make human resources more transparent about how hiring works [24].

How Moore would run the office

  • Make the human-resources hiring process more transparent to the community [24].

Moore on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member.
  • Says many community members are not familiar with Pike's hiring process and that the community is not aware human resources does not control it, which he called problematic [24].

How Moore got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as a Democrat [6].
  • Filed as a Democrat and is seeking another term; news coverage lists him as Wayne Moore [24].

What we could not find about Moore

  • Chalkbeat/WFYI reference a Facebook page; it was not reviewed.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Sources for Moore

Sherie Latoya Scott

Democratic

Challenger; a longtime educator who has worked in Pike Township schools and at the Indiana Charter School Board [24].

Scott's background

  • Longtime educator who held positions in Pike Township and at the Indiana Charter School Board and was a founding principal at Global Prep Academy, according to Chalkbeat/WFYI's summary of her LinkedIn profile [24].

How Scott got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as a Democrat [6].
  • Filed as a Democrat; she is the only non-incumbent in the race [24].

What we could not find about Scott

  • Did not answer the Chalkbeat/WFYI survey; no policy positions found.
  • Chalkbeat/WFYI reference a campaign Facebook page; it was not reviewed.
  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No stated plans found in reviewed sources [24].
  • No statements about the current board's decisions found in reviewed sources; she did not respond to multiple requests to complete the Chalkbeat/WFYI candidate survey [24].
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources [24].

Sources for Scott

Terry A. Webster, Sr.

Democratic

Incumbent and board president; his term ends Dec. 31, 2026 [24, 27].

Webster's background

  • Senior pastor of Nu Corinthian Baptist Church [24].
  • Pike school board president, age 65 [24].

Webster's positions

School safety

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

Academics

  • Says the most pressing issue is raising students with low test scores to college readiness by graduation, and proposes district goals with yearly measurable outcomes [24].
  • Names math and reading as focus areas [24].
  • Lists student retention as a priority [24].

Budget & taxes

  • Says finances should continue to be monitored by the board and administration and that, with state budget cuts, the district must be "prudent and prepared for the unknown" [24].

How Webster would run the office

  • Set district goals that show yearly measurable improvement [24].

Webster on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member and the board's president.
  • At the July 8 town hall he said board members wanted more say in reviewing finalists for the co-athletic director job; he read aloud the withdrawn candidate's letter citing online backlash [28].
  • After the Sept. 10 meeting he directed questions about the climate letter back to the letter and said Superintendent Young remains the active superintendent [31].
  • Asked how the board should handle high-interest hires, he answered: "Continue to explore the best options available or introduce new options" [24].

How Webster got on the ballot

  • Listed on the state candidate list as a Democrat [6].
  • Filed as a Democrat and is seeking another term [24].

What we could not find about Webster

  • No campaign finance filings reviewed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found in reviewed sources; he said he does not have a campaign website [24].

Sources for Webster

Key points

  • The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township serves northwest Marion County and enrolls about 10,640 students; about 60% are Black, 27% are Hispanic and 47% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI / Mirror Indy)
  • The board has seven members, all elected at large to represent the whole district. (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI / Mirror Indy)
  • Three at-large seats are on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, and all district voters may vote for up to three of the four candidates; winners serve four-year terms through December 2030. The state candidate list also shows three seats. (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI / Mirror Indy)

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. Voter guide 2026: 4 candidates are running for 3 seats on Pike Township school board (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI / Mirror Indy)
  25. Pike Township school board says district leadership fostered fear, but won't say who (WFYI)
  26. Pike Township school board election: Who's running and how to vote (Chalkbeat Indiana / WFYI / Mirror Indy)
  27. Board of Education (MSD of Pike Township)
  28. What to know about the Pike Township athletic director dispute and a board member's vandalized mailbox (WFYI)
  29. MSD of Pike Township's School Board responses to questions from the Board's July 8, 2026 Town Hall Meeting (MSD of Pike Township)
  30. Re: A Letter to the MSD of Pike Township Community from the Board of Education (MSD of Pike Township)
  31. 'Are my kids safe?' Parents question Pike Township school board after it alleges a culture of fear (WFYI)
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.