Miami Peru 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 Peru Community Schools

• The 'Miami Peru School Board' race is for the board of Peru Community Schools (Peru Community School Corporation), the public school district for Peru in Miami County ^{[24, 25]}. It runs Elmwood (K–2) and Blair Pointe Upper Elementary, Peru Junior-Senior High School and Keys Academy, an alternative school ^[25]. Wikipedia lists enrollment at about 2,323 students, based on older data ^[25]. Trent McCormick was approved as superintendent in August 2024, after Superintendent Jaime Cole resigned in June 2024 ^{[24, 26]}.
• Board: seven board members voted on the July 2025 Roxy Theater purchase, which passed 5–2 ^[27]. After the 2024 election, Meg Guthrie-Pennington, Matthew Fuller and former member Jarrod Ellis joined the board ^[28].
• Seats on the 2026 ballot: three seats are to be elected in the 'Peru 2-3-5-6-7-9 and Washington 1' race, according to the state's Who's on My Ballot lookup ^[29], and five candidates are running ^[6]. In 2022, three seats were filled together: the Kokomo Tribune reported 'three spots' on the board, then held by Jarrod Ellis, Brittany Justice and Charles Wagner, all running for reelection ^[30]; challengers David Hoover and Tommie Beattie also ran ^[31]. Hoover and Beattie finished first and second and Justice third ^[31]. Those three four-year terms end this year, and Justice, Hoover and Beattie are all on the 2026 ballot ^[6].
• Who holds the seats now: Brittany Justice (reelected in 2022), David Hoover and Tommie Beattie (both first elected in 2022) ^[31]. All three are running, listed as Republican; challengers are Brian A. Arwood (nonpartisan) and George Morris (Republican) ^[6].
• Party labels: the state candidate list shows Justice, Hoover, Beattie and Morris with the Republican label and Arwood as nonpartisan ^[6].
• Facilities and the $23.5 million plan (July 2025): the board voted 5–2 to buy the Roxy Theater and turn it into administration, maintenance and transportation offices with space for the bus fleet, as part of a $23.5 million district-wide improvement project; buying and renovating the Roxy was estimated at about $5.7 million, and the district said the projects would not raise taxes ^{[27, 32]}. Some community members opposed the Roxy purchase ^[32]. How the rest of the $23.5 million would be divided among the school buildings could not be confirmed from freely available sources. The district said it was buying the property under its appraised value and that it planned to sell several aging buildings ^[33].
• Ivy Tech lease (February 2026): the board voted unanimously to lease classroom and lab space in a former junior high building on the junior-senior high campus to Ivy Tech Community College ^[34].
• Budget pressure and Heartland Career Center (September 2026): on Sept. 21, 2026 the board voted to take an exploratory step toward leaving the Heartland Career Center cooperative, a process that could run through June 2028 ^[35]. The Peru Tribune reported the board cited a $2.5 million budget deficit and declining enrollment, and framed the move as a financial necessity that would also avoid a tax referendum ^[35].
• Forums: no 2026 candidate forum or newspaper questionnaire for this race was found.

Peru 2-3-5-6-7-9 and Washington 1

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

Key points

• Board: seven board members voted on the July 2025 Roxy Theater purchase, which passed 5–2. After the 2024 election, Meg Guthrie-Pennington, Matthew Fuller and former member Jarrod Ellis joined the board. (Your News Local)
• Budget pressure and Heartland Career Center (September 2026): on Sept. 21, 2026 the board voted to take an exploratory step toward leaving the Heartland Career Center cooperative, a process that could run through June 2028. (Peru Tribune)
• The 'Miami Peru School Board' race is for the board of Peru Community Schools (Peru Community School Corporation), the public school district for Peru in Miami County. (Peru Community Schools)

Sources