South Gibson 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 South Gibson School Corporation

• The district: South Gibson School Corporation, based in Fort Branch in southern Gibson County, runs three K–8 community schools and one high school; the Clarion's coverage names them as Haubstadt, Fort Branch and Owensville community schools and Gibson Southern High School ^{[24, 25]}. Superintendent Bryan Perry told the board in August 2026 that about 2,150 students had started the year, including 430 from outside the district ^[25]. His message on the district site says the corporation is a state-recognized Performance Qualified School District ^[24].
• The board has seven members: Steve Gruszewski (president), Stacy McClellan (vice president), Benson Davenport, Rachael Johnson Hileman, Robin Angermeier, Michael Bengert and Eric Harper ^[26]. Seats are elected by district on staggered ballots. Districts 1–4 were on the ballot in 2018 and 2022, and Districts 1–3 in 2020 and 2024, so Districts 1–3 each have two members and District 4 is at large ^{[27, 28, 29, 30]}. The Clarion lists District 1 as Johnson Township, District 2 as Union Township, District 3 as Montgomery/Wabash Township and District 4 as at large ^[31].
• Seats on the 2026 ballot: the four seats won in 2022 are up this year: District 1 (Mike Bengert), District 2 (Rachael Johnson Hileman, who beat Mark A. Fehrenbacher 2,221 to 1,264 in this guide's sum of precinct totals), District 3 (Stacy McClellan, unopposed) and District 4 at large (Steve Gruszewski, unopposed) ^{[29, 32, 31]}. Each race elects one member ^{[29, 6]}. No candidate filed for District 1, so it is not on the state list ^{[33, 6]}. In District 2, Joseph (Joe) P. Gilpatrick is the only candidate, and Hileman is not on the ballot ^{[33, 6]}. McClellan faces AJ Evans in District 3, and Gruszewski is unopposed in District 4 ^{[34, 6]}.
• Budget and SEA 1 (September 2026): the Clarion reported that trustees were preparing for cutbacks tied to SEA 1 and for declining enrollment. Perry planned to meet Baker Tilly about enrollment projections, and the board delayed a scheduled new-bus purchase by a year ^[35]. Assistant Superintendent Tim Armstrong said costs are still rising, including employee health insurance that could go up as much as 26 percent. He called next year a 'wait-and-see' year as the state settles school funding and property-tax changes ^[35]. The board added $50,000 to its rainy-day fund, which had $100,000 against an insurer-recommended $500,000. The budget hearing is Oct. 13, with a further meeting Oct. 27 ^[35]. In April the board moved $600,000 from the education fund to the operations fund to cover January–March expenses ^[36].
• Facilities: the board approved designing and bidding an HVAC fix for Owensville Community School that may cost around $2 million (September 2026) ^[35]. A 21,600-square-foot multi-purpose practice building at Gibson Southern, designed by Three i Design with C.H. Garmong as construction manager, is funded by a 2025 general obligation bond, after a public hearing June 17, 2025 ^[37]. The board also budgeted $50,000 for a facilities truck in July 2026 ^[38].
• Enrollment and school choice: Perry said in August 2026 that enrollment is holding steady while nearby districts decline. Most classrooms at three schools were closed to further transfers, and 200 kindergartners had already enrolled for fall 2027 ^[25]. In September the board turned to planning for declining enrollment linked to birth rates ^[35]. Middle-school girls' basketball was consolidated into one South Gibson team in February 2026 after youth participation fell ^[39].
• Academics and accountability: Perry reported high eighth-grade ILEARN scores and state recognition of all three elementary schools for IREAD results (April 2026). He reported a 97.7 percent IREAD pass rate in August, and cautioned that this year's new ILEARN scores will not be comparable to last year's ^{[36, 25]}. To meet new diploma and accountability rules, the board approved $31,232 for three years of middle-school computer science curriculum (June 2026) and summer Edmentum courses for students with full schedules (February 2026) ^{[40, 39]}.
• Safety and student policies: in March 2026 the board approved buying a school resource officer truck for up to $48,000, toward a goal of one SRO vehicle per school ^[41]. A state-required cell-phone ban now keeps phones and connected devices put away for the whole school day, and the district adopted an AI policy (June–July 2026) ^{[40, 38]}.
• Toyota TIF: former Gibson County Redevelopment Commission member Larry Michel repeatedly asked the board in spring 2026 to oppose a proposed new tax increment financing district around Toyota Motor Manufacturing, saying it would raise taxes in Union Township ^{[42, 43]}. The commission said in June that it was seeking more options and would take more public comment ^[44]. This guide found no board vote or position on the TIF.
• Forums: this guide found no candidate forum, questionnaire or published candidate interviews for the 2026 South Gibson races. The only contest is District 3 (McClellan vs. Evans) ^[34].

District 2

Unopposed

District 3

2 candidates

District 4, At Large

Unopposed

Key points

• The district: South Gibson School Corporation, based in Fort Branch in southern Gibson County, runs three K–8 community schools and one high school; the Clarion's coverage names them as Haubstadt, Fort Branch and Owensville community schools and Gibson Southern High School. (South Gibson School Corporation)
• Budget and SEA 1 (September 2026): the Clarion reported that trustees were preparing for cutbacks tied to SEA 1 and for declining enrollment. (Princeton Daily Clarion)
• Facilities: the board approved designing and bidding an HVAC fix for Owensville Community School that may cost around $2 million (September 2026). A 21,600-square-foot multi-purpose practice building at Gibson Southern, designed by Three i Design with C.H. (Princeton Daily Clarion)

Sources