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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

UC/CC Joint School Board

4 seats on the Union Co/Clg Corner Joint Sch Dist's board are on this year's ballot, with 5 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 Union Co/Clg Corner Joint Sch Dist

  • The Union County-College Corner Joint School District serves Union County, Indiana, and the College Corner area, including West College Corner in Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, and College Corner in Preble and Butler counties, Ohio [24]. A federal magistrate created the joint district in 1995. A nine-person board with Indiana and Ohio members governs it under Indiana law, and the district calls itself the last joint Ohio-Indiana school district [24]. Its schools are College Corner Union Elementary (CCUS), Liberty Elementary (LES), Union County Middle School (UCMS) and Union County High School (UCHS) [25]. In April 2026 the board minutes listed enrollment of 1,204: LES 332, CCUS 254, UCMS 286 and UCHS 332 [25]. In August 2026 the building counts were UCHS 344, UCMS 305, LES 342 and CCUS 231 [26].
  • Superintendent: on Nov. 3, 2025 the board voted 5-0 to hire Steven Jones [27]. Jones had been director of operations at Richmond Community Schools [28]. The district's board web page also lists a 'William Derringer' as superintendent and 'Lynn Ferguson' as treasurer, placed under the Ohio board members [29]. Minutes from November 2025 through September 2026 name Steve Jones as superintendent [30, 31].
  • Board and elections: Union County results show one Indiana seat for each of seven townships. Bath, Brownsville, Liberty and Union were elected in 2022 [32], and Center, Harmony and Harrison in 2024 [33]. The county reports countywide vote totals for each township race [32, 33]. Ohio members Susan Kirkpatrick and John Seibert also sit with the board and give 'College Corner Board Updates' [29, 34]. Officers for 2026 are Matt Snyder (president), Jerry Ashbrook (vice president) and Drew Ewing (secretary). Board pay is $2,000 a year plus $25 for each extra regular meeting [35].
  • Seats on the 2026 ballot are the four township seats elected in 2022, one member each [6, 32]. Bath Township: incumbent Darrell Harvey is running unopposed. Brownsville Township: Dave Hofmann, who held the seat for 31 years, resigned in January 2026 [35]. Betsy Rudnick, who has sat on the board since at least March 2026, faces Andrew Jackson Arnold Strait [36, 6]. Liberty Township: incumbent Jerry Ashbrook is running unopposed. Union Township: incumbent Jessica Jones is running unopposed [6, 32]. The state list's 'vote for 1' matches the one seat per township shown in county results [32].
  • Budget and SEA 1 (2026): on May 11 the superintendent showed the board 'the senate bill 1 cuts coming in the next 3 years' [37]. At the Sept. 14 hearing on the 2027 budget, the treasurer said the goal was to move less money from the Education Fund to the Operations Fund. Ashbrook asked about the Education Fund and about $500,000 being moved from the Rainy Day Fund [31]. The Oct. 12 agenda includes adopting the budget, tax rates, a 2027 bus replacement plan and capital projects plan, and a public hearing to open teacher bargaining [38]. This guide found no school referendum for the district on the 2026 ballot.
  • Central office and governance (2026): the board accepted Dave Hofmann's resignation on Jan. 12 [35]. On March 9 it gave Sarah Adams the district treasurer's duties, and the superintendent thanked staff for their patience 'as Central Office is reorganizing' [34]. On May 11 the board voted 8-0 to appoint Georgetta Hartman corporation treasurer and to send a Cintas agreement to legal counsel 'due to lack of board authorization in contravention of Indiana law' [37]. On June 1 it approved a 'resolution for the governance and compliance correction' 5-1 [39]. On June 17 it passed a resolution 'resolving the ambiguity of the June 2025 minutes' 6-0 [40].
  • Food service (2026): on April 13 food service staff told the board of concerns with the contractor Chartwells, and the board voted 7-1 to seek bids for outsourced food service [25]. On July 13 it approved Chartwells for 2026-27, 6-0 [41]. In August the superintendent said Chartwells 'was a great choice' [26].
  • Staff and safety: the board held a ratification vote on the 2025-26 teachers' contract on Nov. 24, 2025 [42]. In 2026 it approved overtime costs for a K-9 officer (Feb. 9) [30], added a second school resource officer (March 9) [34] and named two corporation safety specialists (Sept. 14) [31]. In August the superintendent said the cell phone ban 'is going great' [26].
  • Public comment: on July 13, 2026 the board voted 6-0 to require 24 hours' notice to speak during public participation [41].
  • Forums: this guide found no candidate forums, questionnaires or news coverage of these races. Only Brownsville Township is contested.

Bath Township (Union, Franklin)

Unopposed

Darrell K Harvey

Nonpartisan

Incumbent. Harvey has held the Bath Township seat since winning it unopposed in 2022, and he is unopposed again in 2026 [32, 6].

Harvey's background

  • Harvey won the Bath Township seat unopposed in 2022 with 1,565 votes [32]. Nobody filed for the Bath seat in 2018 [43].
  • For 2026 he is assigned to the board's Building and Grounds and Debt Bond committees [35].

Harvey on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member. In 2026 he made the motion to seek bids for outsourced food service, which passed 7-1 on April 13 [25]. On June 1 he thanked UCHS principal Randy Judd for his time at the district [39].

How Harvey got on the ballot

  • He is on the state's 2026 candidate list for UC/CC Joint School Board, Bath Township (Union, Franklin), with no party affiliation, and has no opponent [6].

What we could not find about Harvey

  • No campaign website, questionnaire answers or news coverage found.
  • Occupation and stated policy positions not found.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Harvey

Brownsville Township (Union)

2 candidates

Betsy A Rudnick

Nonpartisan

Rudnick has held the Brownsville Township seat since early 2026, filling the vacancy left by Dave Hofmann, and is running for a full term [35, 36, 6].

Rudnick's background

  • Hofmann resigned the Brownsville Township seat on Jan. 12, 2026, and the board took applications until Jan. 30 [35]. Rudnick was attending as a board member by a March 5, 2026 executive session and the March 9 regular meeting [36, 34]. This guide did not find the minutes of her appointment.

Rudnick's positions

Transparency & community input

  • She made the May 11, 2026 motion to send a Cintas agreement to legal counsel 'due to lack of board authorization in contravention of Indiana law,' which passed 8-0 [37]. She seconded the June 1 governance and compliance resolution (5-1) [39] and the July 13 rule requiring 24 hours' notice for public comment (6-0) [41].

Rudnick on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member (appointed). In August 2026 she said she had received feedback that 'the whole aura has changed, making it fun again' [26]. On July 13 she moved to approve a Central Office addendum, which passed 6-0 [41].

How Rudnick got on the ballot

  • She is on the state's 2026 candidate list for UC/CC Joint School Board, Brownsville Township (Union), with no party affiliation [6].

What we could not find about Rudnick

  • No campaign website, questionnaire answers or news coverage found.
  • Occupation and how she was appointed not confirmed.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Rudnick

Andrew Jackson Arnold Strait

Republican

Strait is running for the open Brownsville Township seat, listed as a Republican, against appointed member Betsy A Rudnick [6].

How Strait got on the ballot

  • He is on the state's 2026 candidate list for UC/CC Joint School Board, Brownsville Township (Union), with the Republican label [6]. School board races have no primary, so the label is one the candidate chose when filing [2].

What we could not find about Strait

  • No campaign website, social media, questionnaire answers or news coverage found.
  • Occupation, ties to the schools and stated policy positions not found.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Strait

Liberty Township (Union)

Unopposed

Jerry L Ashbrook, Jr

Nonpartisan

Incumbent and board vice president. Ashbrook won the Liberty Township seat in 2022 and is unopposed in 2026 [32, 35, 6].

Ashbrook's background

  • Ashbrook won the Liberty Township seat in 2022 with 1,037 votes to Grace Atkins' 830 [32]. He was elected board vice president in January 2026 [35].
  • In 2026 he serves on the Budget, Indiana-Ohio Agreement, Curriculum and Technology, and Special Services committees [35].

Ashbrook's positions

Budget & taxes

  • On May 11, 2026 he 'spoke on ways to save the district money and the outsourcing of the food service department' [37]. At the Sept. 14 budget hearing he asked about the Education Fund and where $500,000 from the Rainy Day Fund was going [31].

Transparency & community input

  • He moved the June 1 governance and compliance resolution (5-1) [39], the June 17 resolution on the June 2025 minutes (6-0) [40] and the July 13 rule requiring 24 hours' notice for public comment (6-0) [41].

Ashbrook on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member. On July 13, 2026 he made the motion to approve Chartwells as the 2026-27 food service company, which passed 6-0 [41].

How Ashbrook got on the ballot

  • He is on the state's 2026 candidate list for UC/CC Joint School Board, Liberty Township (Union), with no party affiliation, and has no opponent [6].

What we could not find about Ashbrook

  • No campaign website, questionnaire answers or news coverage found.
  • Occupation not found.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Ashbrook

Union Township (Union)

Unopposed

Jessica J Jones

Republican

Incumbent. Jones has held the Union Township seat since 2018 (minutes also call her Jessica Ewing-Jones), and she is unopposed in 2026, listed as a Republican [43, 32, 6].

Jones's background

  • Running as 'Jessica (Ewing) Jones,' she won the Union Township seat in 2018 with 1,282 votes to Mike Murray's 798 [43]. She won it again in 2022 with 1,392 votes to Murray's 683 [32].
  • In 2026 she serves on the Collective Bargaining, Salaries, Curriculum and Technology, and Special Services committees [35].

Jones's positions

Transparency & community input

  • In March 2026 she suggested adding parents to the school calendar committee and having the calendar ready for approval at the January board meeting [34].

Teachers & staff

  • In March 2026 she asked that two staff members who took on extra duties be paid for them [34]. In April she spoke about 'better ways and fairness with posting coaching positions' [25].

Budget & taxes

  • In April 2026 she discussed the district's financial cuts. On the motion to seek food service bids, she asked whether opening bids would commit the district to outsourcing [25].

Academics

  • In August 2026 she said she wants the district to look at how to make the math program stronger. She also asked about middle school and CCUS staffing plans and who would sit on interview committees [26].

Jones on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member. In January 2026 she spoke about Dave Hofmann's years of service and about the safety plan [35]. In September she praised the weight room program and thanked teachers [31].

How Jones got on the ballot

  • She is on the state's 2026 candidate list for UC/CC Joint School Board, Union Township (Union), with the Republican label, and has no opponent [6]. School board races have no primary, so the label is one the candidate chose when filing [2].

What we could not find about Jones

  • No campaign website, questionnaire answers or news coverage found.
  • Occupation not found.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Jones

Key points

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. UC/CC Joint School District (Union County-College Corner Joint School District)
  25. Regular session minutes, April 13, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  26. Regular session minutes, Aug. 10, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  27. Special session minutes (superintendent hire), Nov. 3, 2025 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  28. RCS administrator named new superintendent in Union County (Kicks 96 (Jeff Lane))
  29. School Board (members page) (Union County-College Corner Joint School District)
  30. Regular session minutes, Feb. 9, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  31. Regular session minutes, Sept. 14, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  32. 2022 General Election Results (Union County, Indiana)
  33. 2024 General Election Results (Union County, Indiana)
  34. Regular session minutes, March 9, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  35. Regular session minutes, Jan. 12, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  36. Executive session minutes, March 5, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  37. Regular session minutes, May 11, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  38. Regular session agenda, Oct. 12, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  39. Regular session minutes, June 1, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  40. Special session minutes, June 17, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  41. Regular session minutes, July 13, 2026 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  42. Special session agenda (contract ratification), Nov. 24, 2025 (UC-CC Joint School District Board of School Trustees)
  43. 2018 General Election Results (Union County, Indiana)
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.