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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Vanderburgh School Board

4 seats on the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp's board are on this year's ballot, with 10 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.

About Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp

  • The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) serves Evansville and Vanderburgh County; WNIN describes it as serving more than 21,000 students and as Indiana's third-largest district [24]. The district lists 22 elementary, 8 middle and 7 high schools plus district-wide programs [25].
  • The board has seven members, elected by voters across Evansville and Vanderburgh County [24]. Seats are designated by district (District 1, District 2, etc.) or at large, and WNIN reports that voters across the county vote in the District 2 race [26].
  • Board president Mike Duckworth said the board hired superintendent Darla Hoover, who started in July 2025 [27]. In January 2026 the board chose Duckworth as president, Melissa Moore as vice president and Amy DeVries as secretary [24].
  • Four seats are on the 2026 ballot, with 10 candidates on the ballot after the June 18 filing deadline [28]. Two District 2 seats are up, and voters will choose two of the four District 2 candidates [6, 28, 26].
  • District 1: incumbent Chris Kiefer is unopposed [28]. District 2: incumbents Mike Duckworth and David Hollingsworth are running for reelection against Lindsey Patterson and Ken Colbert [26]. At Large: incumbent Melissa Moore faces Steve Ary, Andy Guarino, Brian Murphy and Alan Goad [29].
  • Partisan labels: Steve Ary is the only candidate listed with a party (Republican) and WNIN describes him as the first partisan EVSC board candidate under a new state law; the other nine filed as nonpartisan [28, 29]. A second Republican filer, Ryan Owens, withdrew during the grace period [28].
  • Safety audit (December 2025): on Dec. 15, 2025 the board approved a $215,000 district-wide security assessment of all 40 EVSC buildings, policies and crisis procedures by National School Safety and Security Services, the first district-wide study since 2008 [30].
  • Property-tax law (2025–2026): WNIN reported that EVSC 'will lose millions of dollars' under the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) [29]. This guide did not find an EVSC budget document stating the amount.
  • Student devices (2025–2026): candidates discussed the state-required limits on cell phones and other devices in schools [29, 26].
  • Forums and interviews: WNIN published interviews with the at-large candidates (Sept. 23), the District 2 incumbents (Oct. 1) and the District 2 challengers (Oct. 2) [29, 27, 26]. This guide did not find a 2026 candidate forum or newspaper questionnaire for this race.
  • Key differences: at-large challengers differ on priorities, from safety and device limits (Ary, Goad) to career education and employee health benefits (Murphy) and enrollment and teacher pay (Guarino) [29]. In District 2 the incumbents point to their records, while Colbert criticizes the board on transparency and Patterson says she would first learn how the board works [27, 26].

District 1

Unopposed

Christopher A. Kiefer

Nonpartisan

Incumbent District 1 trustee running unopposed [28].

Kiefer's background

  • BallotReady lists him as faculty program chair for criminal justice at Ivy Tech Community College [31].
  • BallotReady lists his current District 1 term as running through Dec. 31, 2026, and shows him as a candidate for the same seat in 2022 [31].

Kiefer's positions

School safety

  • Speaking about the district-wide security study in December 2025, he said its aim is to prevent incidents and that a comprehensive study helps the district respond quickly if a serious situation occurs [30].

Kiefer on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member [25].

How Kiefer got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate and has no opponent on the ballot [28, 6].

What we could not find about Kiefer

  • No 2026 interview, questionnaire or campaign website found; WNIN's candidate coverage did not profile the uncontested District 1 race.
  • No campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Kiefer

District 2

4 candidates · 2 seats

Ken Colbert

Nonpartisan

Challenger for one of the two District 2 seats; a local business owner who has criticized the board on transparency [26].

Colbert's background

  • Owns a consignment shop in Evansville and co-founded the Indiana Freedom Caucus, according to WNIN [26].
  • Co-hosts the podcast 'Republicans in Bad Standing' [26].

Colbert's positions

Transparency & community input

  • WNIN reported that he criticizes the board for lacking transparency and says his public-records requests have gone unanswered for years [26].
  • In posts signed with his name on the Telegram channel 'ColbertReport', he says he backs 'Complete Transparency and a #studentfirst agenda' and says the current administration is not transparent about federal funding [32].

Academics

  • In a post on the same channel, he linked falling ACT scores to the board's past curriculum votes [32].

Colbert on the current officeholder

  • WNIN reported he argued that incumbents benefit from name recognition [26].
  • His channel's posts urge voters to replace current board members whom he calls 'career politicians' [32].

How Colbert got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Colbert

  • Did not respond to WNIN's interview requests, per WNIN; positions here come from WNIN's summary and his own Telegram posts, which carry no calendar dates.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Colbert

Michael J. Duckworth, Sr.

Nonpartisan

Incumbent District 2 trustee and board president, with 26 non-consecutive years on the board [24, 27].

Duckworth's background

  • Retired from the sheriff's department in 1997, later worked as a local representative for U.S. Senators Richard Lugar and Dan Coats, and held city posts including water superintendent [27].
  • Was a Little League commissioner for 35 years [27].
  • Chosen board president in January 2026, his sixth time in the role [24].

Duckworth's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Describes the district's budget as 'about a third of a billion dollar budget' and says careful use of taxpayer money is important [27].

School safety

  • Calls safety a 'main priority' and says the district works with city and county police [27].

Facilities

  • Says the district is studying its facilities so it can spend money appropriately, and cites the Bosse High School overpass and athletic upgrades as accomplishments [27].
  • Wants to study redistricting and bus routes, saying early-morning and late-afternoon rides in the dark are 'dangerous' [27].

Academics

  • Points to the district's focus on students reading by third grade [27].

Transparency & community input

  • Says he has always run nonpartisan and that politics should be kept separate from the board; says vacancies should be filled by the board rather than party committees [27].

How Duckworth would run the office

  • Wants to review technology policies in light of state cell-phone rules [27].

Duckworth on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member [25].
  • Says the board's main job is hiring the superintendent and setting policy, and that he does not micromanage [27].

How Duckworth got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Duckworth

  • No stated position found on the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) or a referendum.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Duckworth

David Hollingsworth

Nonpartisan

Incumbent District 2 trustee seeking a third term [27].

Hollingsworth's background

  • Retired ironworker who also drives a school bus part-time for EVSC [27].
  • PTA area council president and former vice president; he says he has received PTA awards, including a lifetime achievement award [27].
  • Has served two terms (eight years) on the board [26].

Hollingsworth's positions

School safety

  • Says safety is his first priority [27].

Academics

  • Wants reading scores to rise; says the district has met some goals but must improve [27].

Transparency & community input

  • Says he wants to keep politics out of schools and does not want to be labeled as one party's member [27].

How Hollingsworth would run the office

  • Says he would continue his PTA work and use the board seat to talk with students, staff and bus drivers in district buildings [27].

Hollingsworth on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member [25].
  • Says the board has 'achieved some of our goals' but 'we need to get better,' and that his record 'speaks for itself' [27].

How Hollingsworth got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Hollingsworth

  • WNIN's interview did not cover his views on the budget, the 2025 property-tax law, staffing or the device policy.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Hollingsworth

Lindsey Patterson

Nonpartisan

First-time candidate and EVSC graduate challenging for one of the two District 2 seats [26].

Patterson's background

  • Born and raised in Evansville; attended Delaware, Evans and North schools [26].
  • Parent of students in the district, including a North High School senior [26].

Patterson's positions

School safety

  • Called the district's security study a good idea [26].

Curriculum & library policy

  • On the state-required device policy, said the district's 'hands are probably tied a little bit' because it is state law [26].

Transparency & community input

  • Says she is running nonpartisan because 'politics needs to stay out of public education' [26].

How Patterson would run the office

  • Her first priority would be learning how the board works and getting to know the superintendent and community [26].

Patterson on the current officeholder

  • Told WNIN she needs more information before forming opinions on specific board policies [26].

How Patterson got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Patterson

  • No stated positions found on the budget, the 2025 property-tax law, staffing or academics.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Patterson

At Large

5 candidates

Steven (Steve) Ary

Republican

Republican challenger for the at-large seat; WNIN calls him the first partisan EVSC board candidate [28].

Ary's background

  • Says he is a foster parent whose children attend EVSC schools [29].
  • Says he previously ran for county party chairman [29].

Ary's positions

School safety

  • Lists safety as his top priority and wants policy based on the district's safety audit; supports weapons detection systems while saying 'It's not a solution to everything' [29].

Curriculum & library policy

  • Says he is '100-percent for the banning of those devices' [29].
  • Wants 'social issues' kept out of classrooms [29].

Academics

  • Says foster children often arrive unable to read and 'We have to do better' [29].

How Ary would run the office

  • Wants to help foster children and students facing bullying, academic struggles and safety issues [29].

Ary on the current officeholder

  • Criticizes the status quo, saying 'if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got' [29].

How Ary got on the ballot

  • Filed as a Republican under a new state law allowing party labels in school board races [28, 6].
  • Explaining the label, he said, 'I believe it's important for people to know where you stand' [29].

Ary's endorsements and funding

  • County Republican Chair Kyhle Moers said the party plans to support his campaign with door knocking, phone banking and mail [28].

What we could not find about Ary

  • How the party label was obtained (petition or party certification) was not described in sources found.
  • No stated positions found on the budget or the 2025 property-tax law.
  • No campaign website or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Ary

Alan Wayne Goad

Nonpartisan

Military veteran and maintenance supervisor challenging the at-large incumbent [29].

Goad's background

  • Served 14 years in the military; works as a maintenance tech supervisor for a property management company [29].

Goad's positions

School safety

  • Says 'District security studies I'm all for and agree with' and raised concerns about safety in special-needs classrooms [29].

Teachers & staff

  • Wants better pay and support for teachers, who he says 'aren't being taken care of good enough' [29].

Curriculum & library policy

  • Supports the cell phone and gaming device ban, with medical exceptions [29].

Goad on the current officeholder

  • Says families feel unheard and that some trustees 'weren't paying attention' [29].

How Goad got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Goad

  • Answered WNIN's questions by email; no recorded interview, campaign website or other coverage found.
  • No stated positions found on the budget or the 2025 property-tax law.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Goad

Andy Guarino

Nonpartisan

Former EVSC trustee and retired principal seeking to return to the board [29].

Guarino's background

  • Was a principal for 17 years and an assistant principal for 10; holds master's degrees in adult education and special education [29].
  • Served on the EVSC board for about nine years, leaving four years ago; has served on the EVSC Foundation board and as president of Evansville Retired Teachers [29].
  • Has worked as a substitute in EVSC for more than 115 days over the past four years [29].

Guarino's positions

Curriculum & library policy

  • Lists the cell phone policy as his first priority [29].

Enrollment & school choice

  • Wants to 'make sure we don't lose any kids' amid competition from vouchers and charter schools [29].

Teachers & staff

  • Points to past board action removing a $60,000 salary cap, which he calls 'the biggest pay raise EVSC had ever given teachers at one time' [29].

School safety

  • Supports the outside security review, saying 'I thought it was a good study' [29].

Guarino on the current officeholder

  • Calls incumbent Melissa Moore 'a very good person' and says he is running to return to the board, not against her [29].

How Guarino got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Guarino

  • WNIN's article gives his past tenure both as two terms plus a partial year and as 'nine years' without reconciling them.
  • No stated positions found on the budget or the 2025 property-tax law.
  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Guarino

Melissa Cheri Moore

Nonpartisan

Incumbent at-large trustee and board vice president, first elected in 2022 [24].

Moore's background

  • Navy veteran and life coach; Evansville native and Bosse High School graduate [29].
  • Elected to the board in 2022; board vice president since January 2026 [24].

Moore's positions

Academics

  • Lists student success and literacy as priorities, citing 'increasing of literacy scores' [29].

Transparency & community input

  • Says she objected by email to a short graduation ceremony at one school and that this year's ceremonies were longer and more inclusive [29].

Moore on the current officeholder

  • Is a current board member [25].
  • Says she is running again 'because the work is not done' and that new members need time to get acclimated to the role [29].

How Moore got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

Moore's endorsements and funding

  • WNIN reported that the county Republican Party has criticized county Democrats for supporting her [29].

What we could not find about Moore

  • WNIN's interview did not cover her views on the budget, the 2025 property-tax law, safety or staffing.
  • No campaign website or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Moore

Brian Murphy

Nonpartisan

Home builder and Marine Corps veteran focused on career education and employee benefits [29].

Murphy's background

  • Has lived in Evansville since 2000; served in the U.S. Marine Corps; runs a family home-building business and has done real estate development [29].
  • Taught career trades in the Dallas area and works on EVSC construction projects [29].

Murphy's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Says the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) will 'severely limit and restrict' school funding and expects referendums to be the likely response [29].

Academics

  • Wants to expand career education and the Southwest Indiana Career and Technical Center [29].
  • Criticizes IREAD and ILEARN testing for pushing teachers to 'teach to a test' [29].

Teachers & staff

  • Wants equal health-care options for all EVSC employees, including custodians and paraprofessionals [29].

School safety

  • Supports the comprehensive safety study [29].

Curriculum & library policy

  • Supports no screens in classrooms and would extend limits to Chromebooks [29].

How Murphy would run the office

  • Wants the board to listen more to students [29].

Murphy on the current officeholder

  • Says he offers 'a fresh perspective' and that board members may not fully understand construction projects [29].

How Murphy got on the ballot

  • Filed as a nonpartisan candidate [28, 6].

What we could not find about Murphy

  • No campaign website, endorsements or campaign finance reports found.

Sources for Murphy

Key points

  • Safety audit (December 2025): on Dec. 15, 2025 the board approved a $215,000 district-wide security assessment of all 40 EVSC buildings, policies and crisis procedures by National School Safety and Security Services, the first district-wide study since 2008. (WNIN)
  • Property-tax law (2025–2026): WNIN reported that EVSC 'will lose millions of dollars' under the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1). This guide did not find an EVSC budget document stating the amount. (WNIN)
  • Key differences: at-large challengers differ on priorities, from safety and device limits (Ary, Goad) to career education and employee health benefits (Murphy) and enrollment and teacher pay (Guarino). (WNIN)
  • The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) serves Evansville and Vanderburgh County; WNIN describes it as serving more than 21,000 students and as Indiana's third-largest district. (WNIN)

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. Duckworth to Lead EVSC Board Again (WNIN)
  18. Board of School Trustees (Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation)
  19. EVSC District 2 race: against 34 years of incumbent tenure are two challengers (WNIN)
  20. EVSC District 2 race: two challengers vs two incumbents — Duckworth and Hollingsworth (WNIN)
  21. EVSC Board ballot settled: one withdrawal, one partisan candidate, nine non-partisan (WNIN)
  22. Meet the Candidates running for the at-large seat on the EVSC School Board (WNIN)
  23. EVSC initiating $215K district-wide safety audit (WNIN)
  24. Christopher A. Kiefer (BallotReady)
  25. ColbertReport (Telegram channel) (Ken Colbert (candidate's own posts))
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.