Indiana State Rep. Vernon Smith

Smith: 'Majority puts partisan school boards before our children's futures'

Contributed By: The 411 News

Indpls. – The Indiana House passed Senate Bill 287 with a vote of 54 to 40. The bill makes Indiana’s school board elections partisan, requiring candidates to run as Democrat, Republican, Independent or with a blank space next to their name.

Since the bill changed in the House, it heads back to the Senate for a concurrence vote.

State Rep. Vernon G. Smith (D-Gary), the ranking minority member of the House Education Committee, released the following statement.

“Our school boards exist to oversee the education, future and well-being of our children. Their job is not to ban books or to address the topics of race, gender or sexuality. Republicans want partisan school boards because they believe it will help them win elections. They lost some key races in some districts, and now they want to change the process to be in their favor.

“Research shows that districts that switch to partisan elections see an increase in teacher turnover, an increase in the share of less experienced teachers and a negative impact on non-white school board candidates. Nobody wins if this legislation is passed except for the Republican Party. Our children, our teachers, our parents and our communities lose.

“Partisan school boards insert more division into our community. Voters will be encouraged to choose a candidate based on a letter next to their name instead of their platform. I want my local school board to be focused on our children, not on a party agenda.

“Injecting partisan politics into our schools will bring about more strife to our communities. This is far from what is best for our students and their futures.”

Story Posted:04/02/2025