The first year of partisan school board elections has generated little party politics in the crowded races for the Indianapolis Public Schools board — but longstanding divisions between charter and traditional school supporters remain the driving factor in endorsements.
The race for five of the board’s seven seats has also drawn 15 candidates — the most in over a decade. It comes as the board prepares to lose a significant amount of power over district schools after passage of a state law earlier this year. The law created the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, an entity appointed by Mayor Joe Hogsett that will take control of school buildings and transportation in 2028.
The legislative changes intended to provide education equity to nearly 43,000 students within Indianapolis Public Schools borders, but supporters and critics remain divided on how district and charter schools will be affected.
This election's endorsements continue the division between groups that value IPEC’s changes and those that have protested the loss of district power. This year, groups critical of campaign spending from organizations that support charter schools have issued endorsements for the first time — although they say they do not plan to provide organized financial support to their endorsed candidates.
Historically, candidates supported by education reform advocates and political action committees, or PACs, have garnered more campaign funding than their opponents, according to previous WFYI/Chalkbeat Indiana analysis.
Stand for Children, Rise Indy endorse candidates
The education nonprofit Stand for Children Indiana, which includes parent advocates who push for replicating charter schools that show academic gains for students of color, supports incumbent Angelia Moore for the at-large seat; incumbent Hasaan Rashid for District 2; Derek Redelman for District 3; incumbent Chris Bultman for District 4; and Yuri Smith Sr. for District 5.
Moore garnered Stand’s support when first elected in 2022. Rashid, who was selected to fill the seat left vacant in March by former board member Gayle Cosby, also had Stand’s backing when he sought the seat in 2024.
LaToya Hale-Tahirou, who served on Stand’s 11-member endorsement committee of parents, educators, and community members, said she was looking for candidates who want to support schools that address the academic gaps between Black and Brown students and their White classmates — regardless of whether they are district-run or charter.
“What I was looking for were people who wanted to continue to make IPS strong, but also wanted to continue to replicate charter schools that do a phenomenal job at closing the opportunity gap,” she said.
Rise Indy, a nonprofit that has supported education reform efforts in Indianapolis, has so far only endorsed Rashid and Bultman — candidates who were both selected by school board members this year to replace members who resigned. The group said through a spokesperson that it does not yet have any additional endorsements, but may make more before November..
Political action committees associated with Stand for Children Indiana and Rise Indy have provided funding and campaign support for their endorsed candidates in past elections through mailers, websites, and other get-out-the-vote efforts. In the past three elections, the two groups have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to IPS school board candidates, according to campaign finance records.
Both Rise Indy and Stand are supporting a property-tax referendum to bring more dollars to the IPS district and charter schools in November.
Groups backing district-run schools endorse own slate
Meanwhile, groups supportive of district-run schools and critical of organizations that support charter schools have thrown support behind the same slate of candidates: Sacha Sharp for the at-large seat; Bryan Duarte for District 2; Daqavise Winston for District 3; Lindsey Cornett for District 4; and Nicole Carey for District 5. These groups include the IPS Parent Council, the Indiana chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America and the IPS teachers labor union — the Indianapolis Education Association.
These candidates could see significant funding from the political action division of the Indiana State Teachers Association — the Indiana Political Action Committee for Education or I-PACE. The PAC has given over $69,000 to IPS candidates in the past three elections.
First-time endorsers don’t expect to give money
The IPS Parent Council formed during the 2025 legislative session after legislation was proposed that would have dissolved IPS. The group has since formed a nonprofit and made endorsements for the first time this year.
Danielle Cruz, the group’s president, said she does not anticipate the group giving money to candidates — although the council hopes to form a political action committee in the future.
Cruz said the group was looking for candidates who would advocate for transparency with IPEC and who cared about the success of IPS.
“What we really wanted was to make sure that the district-led schools were getting their voice heard,” she said. “And not anyone that was just immediately going to do kind of what the charters want.”
The endorsements are also a first for the Indiana chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, which formed in 2024. Co-chair Megan Alderman said she does not expect the party’s national PAC to provide any support to the local race.
The party was seeking candidates who were not supported by entities like Rise Indy or Stand for Children, Alderman said.
“It was very important for us to support and endorse candidates that are truly grassroots and really have direct-run schools first in mind as they’re making decisions about our district,” she said.
Groups must form political action committees if they spend over $100 on candidates under state law.
Early voting is underway countywide through Nov. 2. The election is Nov. 3.
Contact WFYI Education Reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@wfyi.org
