There are 119 candidates running for school board spots in Hamilton County this year – more candidates than the county has seen in over two decades.
Most of these candidates are new, as many districts only have one incumbent running for reelection this year.
In two districts, Oak Hills School District and Lebanon City School district, there are no incumbents seeking reelection.
The Enquirer looked at the total number of candidates running for school board seats since 2001. That's how far back the results archive goes on the Hamilton County Board of Elections' website. The second-highest number of candidates in that time frame was in 2005, when 107 ran for school board seats across the county.
Another 49 school board candidates are on the ballot in Butler County, 47 in Warren County and 47 in Clermont County.
That makes for a total of 262 candidates running for local school boards this November.
Some districts still do not have as many candidates as there are open seats. In those cases, school districts will be responsible for filling those positions. Most district policies require the new board to vote to fill any vacancies.
Felicity-Franklin Schools Treasurer Christy Laubach said there will be a write-in candidate for the district's third board of education seat.
Hamilton County Board of Elections Director Sherry Poland said she has noticed an "uptick" in school board candidates in certain districts this year, though she said the list of candidates was not so robust earlier this summer.
"There were quite a few who filed either on the filing deadline or within a few days of the filing deadline," Poland said.
That deadline was the first week of August.
So why the sudden interest in running for school board?
Critical race theory
In Forest Hills, drama over the retired Redskins mascot and ongoing upset about critical race theory seem to be fueling a surge in candidates.
"I'm against critical race theory. I don't like the idea of pitting anyone against each other," Katie Stewart, a Forest Hills school board candidate, told The Enquirer. "And I don't like the idea of equity, personally."
The theory is an academic field of study that has become highly controversial and politicized in the last year, though experts say it exists in higher education institutions, not in K-12.
More: Critical race theory: What is it, really?
Forest Hills Superintendent Scot Prebles has said the theory is not taught in the district's schools. Still, fears of the theory infiltrating K-12 classrooms have sparked multiple protests and a total of seven candidates running for three open seats on the Forest Hills school board.
Other school board candidates across the region are running on platforms centered around critical race theory.
Olga Verbitsky, a Springboro Schools board of education candidate, said she decided to run because she thinks it would be beneficial to have new faces and perspectives leading the district. She was also encouraged to run after hearing continued conversations about the theory.
Verbitsky said she is supportive of Black history lessons, but would not endorse the theory or "anti-racism" curriculum in Springboro Schools.
"I think our academics are, really, they're the ones causing most of the problem with this conversation," she said. "I don't know when this hatred for America started. I think that's what's so alarming, and that's where critical race theory, in my opinion, starts to really ... rear its ugly head."
COVID-19 and mask policies
Mary Wineberg is a second-grade teacher at Hyde Park School in Cincinnati Public Schools and a candidate on the November ballot. She is also a parent in the district.
"I think there's a surge because so many people have started really paying attention," Wineberg said of the volume of school board candidates this year. "Especially with the pandemic and remote learning, and people really wanting to say, 'Hey, I want to step up and I want to make some changes.' "
Nicole Bays, a Talawanda school board candidate, said she started watching school board meetings when the district was still remote.
"It was really affecting my children mentally, emotionally," she said of distanced learning.
Bays staged a protest in August 2020 to convince Talawanda Schools to offer an in-person option. A year later, Bays said COVID-19 "is not going to go away." She said she wants to help the board develop "a durable, commonsense education for our children" and ensure the district's COVID-19 protocols result from both scientific research and community feedback.
Jara Bonner, a Milford Exempted Village School District board of education candidate, said she also started paying more attention to school board meetings as a result of the pandemic.
"COVID-19 obviously has shed a lot of light on the school system," Bonner said.
Bonner said she found some parents are still not comfortable sending their children back into classrooms.
"We need to find a way to be able to educate all of our children, give them the best quality education, in various settings," she said. "While in-person learning is truly, probably, the best option, maybe we can start thinking of some other options for parents, to give them what they need."
Depoliticizing a nonpartisan body
At Edgewood City Schools, candidate Molly Broadwater says the surge in candidates – there are eight this year running for three seats – is "nothing to do with masks" or critical race theory.
"It really has to do with just the need for change in general," Broadwater said.
Broadwater started attending board meetings more regularly when the pandemic started, but says she found other puzzling, frustrating and downright upsetting reasons to continue showing up.
More: Parents petition after Edgewood City Schools reassigns school buildings without board vote
"I can see that there is clearly a lack of transparency, there's a lack of communication and our current board seems to just be a rubber stamp for a superintendent," Broadwater said.
Many regional school board candidates voiced concerns over the focus on critical race theory and mask policies during this election cycle since school board candidates in Ohio are nonpartisan – meaning party affiliations are omitted from the ballot. But those two issues, in particular, have become highly politicized leading up to this year's election.
"I feel we're at a crossroads where we could become a very divided community, and I do not want that to happen," John Skerl said. He's running alongside Janelle Groff for seats on the Kings Local Schools board of education, where a total of eight candidates are running for three spots. "I just want to make sure that the kids have the best learning opportunities possible."
There are "hot topics" every election cycle, Groff said. Years ago, it was the debate over Common Core, a 2010 state standards initiative for K-12. Groff said conversations around critical race will go away in time.
Three Indian Hill dads – Nolan Marx, Craig Sumerel and Bear Tullis – are running together for school board. There are a total of 11 candidates on the Indian Hill board of education ballot, more candidates than any other school board race in the region.
"Part of why we're running is because we really want to depoliticize our school board. Not that it's super political today, but our goal going forward is we do not want a politically active school board. We want a school board of people who have kids in the district and care about our school," Tullis said.
Elliot Grossman, a Loveland City Schools board candidate, also refrained from focusing on race theory or COVID-19 in his campaign. He intended to run for school board before the pandemic, he said. The district has had two failed levies in recent years.
"I am running to help restore trust in the district's leadership," Grossman said. "I'm not a one-issue candidate. Though I take the pandemic very seriously, my campaign is about the long-term future of the school district."
'Like a pressure cooker'
While the November ballots will list plenty of new names for school boards, this year also caused some board members to call it quits. Two Cincinnati Public Schools board members, Melanie Bates and Ryan Messer, announced over the summer they would not run for reelection.
"While my formal role with the district will be coming to a close, I plan to stay involved as an active CPS volunteer and grandparent," Bates said.
Patty Taylor at Forest Hills left the board mid-year, allowing former board member Julie Bissinger to step in for the rest of the year. Bissinger is not on the November ballot, so voters will select a new candidate to serve the remainder of Taylor's term, which ends in December 2023.
Brad Lovell, current board member at Lakota Local Schools, decided not to run for reelection this November, though he told The Enquirer he has "enjoyed every bit of the last four years."
"Four years is a long time, especially when you have a 7-year-old and a 2-year-old and you work a full-time job," Lovell said. "Being on the school board's like a pressure cooker. Every issue becomes a big issue, it seems like."
Lovell said the pandemic is "exhausting, every bit of it," as the board was put in the position of being public health experts "when we're not." Community members on both sides of the masking decision have been very passionate, he said, and Lovell has been "beat up on social media" throughout his tenure on the board.
"It's really rough," he said.
Though he's stepping down, Lovell said he's happy to see so many candidates on the ballot this year. He just hopes they realize the responsibility that comes with getting elected. School board members are nonpartisan, he said, and for good reason: to represent the kids and families in their communities.
"I'm seeing more and more political issues that are making their way into our school system," Lovell said. "People can agree or disagree with me, but the hot topics that are why, I think, people are running, whether it be masking our kids or critical race theory, you can clearly see that those fall along party lines. So that makes it really difficult."
Who's on the November ballot?
Hamilton County
Cincinnati Public Schools – Four to be elected.
- Pamela Bowers (incumbent).
- Mike Moroski (incumbent).
- Brandon Craig.
- Gary Favors.
- Kareem Moffett.
- Mary Wineberg.
Deer Park Community City School District – Three to be elected.
- Peggy Bosse (incumbent).
- Daniel Downey (incumbent).
- Karen Kellums (incumbent).
Indian Hill Exempted Village School District – Three to be elected.
- Elizabeth Johnston (incumbent).
- Nathan Alley.
- Jeni Henz.
- Rachel Katz.
- Nolan Marx.
- Lisa Price.
- Andy Swallow.
- Craig Sumerel.
- Bear Tullis.
- Eliot Winks.
- Robert Warfel.
Loveland City School District – Three to be elected.
The district also includes Clermont and Warren counties.
- Eric Schwetschenau (incumbent).
- Eileen Washburn (incumbent).
- Colette Boyko.
- Anna Bunker.
- Jonathan Eilert.
- Elliot Grossman.
- Al Juram.
- Elizabeth Mason.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Kevin Dougherty (incumbent).
Madeira City School District – Three to be elected.
- Steve Bernicke (incumbent).
- David Eberly (incumbent).
- Ryan Lex (incumbent).
Mariemont City School District – Three to be elected.
- Kenneth Ray White (incumbent).
- Laura Organisciak (incumbent).
- Tracy Gordon.
- Andi Murphy.
- David Rogers.
- Dennis Wolter.
Mount Healthy City School District – Three to be elected.
- Carole Ellis (incumbent).
- Emmett Kilgore (incumbent).
- Stephanie Anderson.
North College Hill City School District – Three to be elected.
- Donté Foster (incumbent).
- Monica Lanton (incumbent).
- Angela Graver (incumbent).
Norwood City School District – Three to be elected.
- Brandon Atwood (incumbent).
- Amber Ballard (incumbent).
- Paige Jessee.
- Michael Taylor.
Princeton City School District – Two to be elected.
This district also serves students in Butler and Warren counties.
- Mary Cleveland (incumbent).
- James Dunigan.
- Jodi Kessler.
Reading Community City School District – Three to be elected.
- Beth Wernery (incumbent).
- Alycia Walker Bemmes (incumbent).
- James Perdue Jr. (incumbent).
- Jason Rader.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
St. Bernard-Elmwood Place City School District – Three to be elected.
- Marc Fleak (incumbent).
- Jason McMullan (incumbent).
- Micki Spears (incumbent).
Sycamore Community City School District – Three to be elected.
- Paul Balent (incumbent).
- David Evans (incumbent).
- John Mercurio (incumbent).
- Bill Laverty.
- Sara Bitter.
- Lynne Steiger.
- Josh Wooley.
Winton Woods City School District – Three to be elected.
- Viola Johnson (incumbent).
- Savon Gibson Sr.
- Debra Denise Bryant.
- Brandon Smith.
- Ed Stadnick.
- Aaron Washington-Childs.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Jeff Berte (incumbent).
- Demarco Kinamore.
Wyoming City School District – Three to be elected.
- Heather Yee (incumbent).
- Kara Broderick (incumbent).
- Justin Buckner (incumbent).
- Mona Berkemeyer.
- Michael Evans.
- Jennifer Dillhoff.
- Lauren Keith.
Finneytown Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Chadwick Engleman (incumbent).
- Cindy Rebman (incumbent).
- Lindsay Lee.
- Jelicia McMullen.
- Jamie Rea.
- James Edward Reeb Jr.
Forest Hills Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Clermont County.
- Forest Heis (incumbent).
- Michelle Easton.
- Rachel Baker.
- Bob Bibb.
- Wendy Strickler Biederman.
- Sara Jonas.
- Katie Stewart.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending on Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Andrea Granieri.
- Linda Marie Hausfeld.
- Amy Richardson.
Lockland Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Kimberly Costanzo (incumbent).
- Terry Gibson (incumbent).
- Mark Morrissey (incumbent).
- Colleen Carter.
Northwest Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Butler County.
- Mark Gilbert (incumbent).
- Joe John Yoshimura (incumbent).
- Christopher John Heather.
- Nicole Taulbee.
- Monica Bowles.
Oak Hills Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Doug Dean.
- Rich Haffey.
- Corey Hatfield.
- Mischelle Philpot.
- Dani Ventre Strehle.
- Bart West.
Southwest Local School District – Two to be elected.
This district also serves students in Butler County.
- Michael King (incumbent).
- Susan Robards (incumbent).
An additional seat is open, for a term ending on Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Robert Kief (incumbent).
- Jennifer Strong.
Three Rivers Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Garyne Evans (incumbent).
- Ryan McDonald (incumbent).
- Christina Hughes.
Butler County
College Corner Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Preble County.
- Susan Kirkpatrick (incumbent).
- Michael Sims (incumbent).
- Michele Hill.
An additional two seats are open, for terms ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for those open seats:
- Michael McDonough.
- John Seibert.
Edgewood City School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Preble County.
- Jim Wirtley (incumbent).
- Gary Gabbard (incumbent).
- Alexis Zehler.
- Elizabeth Keith.
- Andrew Pressler.
- Molly Broadwater.
- Marc Messerschmitt.
- Abby Sexton.
Fairfield City School District – Three to be elected.
- Brian Begley (incumbent).
- Jerrilynn Gundrum (incumbent).
- Abigail Erin Berding.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
Hamilton City School District – Three to be elected.
- Laurin Sprague (incumbent).
- Margaret Baker (incumbent).
- David Davidson (incumbent).
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Steven Isgro (incumbent).
Lakota Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Kelley Casper (incumbent).
- Michael Pearl (incumbent).
- Vanessa Wells.
- Darbi Boddy.
- Karine Chausse.
- Isaac Adi.
- Douglas Horton.
- Russ Loges.
Madison Local School District – Two to be elected.
- Paul Jennewine (incumbent).
- Norman Trenum.
- Brandi Crim.
- Aaron Lawson.
Middletown City School District – Two to be elected.
- Todd Moore (incumbent).
- Cathie Mulligan (incumbent).
Monroe Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Tim Carpenter (incumbent).
- Debbie Hagedorn.
- A.J. Fullam.
- Tiffany Kramb.
New Miami Local School District – Two to be elected.
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. The following candidates are running for that open seat:
- Tari Jo Slagle (incumbent).
Preble Shawnee Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Preble County.
- Julia Singleton (incumbent).
- Nicholas Duskey (incumbent).
- David Akers.
- Benjamin Jones.
- Lisa Tuttle-Huff.
Ross Local School District – Two to be elected.
- Amy Webb (incumbent).
- Keith Klinefelter.
- Jason Schubert.
Talawanda City School District – Two to be elected.
This district also serves students in Preble County.
- Patrick Meade (incumbent).
- Krista Stenger.
- David Bothast.
- Nicole Bays.
- Mendy Napier.
Warren County
Carlisle Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Mollie McIntosh (incumbent).
- Tammy Sue Lainhart (incumbent).
- Bill Jewell (incumbent).
- Jane Fahrney.
- Isaac Clark.
- Amanda Morris.
- Susan Svarda.
Franklin City School District – Three to be elected.
- Bob Knipper (incumbent).
- Rachel Ruppert Wolfinbarger (incumbent).
- Christopher Sizemore (incumbent).
Kings Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Deb Cowan (incumbent).
- Karen Burton.
- Kim Chambers.
- Ray Gaier.
- Janelle Groff.
- Scott Schitter.
- John Skerl.
- Sara Spencer.
Lebanon City School District – Two to be elected.
- Jennifer Daulton.
- Michael Gliatti.
- Roy MacCutcheon.
- Michael Markey.
- Breighton Smith.
- Matthew Woehrmyer.
Little Miami Local School District – Two to be elected.
- Bobbie Grice (incumbent).
- Wayne Siebert (incumbent).
- Mary Elmer.
- Brady Hood.
- Benjamin Stephen.
Mason City School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Butler County.
- Charles Galvin (incumbent).
- Connie Yingling (incumbent).
- Matt Steele (incumbent).
- Melissa Kramer.
- Ian Orr.
- Debbie Williams.
Springboro Community City School District – Three to be elected.
- Daniel Gudz (incumbent).
- Charles Anderson (incumbent).
- David Stuckey (incumbent).
- Shauna Acquavita.
- Frank Catrine.
- Jeff Paschke-Johannes.
- Brian Retterer.
- Olga Verbitsky.
Wayne Local School District – Two to be elected.
- Brad Conner (incumbent).
- Darren Amburgy (incumbent).
- Sue Blair.
- Jamie Gallagher.
Clermont County
Batavia Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Barb Bruner (incumbent).
- Kyle Nicolaus (incumbent).
- Tim Wilson.
Bethel-Tate Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Brown County.
- David Brannock (incumbent).
- Tiffiany Riddle (incumbent).
- William Shula (incumbent).
- Melanie Jasontek Rubenstein.
- Jamie Jeffers.
Blanchester Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Clinton County.
- Kathy Gephart (incumbent).
- Jeremy Kaehler (incumbent).
- Mike Williams (incumbent).
An additional seat is open, for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. There are no candidates running for that open seat.
Clermont Northeastern Local School District – Two to be elected.
This district also serves students in Brown County.
- Danny Ilhardt (incumbent).
- Mike Mantel (incumbent).
- Becki Johnson.
- Noah Pennington.
- Jon Stahl.
Felicity-Franklin Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Yvonne Baker (incumbent).
- Randy McElfresh (incumbent).
Goshen Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Warren County.
- Deborah Gray (incumbent).
- John Gray (incumbent).
- Bill Herrera (incumbent).
- Lindsey Barrial.
- Amy Bush.
- Liz Daniels.
Milford Exempted Village School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Hamilton County.
- Christopher Hamm (incumbent).
- Jara Bonner.
- Jerry Combs.
- Melissa Hendricks Nolan.
- Joe Krimmer.
- Emily Mason.
- Bea Norris.
- James Rhodes.
New Richmond Exempted Village School District – Three to be elected.
- Kristin Bennett (incumbent).
- Todd Wells (incumbent).
- Amy Story.
- Jonathan Zimmerman.
West Clermont Local School District – Three to be elected.
- Michele Delaney (incumbent).
- Jim Rudy (incumbent).
- Ryan Patton.
Western Brown Local School District – Two to be elected.
- Jennifer Patrick (incumbent).
- Lynette Garrett (incumbent).
- Heather Daugherty.
Williamsburg Local School District – Three to be elected.
This district also serves students in Brown County.
- Jeff Cummins (incumbent).
- Brandon Lindsey (incumbent).
- Kevin Burroughs.
- R. Josh Clifton.
- Daniel Knapke.
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