COLUMBUS, Ind. — Candidates began filing for local school board races Wednesday, the first day they could place their names on the fall ballot.
Three candidates had filed petitions to run for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. school board as of Wednesday afternoon, and one had filed for the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. school board, according to the Bartholomew County Office of Voter Registration.
Dale Nowlin is seeking the BCSC District 4 seat currently held by BCSC board member Julie Bilz. Nowlin is a former BCSC teacher who previously ran for the Indiana House of Representatives District 59 seat in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
Prior to his retirement, Nowlin taught at BCSC for more than 30 years. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University – Bloomington and IUPUC, and his resume includes a number of professional honors and awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching, which was awarded by President George H. W. Bush.
Nowlin has worked as a substitute math teacher for BCSC since retiring, but said he stays below the part-time threshold. State law dictates any individual who is employed as a teacher or “noncertificated employee” of a school corporation cannot be a member of that school corporation’s board. BCSC Board policy states that any employee who is elected or appointed to the board must resign from their job prior to beginning service on the board.
Current BCSC board members Rich Stenner (District 2) and Kathy Dayhoff-Dwyer (District 6) have filed to seek re-election. The term of board president Jill Shedd (District 1) is also set to expire at the end of this year.
The terms of three Flat Rock-Hawcreek school board members will expire at the end of 2022. This includes Chad Miller (Flat Rock District), John D. Harker (Hawcreek District) and Pat Walters (at-large). Walters filed on Wednesday for re-election.
The deadline to turn in all necessary paperwork as a school board candidate is noon Friday, Aug. 26.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
