Parks-Reese, Schooley and Thomas upset HSE school board candidates backed by Fishers conservative group

Three women – two incumbents and a newcomer – won seats on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board, defeating opponents backed by Republican lawmakers, local officials and PAC money. 

Sarah Parks-Reese and Suzanne Thomas were reelected to their seats while Latrica Schooley will join HSE’s board for the first time. They will begin their four-year terms on the seven-member board in January.

“I'm so glad it's over,” Parks-Reese said Tuesday night. “It's just been so long and so much work, all the volunteers and all the time that all of us have put in. It's just really humbling and really great to see it all come to fruition.”

Hamilton County voters rejected a slate of three men – Greg Lannan, Terry Tolle and John Stewart – all endorsed by Fishers One, a conservative organization that provides funding and promotion to Republican hopefuls in Fishers government. 

Those candidates are self-identified Republicans who garnered support and donations from GOP leaders and the Hamilton County Republican Party. They also received significant contributions from a political action committee affiliated with Fishers One.

School board elections are nonpartisan in Indiana. In recent years, political dynamics on school boards, like HSE, have shifted due to influence from outside organizations.

Parks-Reese, Thomas and Schooley were endorsed by the Hamilton Southeastern Teachers Association. Thomas says she's conservative like her opponent. 

The outcome of the race halted what would have been a solid, conservative majority on the school board. But five conservative members, including Thomas, will still hold seats.

Parks-Reese defeated Stewart in the race for Wayne Township seat with more than 58 percent of the vote, according to unofficial Hamilton County election results. She told WFYI that the board’s been able to get things done, despite political divides. 

“You have to put students first,” Park-Reese said. “When you put students first, it doesn't matter what your party is.”

Stewart conceded and shared support for all three women in a statement on Facebook. 

“I know she works tirelessly and is committed to representing the families,” Stewart wrote about Parks-Reese. 

Newcomer Schooley defeated Lannan with more than 54 percent of the vote. It was the narrowest race. In a Facebook statement, Lannan thanked Schooley for a “clean race” and attested to her character. 

Thomas blew out opponent Tolle with nearly 61 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. During an HSE school board forum co-hosted by WFYI, the Thomas-Tolle race popped up as a back-and-forth on conservative values.

Thomas and Schooley could not be reached for comment late Tuesday night. Thomas thanked her supporters on her Facebook page Tuesday. 

“I am incredibly grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me,” Thomas wrote. “I want to thank each of you who supported me.”

School board members have four core responsibilities: adopting policies, approving the yearly budget and overseeing fiscal matters, setting goals, and hiring and evaluating the district’s superintendent.

School board members do not supervise the day-to-day operations of school districts. Candidates for at large seats represent all residents within the district's boundaries.

Hamilton Southeastern Schools serves about 22,000 students and employs more than 2,500 people. The graduation rate was 98 percent at each of the district’s two high schools last year.

This story will be updated.

Rachel Fradette is the WFYI Statehouse education reporter. Contact Rachel at rfradette@wfyi.org.