Perry school board election: Who’s running and how to vote

This voter guide was co-published by Chalkbeat Indiana, Mirror Indy and WFYI as part of a partnership to increase coverage of township school districts in Marion County and cover the 2024 school board elections.

Just three candidates are running for four open seats on the Metropolitan School District of Perry Township school board, including two incumbents, Emily Hartman and James Hernandez.

But there is likely to be one new face on the board: Assuming that she receives at least one vote, newcomer write-in candidate Astin Vick will also win a seat, according to the Indiana Election Commission. Notably, Vick’s name will not appear on the ballot. 

That leaves one final seat open for appointment or for a current member to “hold over.”

Election won’t be last word on board seats

The current board must meet by the end of the year to decide which member — Ken Mertz or Steve Johnson — will be eligible to hold their seat. No decision has yet been made over whether a board member will choose to hold over their seat, according to the district.

As with other districts, the Perry board is in charge of adopting policies and approving the annual budget at the 16,000-student district in south Marion County, as well as hiring and evaluating the superintendent, Patrick Spray. 

The district is in the second year of a major redistricting effort aimed primarily at improving transportation routes and balancing the student populations at its elementary schools.  

Over the last year, Perry has also unveiled a number of new initiatives aimed at supporting the district’s large population of immigrant and English learner students. Among them are heritage language classes for Chin students and career-focused graduation pathways for English learner students. 

Who votes and how to vote

Voters can vote for all the at-large candidates. 

Voter registration is underway and ends on Oct. 7. Marion County residents can register to vote at indianavoters.in.gov. 

Early voting begins on Oct. 8 at the Indianapolis City-County Building at 200 E. Market St. Additional early voting sites can be found online. 

On Election Day on Nov. 5, Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s voting centers, which can be found online. 

Meet the at-large candidates

Two candidates will appear on the ballot and one is a write-in candidate whose name will not appear on the ballot.

Emily Hartman (incumbent)
Incumbent candidate Emily Hartman has served on the board since January 2017 and is currently the board president. According to the board website, she is a lifelong Perry Township resident and 1996 graduate of Perry Meridian High School who has also served in various capacities in the Burkhart Elementary PTA. She is married to a fellow Perry Meridian graduate and has four school-aged children. Her biography is available at the Perry board website.

James Hernandez (incumbent)
Incumbent candidate James Hernandez has served on the board since 2019. According to the board website, Hernandez is from Gary, Indiana, and moved to the Indianapolis area to attend the Indiana University School of Law. His two sons attended Perry Township schools, and he has served in various capacities in youth sports. His biography is available at the Perry board website.

Astin Vick (write-in candidate)
Vick, who also ran for the board in 2022, has worked for Perry schools as a substitute teacher, special education teacher’s aide, and an assistant track and field coach at Perry Meridian High School. She holds a Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification and a Ph.D. in sports management.

In 2022, she told Chalkbeat that her goals as a board member included raising the standard for excellence and increasing feedback and engagement from teachers, parents, and the community. She also said she’d like to evaluate the programs the district is using and ensure the transparency of its board meetings by offering easily accessible board minutes, notices of meetings, and decisions explained in lay terms and multiple languages. 

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.