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Franklin Township Community School Corporation, Indiana, elections

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Franklin Township Community School Corporation
School Board badge.png
District details
School board members: 5
Students: 11,212 (2022-2023)
Schools: 11 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Franklin Township Community School Corporation is a school district in Indiana (Marion County). During the 2023 school year, 11,212 students attended one of the district's 11 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant

Elizabeth Yoder won election in the general election for Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Elizabeth Yoder (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
15,160

Total votes: 15,160
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Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant

Ryan Donovan won election in the general election for Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Ryan Donovan (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
14,843

Total votes: 14,843
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Franklin Township School Board At-Large

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board At-Large

Incumbent Dawn Downer defeated Tim McVey and Adrian Pettis in the general election for Franklin Township School Board At-Large on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dawn Downer
Dawn Downer (Nonpartisan)
 
46.0
 
6,019
Tim McVey (Nonpartisan)
 
45.9
 
5,999
Adrian Pettis (Nonpartisan)
 
8.1
 
1,055

Total votes: 13,073
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant

Incumbent Zachary Smith Howard defeated Andrew Filler in the general election for Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Zachary Smith Howard
Zachary Smith Howard (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
52.3
 
6,049
Andrew Filler (Nonpartisan)
 
47.7
 
5,528

Total votes: 11,577
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant

Incumbent Larry Walker won election in the general election for Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Larry Walker (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
9,531

Total votes: 9,531
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant

Doris Gowan defeated incumbent Judy Shore in the general election for Franklin Township School Board NW Quadrant on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Doris Gowan (Nonpartisan)
 
53.6
 
10,776
Judy Shore (Nonpartisan)
 
46.4
 
9,334

Total votes: 20,110
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant

Incumbent Kelly Foulk defeated Derek Sutton and Karen Schuldt in the general election for Franklin Township School Board SW Quadrant on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kelly Foulk
Kelly Foulk (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
44.9
 
9,415
Derek Sutton (Nonpartisan)
 
28.5
 
5,988
Karen Schuldt (Nonpartisan)
 
26.6
 
5,572

Total votes: 20,975
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board At-Large

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board At-Large

Dawn Downer defeated incumbent Scott Sullivan in the general election for Franklin Township School Board At-Large on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dawn Downer
Dawn Downer (Nonpartisan)
 
50.3
 
6,949
Image of Scott Sullivan
Scott Sullivan (Nonpartisan)
 
49.7
 
6,867

Total votes: 13,816
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant

Zachary Smith Howard defeated Danny Meador and Chris Brown in the general election for Franklin Township School Board NE Quadrant on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Zachary Smith Howard
Zachary Smith Howard (Nonpartisan)
 
52.2
 
7,176
Danny Meador (Nonpartisan)
 
29.9
 
4,110
Chris Brown (Nonpartisan)
 
17.9
 
2,453

Total votes: 13,739
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant

General election

General election for Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant

Incumbent Larry Walker won election in the general election for Franklin Township School Board SE Quadrant on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Larry Walker (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
11,490

Total votes: 11,490
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Indiana are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1

Recent or upcoming election dates for school districts with elected board members

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for school districts with elected board members. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: June 15, 2026
  • General election date: November 3, 2026

Election system

Elected school board members in Indiana are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries. As of 2022, 10 districts had appointed board members and six districts had school boards with some elected members and some appointed members. The other districts had boards with elected members.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

A school board candidate nomination petition must contain one of the following: (a) the candidate's political party affiliation, (b) identification as an independent candidate, (c) a statement that the candidate elects not to disclose party affiliation, (d) or that the candidate is not affiliated with a part and doesn't want to be identified as independent. This statement regarding party affiliation must be included on the ballot along with the candidate's name. To validly claim affiliation with a major political party, a candidate must either (a) have voted in the two most recent party primaries for the identified political party or (b) have the affiliation certified by the party's county chairman. Senate Bill 287 enacted in 2025 changed Indiana school board elections from nonpartisan without party labels to partisan with party labels. SB 287 allows challenges to a candidate's claimed party affiliation.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Senate Bill 275 (2025)

Winning an election

The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Sections 20-23-4-29.1, 20-23-7-8.1, and 20-23-13-2.1

Term length and staggering

School board members are elected to four-year terms at regular elections.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30

As close to half of a district's school board members as possible are elected every two years. Since school boards in Indiana have 3, 5, 7, or 9 members, this means that in one cycle a simple majority of seats are up for election, while in the following cycle one less than a simple majority of seats are up for election. At a district's first school board election, the simple majority of elected board members that receive the most votes are elected to four-year terms, while the remaining elected board members are elected to two-year terms. Thereafter, all school board members are elected to four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30 

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

In Indiana, school board members are elected at large, by sub-district, or through a combination of the two. Districts can also elect certain member positions at large but from certain sub-districts, meaning the candidates must be residents of a particular area. State law provides six different options for school board election plans to school districts formed after March 12, 1965. Districts formed before that date operate under the plan with which they were established. The six options provided for in statute provide varying levels of flexibility for a district's specific plan. They are as follows. (1) At-large voting without residence restriction; under this option, all members are elected at large by all voters and can reside anywhere in the district. (2) At-large voting with residence restriction for at least some members; under this option, the district must have two or more residence areas (sub-districts) with some combination of one or more board members residing in each district and the option of an at large member without residence restriction. All registered voters still vote for all members whether or not they need to reside within a specific sub-district. (3) At-large voting with residence restriction for three members; under this option, a district's plan must have three residence areas (sub-districts) roughly equal in population. If the board has three members, one must reside in each sub-district. If the board has five members, two members may not reside in any one sub-district. If the board has seven members, at least two members must reside in each sub-district. All registered voters still vote for all members. (4) Combination of at-large and from sub-district with less than a majority at-large; under this option, a district's plan can divide the district into at least two electoral sub-districts and determine how many members are elected only by the voters within those subdistricts provided each sub-district has an equal number of members. This option requires that "not less than one less than a majority" of members are elected at large (i.e., for a three-member board, at least one must be at large; for a five-member board, at least two must be at large; and for a seven-member board, at least three must be at large.) (5) Combination of at-large and from sub-district with a majority of members at-large; this option is similar to option four but a majority of members must be elected at large and sub-districts do not have to have equal numbers of members. (6) Election entirely by sub-district; under this option, a district plan must establish sub-districts from which all board members are elected. There are no at-large members. It allows for unequal numbers of members from the districts.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-27

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The deadline for school board candidates to file petitions of nomination and registration is 30 days after the first day to register to vote following the May primary election, which means the filing deadline is 44 days after the primary election. This means the school board candidate filing deadline is in mid-June of even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 3-8-2.5-4

School board candidates in Indiana cannot file petitions of nomination for the November general election until the first day one can register to vote following the May primary election. This date is 14 days after the primary election. This means the 30-day filing window for school board candidates opens in mid-May of even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 3-8-2.5-4

The terms of school board members officially begin on the date set in the school districts organization plan. State law prohibits a school district organization plan from setting a term start date more than fourteen months after the election. However, if a different date is not provided in the plan, then the default start date of the terms of newly elected board members is January 1 following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Indiana Code Section 20-23-4-30

 


About the district

School board

The Franklin Township Community School Corporation consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Ryan DonovanSW Quadrant20252029
Elizabeth YoderNW Quadrant20252029
Larry WalkerSE Quadrant2027
Dawn DownerAt-large20192027
Zachary Smith HowardNE Quadrant20192027

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

Franklin Township Community School Corporation
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Indiana House of Representatives District 90Andrew IrelandRepublican Party 88% 88%
Indiana House of Representatives District 89Mitch GoreDemocratic Party 9% 10%
Indiana House of Representatives District 93Julie McGuireRepublican Party 3% 5%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $9,539,000 $901 8%
Local: $45,079,000 $4,258 35%
State: $72,828,000 $6,879 57%
Total: $127,446,000 $12,038
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $123,542,000 $11,669
Total Current Expenditures: $91,293,000 $8,623
Instructional Expenditures: $52,242,000 $4,934 42%
Student and Staff Support: $11,934,000 $1,127 10%
Administration: $6,673,000 $630 5%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $20,388,000 $1,925 17%
Total Capital Outlay: $31,127,000 $2,940
Construction: $29,769,000 $2,811
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $132,000 $12
Interest on Debt: $0 $0

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 42 49 16 32 PS 35 47
2018-2019 54 61 27 42 <50 52 58
2017-2018 68 76 40 53 >=50 63 72
2016-2017 67 70-74 37 55 >=50 60-64 71
2015-2016 66 65-69 35 57 PS 55-59 70
2014-2015 76 85-89 45-49 64 >=50 65-69 79
2013-2014 90 90-94 70-74 84 PS 85-89 92
2012-2013 90 >=95 75-79 80 PS 85-89 92
2011-2012 89 >=95 70-74 75-79 PS 85-89 91
2010-2011 87 90-94 70-74 70-74 >=50 80-84 89

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 47 52 21 40 PS 43 51
2018-2019 53 56 32 44 <50 50 57
2017-2018 70 75-79 45 59 >=50 66 74
2016-2017 71 70-74 45 62 >=50 70-74 75
2015-2016 72 70-74 50 65 PS 70-74 75
2014-2015 77 80-84 55-59 65 >=50 70-74 80
2013-2014 87 85-89 70-74 76 PS 85-89 89
2012-2013 84 80-84 70-74 77 PS 80-84 86
2011-2012 85 85-89 65-69 70-74 PS 80-84 88
2010-2011 83 85-89 65-69 60-64 >=50 75-79 86

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 95 >=90 80-84 >=90 >=90 96
2018-2019 97 >=80 80-89 >=90 PS >=90 98
2017-2018 98 >=80 >=90 >=90 >=80 98
2016-2017 97 >=80 >=90 >=90 PS >=80 97
2015-2016 97 >=80 >=90 >=90 PS >=80 97
2014-2015 97 >=80 >=90 >=90 >=80 97
2013-2014 97 >=80 80-89 >=90 >=80 98
2012-2013 95 >=80 80-89 >=90 PS >=80 95
2011-2012 91 >=80 80-89 >=80 >=80 91
2010-2011 88 >=80 80-89 >=80 PS >=80 89

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 11,212 0.7
2021-2022 11,139 5.0
2020-2021 10,587 2.7
2019-2020 10,305 6.3
2018-2019 9,654 3.0
2017-2018 9,362 -0.9
2016-2017 9,445 1.7
2015-2016 9,288 3.9
2014-2015 8,928 3.2
2013-2014 8,645 0.4
2012-2013 8,607 1.5
2011-2012 8,478 -5.6
2010-2011 8,952 -1.2
2009-2010 9,061 2.6
2008-2009 8,828 2.5
2007-2008 8,607 3.7
2006-2007 8,292 5.7
2005-2006 7,818 5.4
2004-2005 7,397 7.1
2003-2004 6,875 6.1
2002-2003 6,454 8.6
2001-2002 5,902 3.5
2000-2001 5,694 4.0
1999-2000 5,468 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Franklin Township Community School Corporation (%) Indiana K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.2 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 14.7 2.9
Black 11.4 13.1
Hispanic 8.7 14.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 6.3 5.5
White 58.6 64.3

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Franklin Township Community School Corporation had 517.00 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 21.69.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 4.63
Elementary: 270.37
Secondary: 242.00
Total: 517.00

Franklin Township Community School Corporation employed 10.00 district administrators and 26.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 10.00
District Administrative Support: 15.00
School Administrators: 26.00
School Administrative Support: 68.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 130.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 28.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 25.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 11.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 14.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 12.00
Student Support Services: 77.00
Other Support Services: 302.00

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Franklin Township Community School Corporation operates 11 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Acton Elementary School534KG-3
Arlington Elementary School484KG-3
Bunker Hill Elementary School501KG-3
Edgewood Intermediate School1,2604-6
Franklin Central High School3,3199-12
Franklin Central Junior High1,7117-8
Lillie Idella Kitley Intermediate1,2964-6
Mary Adams Elementary School519KG-3
South Creek Elementary627KG-3
Thompson Crossing Elementary Sch666KG-3
Wanamaker Early Learning Center295PK-PK

About school boards

Education legislation in Indiana

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Indiana
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External links

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  • Footnotes