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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.
Two current school board members are unopposed for their seats on the board for the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township. The district in southwest Marion County educates roughly 6,700 students.
This school year is the first for Superintendent Scott Collins who started his role in July after serving as the superintendent for Fayette County Schools.
The district, where nearly 72% of students come from a low-income background, offers free breakfast and lunch to all students this school year.
This election
This November, two of the five seats on the school board are up for election. In both cases, only the incumbent is on the ballot with no challengers.
The incumbents who are running are the president and vice president of the board, meaning they will stay on the board, but would need to be reelected by their fellow board members to remain officers. They will also be part of a board that oversees the new superintendent.
The board members’ new terms will start in January and go through the end of 2028.
Who votes and how to vote
Voters who live within the district boundaries can vote for both at-large seats.
Voter registration is underway and ends on Oct. 7. Marion County residents can register to vote online.
Early voting begins on Oct. 8 at the Indianapolis City-County Building at 200 E. Market St.
Additional early voting sites, including one at the Decatur Township Government Center, open on Oct. 26 and 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 candidates
Larry Taylor, at-large seat
Larry Taylor is the current president of the school board and has served on the board for more than two decades. He’s a district alumnus and has three children who all graduated from Decatur as well. Taylor is an assistant manager at United Water. Taylor didn’t respond to requests for comment from Chalkbeat.
Estella Vandeventer, at-large seat
Estella Vandeventer is the board’s current vice president. She’s a graduate of Decatur Central High School and was appointed to the board in 2017. Per her LinkedIn profile, she is a board member of the Decatur Township Scholarship Association and the Decatur Township Educational Foundation.
Vandeventer has two children. She works for American Senior Communities. Vandeventer didn’t respond to requests for comment from Chalkbeat.
MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact her at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.
