In local school board races, Washington Township parent survives race against well-funded opponent and more

A candidate with thousands of dollars in support from a national political action committee was soundly defeated by a local parent Tuesday in a race for a seat on the Washington Township school board.

The local school board race drew wide attention after a teacher running for office received $31,000 in donations from a single PAC — far more than candidates in the district of 11,000 students typically spend.

But it turned out, the influx of cash wasn’t enough to win Deitric Hall a seat on the board. John Fencl — an accountant, Washington Township parent and volunteer — won the race easily with 69.8 percent of the vote.

(Read more: PAC tied to Teach For America spends big on a local Indiana election, but no one quite knows why.)

Hall, who moved to Indianapolis for a teaching position with Teach for America, received the donations from the Indiana branch of Leadership for Educational Equity, a national PAC that supports Teach for America alumni who seek public office.

The unexpectedly large contributions to Hall’s campaign inspired a backlash, including a column from a high school student and a burst of additional donations to Fencl’s campaign.

While the campaign for the district-wide seat in Washington Township drew attention, candidates faced off in school board races across Marion County.

Here are the school board winners for Marion County townships and small cities (here are the IPS results):

Beech Grove

Beth Prindle

Decatur Township

At-large: Thomas Wiseman

District 2: Larry Taylor

Franklin Township

Northwest: Judith L. Shore

Southwest: Kelly Foulk

Lawrence Township

At-large: Shawn Denney

District 1: Wendy Muston

District 3: Carol K. Helmus

Perry Township

At-large: Emily R. Hartman

At-large: Steven Johnson

At-large: Charles R. Mercer

At-large: Kenneth J. Mertz

Pike Township

At-large: Veronica (Roni) Ford

At-large: Eric Huffine

At-large: Larry J. Metzler

At-large: Cherlisa M. Richardson

Warren Township

At-large: Julie French

At-large: Randy George

At-large: Lynn Matchett

At-large: Gloria Williams

Washington Township

At-large: John Fencl

District 1: Wanda Spann Roddy

District 3: Anthony S. (tony) Dzwonar

Wayne Township

At-large: Shirley Deckard

At-large: Phyllis Lewis

At-large: Patricia J. (Trish) Logan