Four candidates are running for the two at-large positions on the Carmel Clay School Board. Early voting for the school board election starts in October. The four candidates include Robin Clark, Dina Ferchmin, Jon Shapiro and Kristina Wheeler.

According to Superintendent Michael Beresford, many students and parents do not understand the importance of the school board election.

Beresford said, “I’ve been spending a lot of time communicating with the PTOs and different people in the community about its importance. It’s really important to be informed and to be able to go to the ballot knowing who you want to vote for and not guessing because that’s not a really good way to pick school board members.

Senior Eesha Singh said school board elections are not known to students, especially during presidential election years.

“A lot of my friends don’t even know that CHS has school board elections,” she said. “I think especially in presidential election years, the national election can override the local elections that happen.”

Beresford said everyone should be informed of the potential candidates.

He said, “School board races are going to impact you guys directly. It’s important to be informed because it can impact your daily life. It is the school boards as a group that control policy. They have authority over money that we spend on materials and budgets and teacher salaries.”

Overall, Beresford said, “Sometimes everybody gets so caught up in the big races that they forget about the school board. The most important thing is to research, research, research.”