FISHERS — The country is five weeks away from the 2022 midterm election. At the local level, school board races allow Hoosiers to weigh in on decisions that impact their children's education. On Tuesday, Hamilton Southeastern Schools School Board Candidates, took part in a town hall to answer questions from the community.
Ahead of the town hall, WRTV asked two women, Michelle Steltz & Naomi Boone, what they hoped to hear the candidates talk about.
"Talking about equity, microagressions and what are you going to do for the city of Fishers and our HSE schools," Boone said.
"Bring out the best in all of our students and really bring out the best in all of our teachers and make sure our school is inclusive of our community," Stelts said.
For just under two hours, six candidates were asked questions ranging from the role of a board member, how to address bullying, their stance on the referendum, and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in schools. All the candidates gave similar answers, trying to differentiate themselves on certain topics. However, they all agreed on one thing: they are running because they believe they have the best interests of the community, students, parents and teachers in mind.
"I think I heard a lot of information about connection, in particular about diversity, equity and inclusion. I think every candidate is invested in Fishers," Boone said after the town hall.
"I do think you kind of got to the heart of each candidate. Where they're going. Their direction," Steltz said after listening to the candidates answer questions.
No matter who wins in November, these two women hope to see Hamilton Southeastern move forward in a positive direction.
"I like the focus. It's about the community. It's about our voice. It's about our questions," Boone said.
"I think there's an effort on what brings us together and continue to improve what we've got going on," Steltz said.
There are 10 candidates in total running for district-specific seats in Hamilton Southeastern. Four did not attend Tuesday's town hall but they were invited by the teachers union that hosted the event. The forum was recorded by HSEA. When that's posted, we will share the link in this story.
