School board

School Board Member, Franklin Township Community School Corporation

At large

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 4
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The school board sets policy, hires the superintendent and adopts the budget for Franklin Township Community School Corporation.

Candidates Compare by issue

Antonio Dewayne Key, Sr.

Democratic

CEO, Pacers Behavioral Services LLC

The gist

Proposes investing in early intervention and mental health resources.
Supports expanding college, trade and dual-credit pathways.
Pledges budgeting with the classroom as the priority.
Supports a multi-year funding plan for the health academy.

More about Antonio

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Proposes investing in early intervention and mental health resources.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“Invest in early intervention, behavioral and mental-health resources, and strong school environments where students feel safe, supported and ready to learn.”
Supports expanding college, trade and dual-credit pathways.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“Strengthen academic outcomes while expanding college, career, trade, dual-credit and workforce pathways”
Pledges budgeting with the classroom as the priority.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“My approach would be fiscal responsibility with the classroom as the priority.”
Supports a multi-year funding plan for the health academy.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“I would want a clear multi-year sustainability plan showing the academy’s projected staffing, maintenance, equipment and program costs.”

Tim McVey

Republican

Executive management

The gist

Opposes a referendum; seeks state and local funding instead.
Supports state and city help to ease staffing shortages.
Supports teaching practical life skills for after high school.
Pledges to make student safety his first priority.

More about Tim

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Opposes a referendum; seeks state and local funding instead.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“Partnering with state and local elected officials to find better alternatives to funding our schools without raising property taxes.”
Supports state and city help to ease staffing shortages.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“There is a large staffing shortage in our school system that impacts the quality of education for our students. … Partnering with state and city officials to allocate more funding to our school district must be a priority.”
Supports teaching practical life skills for after high school.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“to prepare our children for the professional world”
Pledges to make student safety his first priority.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“1. Student safety”

Komal (Komal Kaur) Chohan

Independent

Mental health therapist, Salam Therapy

The gist

Proposes expanding on-site student mental health supports.
Proposes resource audits to protect classrooms and teacher pay.
Proposes shifting from test prep to problem-solving.
Proposes healthcare partnerships to sustain the Health Sciences Academy.

More about Komal

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Proposes expanding on-site student mental health supports.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“expanding on-site mental health and early intervention supports so students get help before reaching a crisis point.”
Proposes resource audits to protect classrooms and teacher pay.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“driving fiscal transparency through resource audits that keep funding centered on classroom tools and competitive educator pay.”
Proposes shifting from test prep to problem-solving.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“We need to shift our academic focus toward real-world problem-solving and critical thinking.”
Proposes healthcare partnerships to sustain the Health Sciences Academy.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“we need to establish formal industry partnerships and equipment-sharing agreements with regional healthcare networks”

Dawn Downer

No party listedIncumbent

Project manager in early childhood education

The gist

Pledges a balanced budget with competitive staff pay.
Supports expanding career, health sciences and dual-credit pathways.
Supports continued emphasis on elementary reading literacy.
Supports addressing safety threats and behavior that disrupts learning.

More about Dawn

View sources (1)

Pledges a balanced budget with competitive staff pay.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“Maintain a balanced and sustainable budget while making thoughtful investments in student achievement, competitive and equitable staff compensation”
Supports expanding career, health sciences and dual-credit pathways.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“I support continuing to expand Career and Technical Education, Health Sciences, dual-credit, advanced coursework, and other pathways”
Supports continued emphasis on elementary reading literacy.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“At the elementary level, continued emphasis on reading literacy is particularly important.”
Supports addressing safety threats and behavior that disrupts learning.
Voter guide 2026: Franklin Township school board race has 7 candidates for 3 seats
Candidate questionnaire · Chalkbeat Indiana · Sep 11, 2026 · chalkbeat.org
“This includes addressing physical safety concerns as well as behaviors that interfere with learning.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 4 issues covered in this race.