The Carmel teacher’s union has endorsed candidates in a school board race for the first time.
On Sept. 12, the Carmel Teachers’ Association announced that it is endorsing Jon Shapiro and Kristina Wheeler in a four-way race for two at-large seats on the school board. The endorsement required a supermajority of support from more than two-thirds of voting members.
“As an association, we feel it is both appropriate and crucial to give a voice to our teachers in this election,” CTA President Mark Wien stated in a press release. “The decisions made by the school board have a profound impact on the work of educators and the quality of education in our schools. Jon Shapiro and Kristina Wheeler have proven their dedication to building strong partnerships between teachers, staff, administration and the community — an approach that aligns with our belief in the power of collaboration and communication.”
According to CTA, the union believes Shapiro and Wheeler will “prioritize the needs of our schools and uphold the nonpartisan nature of the Carmel Clay School Board.” Two other candidates, Dina Ferchmin and Robin Clark, are promoting their conservative values as part of their campaigns and have received support from the Hamilton County Republican Party. Ferchmin and Clark have been endorsed by the Carmel Excellence political action committee.
Shapiro and Wheeler previously received an endorsement from Support CCS, a political action committee. Support CCS created a vetting committee of four Republicans, three Democrats and one Independent to evaluate candidates before making an endorsement. Only Shapiro and Wheeler applied for the Support CCS endorsement.
Sarah Doty, Support CCS communications director, said the PAC reached out to Ferchmin and Clark several times to inform them of the opportunity to apply for the endorsement.
“Only Jon Shapiro and Kristina Wheeler applied, so those were the only two applicants assessed by our external review committee,” Doty said. “Importantly, the purpose of the vetting was not to rank candidates or to consider every possible candidate but to judge whether the candidates who applied were qualified for the job. Had Jon and Kristina not been exceptionally impressive candidates, they would not have received such overwhelmingly positive responses from our politically diverse team of vetters. And, again, the vetters could have chosen not to recommend one or both of these candidates.”
The two at-large seats on the Nov. 5 ballot are held by Louise Jackson and Katie Browning. Neither incumbent is running for reelection.
CTA has represented CCS teachers since June 2017. The organization did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the endorsements.
