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Here’s Who Hopes to Fill Five Open Seats on the IPS Board This November

Turnover is coming to the Indianapolis Public Schools’ (IPS) board in this November’s midterms. The board is already in flux following two unexpected resignations in recent months. So we look at who is filling those seats temporarily alongside who will be on voters’ ballots come November.

Two Board Positions in Flux

Back in March, Gayle Cosby resigned from the IPS board. The remaining board members appointed Hasaan Rashid to fill that seat (District 2) up through the November election, at which point a permanent member will be elected to District 2. Rashid previously ran for District 2 but lost to Cosby in the general election.

Shortly thereafter, Alissa Impink resigned her seat (District 4) in May because she chose to run for Indiana State Senate District 46 and won the Democratic primary. As of this writing, IPS is in the process of appointing a temporary replacement for District 4.

Candidates Running for Five Open Seats

Five of the seven IPS board seats are up for election this fall, including one at large alongside Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5. With one exception, the field is much more crowded compared to past races with two seats drawing four competing candidates.

At Large

Four candidates are running for the single at large seat that is up for election this year: Heather Houston, Anjee Moore, Alexander Nyirendah, and Sacha Nicole Sharp.

  • Heather Houston is an ELA Instructional Coach at Liberty Grove Schools. In her candidacy announcement on LinkedIn, she wrote: “I am a proud former IPS educator and special education teacher, a mom of three, an instructional coach, and an advocate for students, families, and educators.”
  • Anjee Moore is currently serving on the board in her first term, having been elected in 2023.
  • Alexander Nyirendah is the Vice Chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and the Director of the Marion County Board of Voter Registration. He has previously held roles with Eleven Fifty Academy and RISE Indy.
  • Sacha Nicole Sharp is a mother of three with three degrees in education. According to her candidate website, she’s running to “reclaim the future of IPS” because “our children deserve our respect and access to equitable opportunities.”

District 2

Two candidates are running for District 2: Bryan Duarte and Hasaan Rashid.

District 3

Four candidates are running for District 3: Loren Heger, Derek Redelman, Hope Star, and Daqavise Winston.

  • Loren Heger is a Managing Principal at FNEX.
  • Derek Redelman is a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute with experience in nonprofit and philanthropic leadership. For what it’s worth, he’s active on Twitter, where he often shares education research and news.
  • Hope Star is currently serving on the board in her first term, having been elected in 2023. She is also the current board President.
  • Daqavise Winston is an educator in Warren Township. He previously ran for a board seat in 2020 against then-incumbent Venita Moore. Winston lost that race.

District 4

Only Chris Bultman filed to run for District 4. He is the Director of External Affairs for Concept Schools’ Indiana regional office. Barring some kind of Deez Nuts write-in insurgency, we know at least one of five outcomes for the board.

District 5

Three candidates are running for District 5: Nicole Carey, Yuri Smith Sr., and Pearl Taylor.

  • Nicole Carey is currently serving on the board in her first term, having been elected in 2023.
  • Yuri Smith Sr. is the founder of Indy’s Inner City Chess Club and notes in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy that he is “dedicated to bringing positive change to the IPS School Board.”
  • Pearl Taylor is a licensed professional stylist, coach, and youth mentor. She is also a Freedom Readers Fellow with RISE Indy.

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