Hauser comes from behind to lead newcomers to Orange County School Board election wins
Longtime community advocate Bonnie Hauser came from behind late Tuesday night to lead the field in the race for three seats on the the Orange County Schools Board of Education.
Newcomers Jennifer Moore and Carrie Doyle took the second and third seats, respectively.
With all 18 precincts reporting. Hauser had 17.79% of the vote, followed by Moore with 17.52% and Doyle with 17.15%.
Close behind was Hate-Free Schools Coalition founder LaTarndra Strong with 16.77%, followed by incumbent Tony McKnight with 12.41%, and newcomer Jennie McCray with 11.40%.
The three top vote-getters in the nonpartisan race will join the seven-member school board in December.
Results (18 of 18 precincts reporting):
| Candidate | Number of Votes | Percentage of Votes |
| Bonnie Hauser | 7,097 | 17.79% |
| Jennifer Moore | 6,988 | 17.52% |
| Carrie Doyle | 6,843 | 17.15% |
| LaTarndra Strong | 6,689 | 16.77% |
| Tony McKnight | 4,951 | 12.41% |
| Jennie McCray | 4,547 | 11.40% |
Hauser said she is excited to work with Superintendent Monique Felder, who was hired to lead the county schools in November, and shares Felder’s focus on student achievement and teacher retention. She also wants everyone involved in making the schools better, Hauser said.
“I’ve met so many incredible people who care about schools, especially parents and teachers,” she said. “I don’t know exactly how we’re going to do it (but) we have to find ways for people to engage with our schools without having to run for school board, because not everybody’s got the time or the interest to do that.”
School board members review and set district priorities, policies and budgets. They advocate with the county commissioners for school funding needs and also are responsible for hiring and firing the superintendent and approving contracts.
School board members Stephen Halkiotis — who stumped for Hauser, McCray and McKnight during the election — and Matthew Roberts did not seek re-election this year. The slate of Moore, Doyle and Strong was endorsed by the Indy Week.
A seventh candidate, Lori Bateman, dropped out too late to have her name removed from the ballot but earned 6.50% of the early voting totals.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 8:35 PM.
