2022 Indiana General Election: Meet the candidates for the Decatur Township school board

Caroline Beck, Indianapolis Star
·2 min read

The Decatur Township school board has six seats, three of which are on the ballot this year. All of the seats on the school board are at-large seats. All three incumbents are running again this year and only face one challenger.

Any voter living in the district can vote for the three board members.

At Large

The top three candidates who win the most votes will win the seats.

Dale Henson

Dale Henson currently serves as the Decatur school board president and has been serving on the board for over 16 years. He has lived in the district for 65 years and currently works as a contract employee for the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association. He retired from being the township’s fire chief in 2014 and has also served on the Decatur Township education foundation. He said he promises to support opportunities for all students to graduate prepared for college or post-secondary programs and wants to support strong fiscal responsibility by ensuring taxpayer dollars are put toward student learning opportunities.

Learn more about Henson at facebook.com/DaleHensonForSchoolBoard.

Jimmy Ray

Jimmy Ray is a current board member and was first appointed to the board in 2017 and then won his first election for the board seat in 2018. He currently works for Rolls-Royce and has lived in the district for over 56 years and has three children who have graduated from Decatur Central High School. He said he supports more parent participation in school and wants to also make sure Decatur students are prepared for their future.

Judith Collins

Judith Collins currently serves as the vice president of the Decatur school board and has been serving on the board for over a decade. According to her campaign filing report, she currently works for Olin Brass. IndyStar reached out for additional comment.

Steven Chase Lyday

Steven Chase Lyday is the only non-incumbent candidate running for the Decatur school board and is currently the chief of police for the Avon Community School Corporation. He is also the current president of the Indiana School Resource Officers Association and has worked as an SRO officer in Decatur schools. On his Facebook campaign page, he said some of his priorities are promoting a safe environment for students, creating more teacher support and promoting programs that grow success.

Learn more about Lyday at his campaign’s Facebook page.

Early voting has already begun and Indianapolis voters can early vote in person at the Indianapolis City-County building. Additional early voting sites open on Oct. 29. To find where the sites are located go to vote.indy.gov/early-voting.

Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s vote centers on election day on Nov. 8.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IN election 2022: Meet the Decatur Township school board candidates