Des Moines suburban school boards gear up for elections on Nov. 7. Here's who is running:
School board elections are coming up in suburban districts all across the Des Moines metro area.
Although technically nonpartisan, school board elections in recent years have attracted intense political attention across the nation over COVID-19 policies, instruction about race, LGBTQ visibility and the presence of certain books in schools. The 2021 school board elections in the Des Moines metro had some of the highest turnout in years.
Unless otherwise noted, most elections this year will be for at-large seats with four-year terms. Voters can vote for as many candidates as there are open seats.
This year's election will be Nov. 7. Here's who is running:
Ankeny School Board
Ten candidates are running in the Ankeny School Board election.
Four seats are up for election to four-year terms. The eight candidates running for those seats are:
Nick Bourne
Katie Claeys (incumbent)
Stephanie Gott
Christian Holtz
Shelly Northway
Joshua Palik (incumbent)
Amber Romans
Ryan Weldon (incumbent)
One seat is up for election to a two-year term. Joshua Palik was appointed to the seat in June 2022 to fill a vacancy after Trent Murphy resigned. The seat is on the ballot again under Iowa law.
The candidates for the two-year seat are:
Amy Guidry
Amy Tagliareni (incumbent)
Bondurant-Farrar School Board
Four candidates are running in the Bondurant-Farrar School Board election.
Three seats are up for election to four-year terms. The three candidates running for those seats are:
Stacia Sanny (incumbent)
Laurel Swanson
Kayla Vandehaar (incumbent)
One seat is up for election to a two-year term. Kayla Vandehaar was appointed to the seat in December 2022 to fill a vacancy after Kristin Swift resigned. The seat is on the ballot again under Iowa law.
The candidate for the two-year seat is:
Patrick Meyer
Dallas Center-Grimes School Board
Seven candidates are running in the Dallas Center-Grimes School Board election.
Two candidates are running for the District 3 seat, which includes southern Grimes. They are:
Nancy Baker Curtis (incumbent in the at-large seat, running instead for a district seat)
Kimberly Praska (incumbent)
Two candidates are running for the District 4 seat, which includes Dallas Center and parts of Grimes and Urbandale. They are:
Sean Cully
Meg Dickinson
Three candidates are running for two at-large seats. They are:
Ryan Carpenter (incumbent)
Matthew Moran
Shaylee Vander Velden
More: Who is running for Des Moines School Board? A look at the 2023 candidates
Johnston School Board
There are eight candidates running for four seats in the Johnston School Board election. They are:
Jason Arnold
Jennifer Chamberland (incumbent)
Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher (incumbent)
Josh Nelson
Charles Steele
Lori Stiles
Michelle Veach
Lya Williams
North Polk School Board
Three candidates are running for two seats in the North Polk School Board election. They are:
Kyle Campbell
Ashley Delaney
Dennis Goering
Editor's note: Incumbent Travis Davis has pulled his candidacy and will not be running for reelection.
Norwalk School Board
Six candidates are running for three seats in the Norwalk School Board election. They are:
Kate Baldwin
Emily Blom
Donald W. Cook
Daniel Doerfler
Jacob Heuser
Michelle Kelly (incumbent)
Saydel School Board
Seven candidates are running in the Saydel School Board election.
Four seats are up for election to four-year terms. The six candidates running for those seats are:
Ryan Buman (incumbent)
Gary Christensen II (incumbent)
Joshua Kirkpatrick
Samantha McNeeley
Jimmy Van Der Kamp (incumbent)
Tricia Zeis
One seat is up for election to a two-year term. Jimmy Van Der Kamp was appointed to the seat in April 2023 to fill a vacancy after Roland Kouski Jr. resigned. The seat is on the ballot again under Iowa law.
The candidate for the two-year seat is:
Jennifer Van Houten (incumbent)
Southeast Polk School Board
Six candidates are running for four seats in the Southeast Polk School Board election. They are:
Chad Crabb (incumbent)
Ryan W. English
Brett Handy (incumbent)
Greg Morse
Kelly Simmons
Lori Slings (incumbent)
Urbandale School Board
Six candidates are running for four seats in the Urbandale School Board election. They are:
Steve Avis
Danielle Bartkiw
Katherine Howsare (incumbent)
Josh Van Ryswyk
Carissa Williams
Margaret Young
Waukee School Board
Five candidates are running for three seats in the Waukee School Board election. They are:
Kate Boonstra
Amy Jepsen
Wendy Marsh (incumbent)
Tami Rubino
Michael Trettin (incumbent)
West Des Moines School Board
Eight candidates are running for four seats in the West Des Moines School Board election. They are:
Michael Andreski
Laurie Beilstein
Jeff Hicks (incumbent)
Jill Caton Johnson (incumbent)
Elizabeth Larson
Teri Patrick
Aaron Sewell
Scott White
Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who is running for 2023 school board in suburbs like Ankeny, Johnston