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School Board Elections

School Board Election Day

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Find your polling location

Standards for Successful School Boards

According to the Iowa Association of School Boards, below are the six standards for successful school boards:

  1. Visionary Team: Operate as a visionary governance team in partnership with the superintendent.
  2. Student Learning: Provide effective leadership for quality instruction and high, equitable student learning.
  3. District Culture: Foster a culture that enables excellence and innovation.
  4. Policy & Legal: Lead through sound policy, ensuring transparent, ethical, legal operations.
  5. Fiscal Responsibility: Sustain and enhance district resources through planning and fiduciary oversight.
  6. Advocacy: Advocate for public education and the needs of Iowa students.

Requirements of Ankeny School Board Directors:

Members of the Ankeny Board of Education are elected at large for four-year voluntary terms.

The Board of Education follows a governance model. In this process, the Board gives direction to the school district as to its priorities and goals, and the administration then develops the best procedures and practices to fulfill those goals.

The Board meets the first and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. School Board members also sit on a number of committees, which advise the district in areas of policy, curriculum & instruction, and planning.
For more information, we encourage any interested individuals to review the Iowa Association of School Board’s (IASB) Guide For Iowa School Board Candidates and the Iowa Secretary of State’s Candidate’s Guide to the School Election.

Current Ankeny Board of Education

Board President: Ryan Weldon, term expires in 2023
Board Vice President: Joy Burk, term expires in 2025
Sarah Barthole, term expires in 2025
Katie Claeys, term expires in 2023
Vacancy filled by Aaron Johnson, term expires 2023
Vacancy filled by Johsua Palik, term expires in 2025 but is up for re-election in 2023 in alignment with Iowa Code regarding board vacancies
Amy Tagliareni, term expires in 2023

Student Board Representative Selection

Student Board Representative Selection Process:
Board policy 202.50 states: The student school board representatives shall be selected by the administrative teams of their respective high schools. Each high school shall develop a process for selecting its representative and shall ensure that the process is equitable, inclusive, and does not preference any student or group of students due to their membership in a protected class.

For both high schools, students interested in serving as the school board representative complete an application. The applications are then reviewed by a student committee that selects the school representative. Student Board Representatives typically begin attending the meetings of the Ankeny Board of Education in September.

Roles and Expectations:
Board policy 202.50 states the following for roles and expectations:

In keeping with law and policy, the student school board representatives shall be eligible to participate in discussion, but shall not vote, at all regular board meetings held in open session. They shall not attend closed or exempt sessions and any other board meetings lawfully not open to the public.

  • The student school board representatives shall not be counted when determining if a quorum of board members is present.
  • The student school board representatives shall be responsible for gathering input on issues from the student bodies they represent and for communicating board decisions and information to the district’s students.
  • The student school board representatives shall participate in an orientation of board responsibilities and procedures as determined by the superintendent/designee. The Board President shall provide the student school board representatives with the Board Members’ Code of Ethics; the student school board representatives shall abide by all applicable sections of this Code.

2023 Board Election Timeline:

August 28: School Board Candidate filing begins. Each candidate must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petitions with the Board Secretary Jennifer Jamison. The affidavit of candidacy and nomination petitions must be filed together or they will be rejected. Copies of nomination papers are available at the school district office (please contact the Board Secretary), the county auditor’s office, or on the Secretary of State’s website. The minimum number of signatures needed depends on the number of registered voters in the school district. In Ankeny, this is 50 signatures, but it is recommended to obtain more should any signatures be considered invalid. Please Note: Candidates will need to provide the director position that they are seeking on their affidavit of candidacy to distinguish between the 4-year terms and the 2-year term.
September 21, 5 p.m.: Nomination filing deadline
September 26, 5 p.m.: Candidate Withdrawal Deadline
October 23, 5 p.m.: Absentee Ballot by Mail Request Deadline
November 6: Absentee Ballot In-Person Deadline
November 7: School Board Election Day