A petition to move to an elected school board for the Valparaiso Community Schools Corporation is now available online to be signed by residents of Valparaiso and Center Township.
The petition drive was launched last year to push for an elected school board for Valparaiso Community Schools. Valparaiso is one of the 12 school districts in the state that are still under an appointed board system. There are 293 school boards in the state of Indiana. The petition drive is being spearheaded by Kevin Cornett of Valparaiso.
“96 percent of school districts in this state elect their board,” Cornett said. “It is time that Valparaiso become part of the vast majority of districts in the state that elect their school boards.”
The group has launched a website, www.electvalposchoolboard.com, to assist in garnering signatures and informing the public about the push for an elected school board. Signatures for the petition can be added online or in person by any person that lives within the Valparaiso Community Schools district and is a registered voter. The online signatures will be added to the 2,500 other signatures collected by hand. 3,500 signatures are required to begin the process of moving to an elected board.
“We have already gathered thousands of signatures in person,” Cornett said. “To surpass our goal, online signatures are necessary. It is much easier to reach all of the voters in Valparaiso with an online petition.”
Anyone interested in signing the petition or becoming involved with the drive for an elected school board can visit www.electvalposchoolboard.com or email the organization at info@electvalposchoolboard.com.