Only One Candidate Has Applied to Run for School Board, as Filing Deadline Approaches

With less than a week remaining before the filing deadline, there is only one candidate who has filed to run in the East Lansing Board of Education election. Four seats will be up for grabs in November’s election.

At the time of publication, current Board President Chris Martin is the lone candidate to file, according to a candidate list on the Ingham County clerk’s website. The filing deadline is Tuesday, July 23 at 4 p.m. ELi reached out to board members Estrella Torrez, Gary Holbrook and Elizabeth Lyons, whose terms are expiring, asking if they plan to run to stay on the board. Holbrook was the only one to give a response, he said he is still undecided. 

The school board election will be broken up into two separate races. One race will see three candidates elected to full four-year terms. The other will have candidates compete for a two-year partial term. 

Despite slow turnout so far, it would not be surprising to see competition for the open seats heat up. In 2022, there were 10 candidates for four open seats. In 2020, there were eight candidates competing for three seats. 

More recently, there have been three separate appointments to the board because former members resigned. When Martin was appointed last February, there were nine applicants for the slot. Holbrook was selected over one other applicant last August, and Torrez was picked from a pool of six applicants last October. 

Board of Education members meet once or twice each month to vote on matters pressing to the school district. The board approves contracts with new employees, helps guide the district through major changes and more. In recent years, the board has been at the center of the district’s plan to increase school safety. 

More information about upcoming elections and how to file as a candidate can be found here.