Pickerington Local School District, Ohio, elections
| Pickerington Local School District |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 5 |
| Next election: November 4, 2025 |
| Students: 11,549 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 15 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
Pickerington Local School District is a school district in Ohio (Franklin and Fairfield counties). During the 2024 school year, 11,549 students attended one of the district's 15 schools.
This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.
Elections
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Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates are running in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| J.D. Postage (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Paul Hamman (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Ryan Holstine (Nonpartisan)  | |
 | Brooke LaGrasso (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Charles Newman (Nonpartisan) | |
| Cheryl Ricketts (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Toby Sidorski (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large (2 seats)
Mark Hensen and incumbent Cathy Olshefski defeated Cheryl Ricketts, incumbent Keith Kristoff, and Steven Anderson in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mark Hensen (Nonpartisan) | 24.7 | 7,677 | |
| ✔ |  | Cathy Olshefski (Nonpartisan) | 22.7 | 7,073 |
| Cheryl Ricketts (Nonpartisan) | 22.1 | 6,883 | ||
 | Keith Kristoff (Nonpartisan) | 18.0 | 5,602 | |
 | Steven Anderson (Nonpartisan) | 12.4 | 3,858 | |
| Total votes: 31,093 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vanessa Niekamp (Nonpartisan) | 16.6 | 4,597 |
| ✔ | J.D. Postage (Nonpartisan) | 16.2 | 4,489 | |
| ✔ |  | Clay Lopez (Nonpartisan) | 15.7 | 4,341 |
 | Christian Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 11.7 | 3,240 | |
| Mark Hensen (Nonpartisan) | 10.2 | 2,830 | ||
| Charles Newman (Nonpartisan) | 10.1 | 2,804 | |
| Ryan Holstine (Nonpartisan) | 9.8 | 2,711 | |
| Vanessa Hayes-William (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 2,635 | ||
| Total votes: 27,647 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large (2 seats)
Incumbent Keith Kristoff and Cathy Olshefski defeated Christian Johnson, Barry Sutherland, and Tezlyn Reardon in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Keith Kristoff (Nonpartisan) | 25.6 | 2,754 |
| ✔ | | Cathy Olshefski (Nonpartisan) | 21.2 | 2,279 |
| Christian Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 2,162 | |
| Barry Sutherland (Nonpartisan) | 19.2 | 2,064 | ||
 | Tezlyn Reardon (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 1,493 | |
| Total votes: 10,752 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
Incumbent Clay Lopez, incumbent Vanessa Niekamp, and incumbent Lori Sanders won election in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2017.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Clay Lopez (Nonpartisan) |
| ✔ | | Vanessa Niekamp (Nonpartisan) |
| ✔ |  | Lori Sanders (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
General election
General election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large
Incumbent Keith Kristoff and incumbent Michelle Waterhouse won election in the general election for Pickerington Local School District Board of Education At-large on November 3, 2015.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Keith Kristoff (Nonpartisan) |
| ✔ |  | Michelle Waterhouse (Nonpartisan) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Election rules
Election dates and frequency
School board nonpartisan primary elections in Ohio are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May every two years in odd-numbered years in districts that opt to hold primary elections. Only some school districts hold primary elections, while most do not.
School board general elections in Ohio are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years every two years.
See law:
Ohio Statute Section 3501.01 and Ohio Statue Section 3501.01
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts with elected board members in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Primary election date: May 6, 2025
- General election date: November 4, 2025
Election system
School board members in Ohio are elected through nonpartisan general elections. School boards can adopt resolutions to hold nonpartisan primary elections. Only some school districts hold primary elections, while many do not.
As of 2022, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District was the only district classified as a municipal school district in Ohio. Its nine school board members are appointed by the mayor. School districts are classified as municipal school districts if they have been subject to "a federal court order requiring supervision and operational, fiscal, and personnel management of the district by the state superintendent of public instruction." State law requires a nine-member school board appointed by the mayor to control a municipal school district for four years after the district is released from the court order. After four years, a referendum is held for voters to decide whether to continue with an appointed board or to move to an elected board. In 2002, Cleveland voters approved a referendum to keep their school board appointed.
See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.256 and Ohio Statute Section Section 3311.71
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Ohio are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Ohio Statute states, "The name of each candidate for member of a city, local, or exempted village board of education shall appear on the nonpartisan ballot." Statute governing the nonpartisan ballot lists the offices that must be included and states, "No name or designation of any political party nor any words, designations, or emblems descriptive of a candidate or the candidate's political affiliation, or indicative of the method by which such candidate was nominated or certified, shall be printed under or after any nonpartisan candidate's name which is printed on the ballot."
See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.254 and Section 3505.04
Winning an election
If a school district holds primaries, the candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. Candidates equaling twice the number of open seats on the board advance to the general election. The primary election is canceled unless more than twice as many candidates file as there are open seats on the board. School boards can adopt a resolution by a three-fifths vote to establish nonpartisan primary elections for board members.
The candidates with the most votes in the general election are elected to office.
See law: Ohio Statue Section 3513.256 and Ohio Statue Section 3313.02
Term length and staggering
School board members have four-year terms.
See law: State Statute Section 3313.09
School districts elect as close as to half of their school board members as possible at one general election, and the other half at a general election two years later. Most school districts have five or seven school board members, so two members (or four on a seven-member board) are elected at one general election, and three members are elected at a general election two years later.
See law: Ohio Statue Section 3313.08
Representation: at large vs. by sub-district
School districts must elect all of their school board members at large from the whole district or, depending on the classification of the district, they can elect board members through a combination of some members elected at large and some members elected by sub-district. As of 2022, all public school districts elected their members at large only.
Schools classified as City School Districts can elect their school board members either at large or through a combination of members elected at large and members elected from sub-districts. As of 2022, all City School Districts elected their school board members at large only.
School districts classified as Local and Exempted Village Districts must elect all of their school board members at large from the whole district.
See law:
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
School board candidates in districts that have opted to hold a primary election must file by 4:00 pm on the ninetieth day before the primary election. Most school districts do not hold a primary
School board candidates in districts that have not opted to hold a primary election must file by 4:00 pm on the ninetieth day before the general election.
See law: State Statute Section 3513.256 and State Statute Section 3513.256
Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first day of January following their election.
See law: State Statute Section 3313.09
About the district
School board
The Pickerington Local School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Seat | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Hensen | At Large | 2024 | 2027 |
| Cathy Olshefski | At Large | 2020 | 2027 |
| J.D. Postage | At Large | 2022 | 2025 |
| Clay Lopez | At Large | 2018 | 2025 |
| Vanessa Niekamp | At Large | 2013 | 2025 |
Join the conversation about school board politics
District map
Overlapping state house districts
The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $14,726,000 | $1,339 | 9% |
| Local: | $78,926,000 | $7,176 | 50% |
| State: | $64,026,000 | $5,822 | 41% |
| Total: | $157,678,000 | $14,337 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $153,642,000 | $13,969 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $143,432,000 | $13,041 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $88,892,000 | $8,082 | 58% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $16,271,000 | $1,479 | 11% |
| Administration: | $14,970,000 | $1,361 | 10% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $23,299,000 | $2,118 | 15% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $4,203,000 | $382 | |
| Construction: | $1,818,000 | $165 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $95,000 | $8 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $2,385,000 | $216 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 58 | 55-59 | 40 | 49 | <50 | 54 | 70 |
| 2018-2019 | 76 | 70-74 | 61 | 67 | 40-59 | 73 | 84 |
| 2017-2018 | 74 | 75-79 | 58 | 64 | >=50 | 70 | 82 |
| 2016-2017 | 73 | 75-79 | 59 | 60-64 | >=50 | 71 | 80 |
| 2015-2016 | 71 | 70-74 | 56 | 55-59 | >=50 | 69 | 78 |
| 2014-2015 | 79 | 80-84 | 67 | 65-69 | >=50 | 79 | 84 |
| 2013-2014 | 84 | 85-89 | 74 | 70-74 | >=50 | 83 | 89 |
| 2012-2013 | 86 | 85-89 | 73 | 75-79 | >=50 | 84 | 91 |
| 2011-2012 | 87 | 85-89 | 75 | 80-84 | >=50 | 84 | 91 |
| 2010-2011 | 86 | 85-89 | 72 | 75-79 | >=50 | 84 | 90 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 69 | 65-69 | 57 | 58 | >=50 | 66 | 78 |
| 2018-2019 | 77 | 75-79 | 66 | 70 | 60-79 | 76 | 84 |
| 2017-2018 | 76 | 75-79 | 64 | 67 | >=50 | 76 | 82 |
| 2016-2017 | 76 | 75-79 | 62 | 65-69 | >=50 | 77 | 82 |
| 2015-2016 | 66 | 65-69 | 52 | 50-54 | >=50 | 64 | 73 |
| 2014-2015 | 84 | 85-89 | 74 | 70-74 | >=50 | 83 | 88 |
| 2013-2014 | 92 | 90-94 | 86 | 80-84 | >=50 | 93 | 94 |
| 2012-2013 | 92 | 90-94 | 85 | 80-84 | >=50 | 93 | 94 |
| 2011-2012 | 92 | 90-94 | 86 | 85-89 | >=50 | 92 | 94 |
| 2010-2011 | 92 | 90-94 | 86 | 85-89 | >=50 | 91 | 94 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 95 | >=90 | 90-94 | >=90 | PS | 90-94 | 97 |
| 2018-2019 | 95 | >=90 | 90-94 | >=90 | >=90 | 95 | |
| 2017-2018 | 94 | >=90 | 90-94 | 80-89 | PS | 90-94 | 96 |
| 2016-2017 | 97 | >=80 | 90-94 | >=80 | PS | >=90 | 98 |
| 2015-2016 | 98 | >=80 | >=95 | >=90 | PS | >=90 | 98 |
| 2014-2015 | 97 | >=80 | >=95 | >=90 | PS | >=90 | 98 |
| 2013-2014 | 96 | >=80 | 90-94 | >=80 | PS | >=90 | 98 |
| 2012-2013 | 95 | >=80 | 90-94 | 80-89 | PS | >=95 | 97 |
| 2011-2012 | 95 | >=80 | 90-94 | 80-89 | PS | >=90 | 96 |
| 2010-2011 | 91 | >=80 | 85-89 | 60-79 | PS | >=90 | 94 |
Students
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 11,549 | 1.5 |
| 2022-2023 | 11,370 | 3.3 |
| 2021-2022 | 10,998 | 4.9 |
| 2020-2021 | 10,454 | -2.7 |
| 2019-2020 | 10,739 | 0.7 |
| 2018-2019 | 10,665 | 1.9 |
| 2017-2018 | 10,463 | 2.3 |
| 2016-2017 | 10,224 | 0.4 |
| 2015-2016 | 10,181 | -0.2 |
| 2014-2015 | 10,199 | 1.2 |
| 2013-2014 | 10,076 | 0.1 |
| 2012-2013 | 10,061 | -1.0 |
| 2011-2012 | 10,166 | -3.6 |
| 2010-2011 | 10,529 | 0.6 |
| 2009-2010 | 10,470 | -0.9 |
| 2008-2009 | 10,563 | 2.3 |
| 2007-2008 | 10,316 | 2.1 |
| 2006-2007 | 10,100 | 3.1 |
| 2005-2006 | 9,787 | 5.0 |
| 2004-2005 | 9,295 | 4.1 |
| 2003-2004 | 8,917 | 5.3 |
| 2002-2003 | 8,440 | 5.3 |
| 2001-2002 | 7,989 | 9.5 |
| 2000-2001 | 7,228 | 2.7 |
| 1999-2000 | 7,035 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Pickerington Local School District (%) | Ohio K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 8.7 | 2.9 |
| Black | 32.9 | 17.0 |
| Hispanic | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 7.5 | 6.3 |
| White | 43.9 | 65.8 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Pickerington Local School District had 566.38 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 20.39.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 11.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 26.67 |
| Elementary: | 243.30 |
| Secondary: | 269.30 |
| Total: | 566.38 |
Pickerington Local School District employed 7.00 district administrators and 35.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 7.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 71.00 |
| School Administrators: | 35.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 49.35 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 109.49 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 24.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 28.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 4.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 8.70 |
| Student Support Services: | 131.19 |
| Other Support Services: | 542.44 |
Schools
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
About school boards
Education legislation in Ohio
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| School Boards | Education Policy | Local Politics | Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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