Wanda Thruston

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Wanda Thruston

Prior offices

Metropolitan School District of Washington Township school board District 1

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Wanda Thruston (formerly Wanda Roddy) was a member of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township school board, representing District 1. Thruston assumed office in 2008. Thruston left office in 2020.

Elections

2016

See also: Metropolitan School District of Washington Township elections (2016)

Three of the five seats on the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. One seat was up for at-large election and two were up for by-district election. Two newcomers filed for the open at-large seat: John Fencl and Deitric Hall, with Fencl winning the seat. In District 1, incumbent Wanda Roddy defeated newcomer Andrew McSheffery. District 3 incumbent Anthony Dzwonar filed for re-election without opposition and won another term on the board. There was no primary.

Results

Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Wanda Roddy Incumbent	60.68%	16,495
Andrew McSheffery	39.32%	10,688
Total Votes (100)		27,183
Source: Indianapolis, "2016 General Election Results for Marion County, Certified Results," accessed November 29, 2016

Funding

Roddy reported $2,125.00 in contributions and $2,291.48 in expenditures to the Marion County Board of Elections, which left her campaign with $166.48 in debt as of October 25, 2016.

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2016

School board candidates in Indiana who received more than $500 in contributions or made more than $500 in expenditures had to have a principal committee. This committee was designated by a candidate to accept contributions and make expenditures to promote him or her for the election. Each committee was required to have a chairperson and a treasurer, and no contribution or expenditure could be accepted or made on behalf of the candidate's committee without the authorization of the chairperson or treasurer.

Once the $500 threshold was reached, the candidate had to also file a Statement of Organization form no later than at noon, 10 days after the candidate exceeded the limit. The requirement to form a principal committee and file a statement was lifted for candidates who did not meet the $500 threshold requirement. The pre-election report was due October 21, 2016, and the annual report was due January 18, 2017.

Endorsements

Roddy was endorsed by the Washington Township Parent Council Network.

Campaign themes

Roddy answered the question posed by the district "Why are you running for the Washington Township School Board?" as follows:

“	I am running for my third term of the Washington Township School Board because: I want to continue to play a major role in ensuring that ALL MSDWT children, today and beyond, have the opportunity to achieve academic success, regardless of race, ethnicity or economic status in an equitable environment that is safe and supports the teaching and learning needs of the 21st century. I want to be sure that our great teachers are supported and feel prepared to provide our children strong, rigorous and an enriching academic education. I want to ensure the continued development of an environment that encourages, supports and accepts parental and community involvement. I want to make certain that equitable credence is given to all governance decisions from a voice and lens that reflects the diversity of our students, parents, teachers, staff and WT citizens. As a current school board member, I’ve actively learned about the conditions of the District’s buildings, the over crowdedness of our schools, an infrastructure that does not support the latest technology and the inability to provide the best safety and security protections. I’m also very aware of the growth of our student population, the demographic changes and the need for increased resources to ensure an equitable education. Although our teachers, staff and students are doing an excellent job in teaching and learning within the current conditions, it is far from ideal. Furthermore, I’m aware of the District’s financial situation, the State of Indiana’s climate on public school budgets, student testing and teacher shortages. For these reasons, I feel Washington Township Schools is at a very pivotal time in its history. On June 8, 2016, I joined the other school board members to unanimously vote to place the two referenda on the November 2016 ballot for Washington Township Schools. If passed, one referendum will provide the funds to make major improvements in all of our schools, including the building of a new elementary school to decrease the over crowdedness, improve the safety and security needs of our schools and provide the basic infrastructure to support the most current teaching and learning environments and technology. The second referendum will provide operating dollars to maintain and expand our staff and programs needed to meet the needs of our children. If either or both referenda do not pass, critical decisions will need to be made very quickly, because the District will need to decrease the overall budget by up to 4 million dollars by the end of 2017. I’m running for my third term of the Washington Township School Board because I understand how a school board works within the policies and laws set forth by the State and the vast amount of information one will need to know to make the critical decisions for the district as quickly. Having served on a variety of board of directors, both locally and nationally, school boards do not operate like other non-profit or business boards. It takes 1-2 years for a first time board member to fully understand the operation, policies and laws that govern school boards. For the future and best interest of our Washington Township citizens, tax payers, schools, parents, teachers and most importantly children, I want to be re-elected to the Washington Township School Board to be sure these critical decisions are made by experienced leaders that have the knowledge and skills to make them.	”
—Wanda Roddy (2016)

See also

• Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, Indiana
• Metropolitan School District of Washington Township elections (2016)

External links

Suggest a link

• Metropolitan School District of Washington Township
• Office website