Derek Morgan SOCS School Board

10/07/2026

Early voting for the 2026 General Election is now underway.

If you live within the Spencer-Owen Community Schools district, take some time to learn about the candidates running for school board and make a plan for how and when you will vote.

There are three school board seats on the ballot this year, and every vote helps shape the future leadership of our schools.

The Owen County Elections Office has information about early voting, Election Day voting, registration, and other important election information:

https://www.owencounty.in.gov/government/election-board-voter-registration/

Make a plan. Learn about the candidates. Don’t forget the school board races.

10/06/2026

Our next school board meeting is Thursday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room at Central Office.

I’m sharing the agenda ahead of time so our community can see what the board will be discussing and acting on at Thursday’s meeting.

At the conclusion of the regular meeting, the board will meet in a closed-door executive session to discuss collective bargaining.

As always, the public is welcome to attend the regular meeting.

09/22/2026

Before our regular meeting this week, the Board of School Trustees will meet in executive session for our annual review of the corporation’s school safety plan.

State law requires school corporations to review their safety plans each year before submitting them to the state. This is an important part of the Board’s responsibility to review and oversee the plans and procedures in place to help keep our students and staff safe.

Our regular meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room at Central Office. The regular session will also be livestreamed on our YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.

The agenda for the meeting is included below.

📺 Watch the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/

09/15/2026

🗳️ The deadline to register to vote is approaching!

With Spencer-Owen Community Schools School Board races on the ballot this year, now is a good time to check your voter registration and make sure your information is up to date. The deadline to register to vote before the 2026 General Election is October 5, 2026.

This year’s S-OCS School Board races include:

District 2
• Joe Pavich (Nonpartisan) – Unopposed

District 3
• Anthony Bonds (Nonpartisan)
• Elizabeth Bixler (Nonpartisan)

District 5
• Jama Brown (Republican)
• Jacob Zeunik (Nonpartisan)

If you are unsure about your registration status, take a few minutes to check it before the deadline. Every election is an opportunity for our community to have a voice in the future of our schools.

🗓️ Register or check your registration by October 5, 2026.

Breadcrumbs Voter Information Current: Register to Vote Voter Registration NOTE: Certain military and overseas voters have extended registration periods. See http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/2673.htm for more information. Mail-in voter registration applications must be postmarked on or before the abo...

09/10/2026

The S-OCS School Board meets tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room at Central Office.

Tonight’s meeting is an opportunity for the board to continue working through the important business of Spencer-Owen Community Schools and the decisions that support our students, staff, and schools.

The meeting is open to the public. The agenda is available for those who would like to follow along.

08/26/2026

The Spencer-Owen Community Schools Board of School Trustees will meet this Thursday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room at Central Office.

One item on Thursday’s agenda represents the culmination of some important work we’ve done as a Board over the past several months: the proposed Superintendent’s goals for the coming school year will be presented to the Board for consideration and adoption.

Rather than simply setting goals in isolation, we spent time at our annual Board Retreat working alongside our administration to identify the areas we believe should be priorities for Spencer-Owen Community Schools. We then used those priorities to develop specific goals and determine how we will measure progress throughout the year.

I believe this is an important step toward making our Board work more focused, intentional, and connected to student outcomes. I’m looking forward to continuing that work Thursday night.

As always, the full agenda is below. I hope you’ll take a look and join us!

08/14/2026

💰🏫Where do your tax dollars actually go when it comes to public education?

School funding in Indiana can be complicated—and there are a lot of misconceptions about how schools are funded and how your tax dollars are used.

This six-minute video does an excellent job of explaining Indiana’s school funding system in plain language and helping answer an important question: How does the money actually make its way to our schools and students?

As school board members, one of our most important responsibilities is financial oversight. We have a responsibility to make sure the resources entrusted to our school district are managed responsibly, spent wisely, and ultimately used to provide our community’s students with a high-quality education.

If you’ve ever wondered how school funding works in Indiana, take six minutes and give this video a watch. I think you’ll find it helpful—and you may learn something you didn’t know about how our schools are funded.

This is "Indiana School Funding" by CIESC Media Services on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

08/11/2026

The S-OCS School Board meets this Thursday at 7:00pm in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room at Central Office for our August 13 Regular Session meeting. The board will be conducting the business as presented on the following agenda.

Per Indiana Legal Code the public are allowed to provide public comment on any agenda item before final action is taken. The public can also watch this and all of our other meetings on our YouTube page. https://youtube.com/?feature=shared

07/16/2026

The S-OCS School Board meets tonight at 7:00pm in the Mike Wells Memorial Board Room. The public are welcome to attend or watch the meeting on YouTube. https://youtube.com/?feature=shared

06/22/2026

The filing period for the 2026 Spencer-Owen Community Schools Board of School Trustees election has concluded, and I would like to thank the individuals who submitted petitions to serve our school corporation and community.

The following candidates will appear on the November 3 General Election ballot:

District 2
• Joe Pavich (Nonpartisan) – Unopposed

District 3
• Anthony Bonds (Nonpartisan)
• Elizabeth Bixler (Nonpartisan)

District 5
• Jama Brown (Republican)
• Jacob Zeunik (Nonpartisan)

As shown on the district map below, candidates must reside within the district they seek to represent. However, all registered voters who live within the Spencer-Owen Community Schools boundaries are eligible to vote in each school board race, regardless of which district they live in.

School board races are typically listed near the end of the ballot, so be sure to continue voting all the way through the ballot when you cast your vote on November 3.

This election will also mark a significant change in Indiana school board elections. For the first time, candidates had the option of having a political party designation appear next to their name on the ballot. Prior to this election cycle, all Indiana school board candidates appeared on the ballot as nonpartisan candidates.

Serving on a school board requires a significant commitment of time, effort, and dedication to public service. I appreciate everyone who has stepped forward and is willing to serve our students, staff, and community.

Please remember to make your voice heard by voting on November 3.