Two incumbents on the Tippecanoe Valley School Board lost their re-election bid Tuesday night, but a third will get to serve four more years. In the District 3 race, incumbent Mark Wise lost to Stanley Miller; while incumbent Rod Eaton lost in the District 5 race to Todd Hoffman. Board President Bryan Murphy beat out Royce Wright to hold on to his seat for another term. Murphy received 938 votes in Kosciusko County and 611 votes in Fulton County for a total of 1,549. Wright collected 525 in Kosciusko and 295 in Fulton, for a total of 820 votes. “I’m glad I won and I won by a large margin,” Murphy said in a telephone call Tuesday night. With the win by a wide margin, he said that tells him the community thinks he’s doing a good job. However, with the two other incumbents being defeated, Murphy said that also tells him the community wants change. One area the school board and corporation can do better at is communication, Murphy said. He said he is excited to have two new members join the board and bring some fresh ideas. All of the candidates want to do what’s best for kids, he said. “I’m excited about the next four years,” Murphy said. In the District 3 race, winner Miller received 766 votes in Kosciusko and 501 in Fulton for a total of 1,267. Wise earned 739 votes in Kosciusko and 413 in Fulton, for a total of 1,152. Miller said, “I’m just, number one, thankful for the votes and supporters.” He said he will do everything in the best interest of the schools and children. He wants to make people proud to call Tippecanoe Valley their school and do what’s right. One reason he said he ran for the board was for a change. “I think that’s a lot of reason I ran. I’ve been saying there are issues I want changed. I have kids in school. I’ve been talking to other people in the community who have been telling me they want to see change. Nothing against Mark, but people want to see change,” Miller said. District 5 had three candidates. Eaton received 550 in Kosciusko and 250 in Fulton for an even 800. Winner Todd Hoffman got 559 votes in Kosciusko and 282 in Fulton for a total of 841. In second was Augustus “Gus” Lukens, who received 426 votes in Kosciusko and 386 in Fulton for a total of 812 votes. “Hopefully, it will give us a little more of a view on the board. The fellas replaced were on the board a lot of years. They didn’t have children in school anymore. That’s how I get my information – my kids come home from school and tell me what’s going on. I think it’s important to have kids in the classroom and being involved,” Hoffman said. He said he hopes to be a voice for the people and it’s all for the kids.
