That happens when the number of candidates exactly match the number of open seats on the five member boards that govern each local public school system.
Unless candidates decide to remove their names from ballots, six board of education races - Middletown, Hamilton, Monroe, Edgewood, Fairfield and New Miami schools - are already determined.
There is some mystery about the New Miami Board of Education because there are only two candidates for three open seats.
Under Ohio election law, the four members will appoint someone from the school community to fill the fifth seat.
In Ohio publicly elected school boards wield wide powers including hiring school superintendents and treasurers, deciding on operating budgets of millions of dollars and overseeing the operations of school districts during each member’s four-year terms.
While six races have unofficially been decided, the remaining four include some historically crowded fields such as Talawanda’s seven candidates seeking three seats and another seven in Madison Schools also vying for three open seats.
Ross Board of Education has four candidates for three seats and Lakota school board has four candidates for two open seats.
Butler County’s board of education races currently decided by number of candidates matching open seats - but not yet official until voting results are certified by county election officials after the Nov. 5 election - are:
Middletown: Chris Urso, Michelle Novak and Anita Scheibert.
Monroe: Dave Grant and Tom Leeds.
Edgewood: Tom York and Amy Ashcraft.
Fairfield: Balena Short, Carrie O'Neal and Jerrilynn Gundrum.
Hamilton: Tom Alf and ShaQuila Mathews.
New Miami: Roy Chapman and Penny Jo Gray. The board's third open seat will be filled by appointment.
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