Amanda (Mandy) Bunton has announced her candidacy for the Shelbyville Central Schools Board District 2 (Shelby West) seat. This is the first time Bunton has run for a school board position.

Bunton is a lifelong resident of Shelbyville and graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1993. She is an attorney for the State of Indiana, where she works for the Indiana Court of Appeals. As an attorney for the appellate court, Bunton has an interest in policy and procedure, which would be an asset to the school board.

Bunton comes from a family of educators and knows the importance of having dynamic and engaging teachers who can inspire their students.

Her mother, Christi (Dickmann) Drake, taught for nearly 40 years at Loper Elementary and Shelbyville Middle School.

Her stepfather, Steve Drake, taught at Shelbyville High School and served as the athletic director. He is currently the high school boys tennis coach.

Bunton’s husband, Mike Bunton, is a teacher at Coulston Elementary in Shelbyville.

Bunton herself is an adjunct instructor at Indiana Wesleyan University where she teaches criminal justice courses.

She has children attending Shelbyville Central Schools and is vested and dedicated to the success of the school corporation. Her oldest son attends Purdue University; she has two sons at Shelbyville High School and a daughter at Coulston Elementary.

Her children have diverse interests and needs – athletics, band, choir, theatre, high ability and special education – and she believes all areas deserve representation.

Attracting and retaining quality teachers is her top priority.