Indianapolis Public Schools board members tapped Hasaan Rashid to fill the vacant District 2 seat on the board in a 4-2 vote on Thursday.
Rashid, who founded a music festival on the northeast side to benefit high school students, will serve on the board until the November election. Rashid has expressed interest in running for the seat at that time.
Rashid and education professor Bryan Duarte were the only two applicants for the District 2 seat previously held by Gayle Cosby, who stepped down earlier this month. They represent two sides of a major divide in the Indianapolis education landscape. Rashid drew support from school choice advocates, while Duarte was backed by traditional public school supporters.
In interviews this week, both applicants said they would prioritize student outcomes over school type.
Board members Angelia Moore, Ashley Thomas, Deandra Thompson, and Hope Duke Star voted for Rashid, while Allissa Impink and Nicole Carey voted for Duarte.
Rashid ran for the seat in 2024, receiving support from groups supportive of school choice. Cosby won.
In his interview with the board on Tuesday, Rashid stressed his relationship with the community as an asset.
“People know me. When I go to the grocery store, they know who I am,” he said. “I still get questions about, ‘Hey are you going to throw your hat back in the ring?’”
In his interview on Tuesday, Duarte noted his interactions with the IPS Parent Council. The group formed in support of traditional IPS schools during a heated legislative session last year in which lawmakers required the district to share more funding with charters. In public meetings over the last year he questioned the creation of the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, which is taking significant power away from the elected school board.
This article was written by Chalkbeat Indiana reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey.