WARSAW — Kosciusko County Clerk Ann Torpy will have a lot of work ahead of her if a petition calling for Warsaw Community School Corporation school board member term limits makes it to her desk by tomorrow’s deadline.

However, due to the amount of work required by petitioners, she’s skeptical that this first deadline will be met.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Torpy today, Feb. 22.

Organizers who are trying to rescind a recent boost in term limits for board members of Warsaw’s school board have until noon Friday, Feb. 23, to turn in 500 signatures. Late last year the board voted to boost the current term limits from a total of eight years to 16 by way of four terms of four years each. The board members were previously restricted to just two four-year stints. The vote was 6-1 in favor of raising the limits.

If the 500 signatures make it to Torpy by the Friday deadline, those signatures still must be certified by her, using voter registration records, she said. “I have 30 days to do that,” Torpy said. From there, the issue moves to the Warsaw Community School Corporation’s board of trustees for certification and then on to the state board of education. If this first deadline is not met, the issue will not make the May primary ballot and opponents of the new term limits would have to shoot for the November general election.

Torpy said the issue must become a “certified public question” to be placed on either ballot, giving voters an opportunity to weigh in through the election process.

If the first deadline passes without a petition, opponents’ next deadline is noon on Aug. 1, according to Torpy.