[Attacks on school boards are part of a strategic, deliberate, and
well-funded effort to erode public schools and advance a broader
political agenda.]
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SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS COULD MAKE (OR BREAK) OUR DEMOCRACY  
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Julie Marsh, Miguel Casar Rodriguez, Pedro Noguera
November 1, 2023
The Progressive
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_ Attacks on school boards are part of a strategic, deliberate, and
well-funded effort to erode public schools and advance a broader
political agenda. _

, (Joe Brusky, CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)

 

chool boards across America are under attack. We have all seen the
disruptions at school board meetings triggered by clashes over
controversial policies regarding the teaching of race and racism,
ethnic and gender studies, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. What we may not have
noticed, however, is that these attacks are not only about school
boards, but about public education as a whole.

These disruptions are much more than concerned parents advocating for
what’s best for their children. Instead, it is part of a strategic
and deliberate—and well-funded
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to erode public schools in order to advance a much broader political
agenda. Initially tapping into parent frustration over school closures
and mask mandates, political agitators have targeted school boards,
and in several cases, the schools and educators who serve in them, to
mobilize their base.  

In a country that prides itself on being a beacon of free thought and
democracy, growing assaults on the teaching of history, book bans, and
the criminalization and surveillance of teachers are a threat to both.
School boards have become a key political battleground. As former
Trump advisor Steve Bannon called out in early 2021, “The path to
save the nation is very simple—it’s going to go through the school
boards.”

Local control and governance through elected school boards has long
been criticized because of what they have contributed to gross
inequity in school funding. But this model can also lead to greater
community engagement with schools if people approach them with that
spirit. In our own research
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more than two-thirds of California voters—73 percent of voters with
children and 69 percent of those without children—agreed that
“local school boards are important because they ensure that
decisions about education are made close to those who will be affected
by them.”

We know that politics is often a dirty business. And when politics
becomes a struggle for power at all costs and schools are disrupted,
children lose. And let’s be clear: more often than not, these
agitators are not parents of children in the schools they disrupt. A
recent national poll showed
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76 percent of parents support the schools their children attend. 

The disruptions are taking a toll on an already burdened school
system. Personal threats and attacks are resulting in
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and turnover. They also dampen community participation in the
democratic process and reduce the interest of potential educators in
joining the profession and leading schools. Most importantly, precious
time is taken away from what should be at the center: students.

This month, communities in seventeen states
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school board elections. Typically, these off-cycle elections rarely
see turnouts of more than 10 percent of eligible voters
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But this time, these elections will be massively consequential. Those
who participate—along with the powerful interests backing
candidates—will have a disproportionately large amount of power over
the lives of American children, as well as the future of public
schools and our democracy writ large. 

Democracy takes work, and without participation from those who believe
in the value and importance of public education, it will fall apart.
Moreover, if we give up our power, there are others who will claim
it. 

Rather than give up because apathy or an assumption that democracy
will survive on this own, let’s reclaim school boards and engage
with them. As voters, we encourage you to: 

1. FIND OUT MORE. 

Board meetings are open and generally live-streamed or recorded. Look
into what is on the monthly board agenda. When there are protests,
look into who the individuals are and who is providing them with
financial support.  

2. VOTE THIS YEAR AND BEYOND. 

Many elections are occurring this November, but others occur in May
and April. Stay engaged and show up to vote.

3. MODEL HEALTHY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. 

Do research on local candidates with young people, discuss local
issues with them, support them to form opinions, take them to the
polls and board meetings, and show them how to express dissent.  

4. MOBILIZE.

Next week, thousands of school board seats will be decided—whether
by you, or by the select few that will take advantage of your
abstention. Don’t let this occur. The stakes are too high.  

_This column was __produced_ [[link removed]]_ for
Progressive Perspectives, a project of _The Progressive_ magazine,
and distributed by Tribune News Service._

_Julie Marsh is a professor of education policy at the USC Rossier
School of Education._

_Miguel Casar Rodriguez is an assistant professor at University of
Alabama’s School of Education._

_Pedro Noguera is the dean of USC Rossier School of Education._

_Since 1909, The Progressive has aimed to amplify voices of dissent
and those under-represented in the mainstream, with a goal of
championing grassroots progressive politics. Our bedrock values are
nonviolence and freedom of speech._

_Based in Madison, Wisconsin, we publish on national politics,
culture, and events including U.S. foreign policy; we also focus on
issues of particular importance to the heartland. Two flagship
projects of The Progressive include Public School Shakedown
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to resist the privatization of public education, and The Progressive
Media Project [[link removed]], aiming to diversify our
nation’s op-ed pages. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization.  Donate [[link removed]]_

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