Forty One States Hold Nonpartisan School Board Elections Here S Where

Welcome to the Monday, May 5, 2025, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: One state has enacted legislation codifying the nonpartisan election of school board members, and one governor has vetoed a bill that would have required partisan labels on school board election ballots so far in... Today, as part of our continuing coverage of school board elections and education policy, we'll look at the landscape of partisanship in school board elections and where lawmakers are considering changes. On April 10, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed HB1724, which adds school board members to the list of offices elected in nonpartisan elections.

School board elections in Arkansas were already nonpartisan, but the bill also made changes to school board election dates, among other things. As education issues play a more prominent role in political debates, some state lawmakers have joined a new push to make school board elections partisan. Bills proposed in six states this spring would require or allow local school board candidates to declare a party affiliation on the ballot. Forty-one states currently require nonpartisan local school board races, the product of historical efforts to separate education governance from divisive politics. Supporters of such efforts say party labels would give voters one more piece of useful information about candidates and improve voter participation in races that have typically received less attention than those higher on... “You’ll have counties in southwest Florida that voted for me by like 40 points, and yet they’re electing people to school board who are totally the opposite philosophy,” Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in January as he announced his education priorities. “We want transparency. We want people to do what they think is best in educating voters to the maximum degree.” Unpack the legal definitions and practical realities of partisanship in school board elections. Learn how state laws and subtle influences shape local races. School boards serve as the governing bodies for local public education systems, overseeing budgets, curriculum decisions, and leadership.

These elected officials significantly shape the educational experience for students and communities. A common question is whether candidates are formally affiliated with political parties, and understanding this is important for civic engagement. Elections for public office are generally categorized as either partisan or non-partisan, based on how candidates’ political affiliations are presented to voters. In a partisan election, a candidate’s political party affiliation, such as “Democrat” or “Republican,” is explicitly listed on the ballot next to their name. Candidates in partisan races often receive direct support, funding, and organizational backing from their respective political parties. Conversely, a non-partisan election does not include any political party labels on the ballot for the candidates.

Candidates in these elections are expected to run based on their individual qualifications, their stances on local issues, and their personal merits, rather than on a party platform. The intent behind non-partisan elections was to remove national party politics from local governance and encourage a focus on community-specific concerns. Candidates may still hold personal political beliefs or affiliations, even if not displayed. The legal designation of school board elections as partisan or non-partisan is determined at the state level, leading to considerable variation. The vast majority of school boards are elected through non-partisan processes, meaning no party labels appear on the ballot. This widespread practice reflects a historical effort to insulate local education from the direct influence of national party politics.

July 13, 2024 | FlaglerLive | 10 Comments In more than 90% of U.S. public school districts, school board elections are nonpartisan and have been for centuries. But that long tradition may well be changing – and putting at risk the quality of the country’s education system by introducing divisive national political issues into the process by which a local community... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); At present, nine states have passed legislation that enables school board races to be partisan. Four states provide for board elections that have partisan affiliations listed on the ballot; another five states permit districts to choose nonpartisan or partisan races.

Bills introduced in six states in 2023 would require or permit school board candidates to declare party affiliations on the ballot. In 2024, lawmakers in Iowa, New Hampshire and Arizona introduced similar bills. Neither Iowa’s nor New Hampshire’s bill has yet been voted on, and Arizona’s bill was vetoed by the governor. Floridians will decide on partisan school board elections at the ballot box in November 2024. The sponsor of the 2023 bill in Ohio, which has not yet passed, said partisan elections provide voters with better “information about candidate platforms.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As a former school board... Sponsors of bills proposing partisan school board elections argue that these changes will result in more voter interest and informed participation in board elections.

But research indicates the real effect may be less about public participation and more about partisan conflict. The 518 MO school boards are filled by local nonpartisan elections. The timing of filing deadlines and election dates for school board candidates varies significantly between states. Most school board elections are held between nonpartisan candidates. There are 13,194 school districts in the U.S., with 82,423 school board members (NCES 2023). The majority of members are elected to their positions, with the exception of HI and some localities in IN.

HI only has an appointed State School Board and some localities in IN are filled by appointment. In MO, the 518 school boards are filled by local election (NCES 2023). The procedures for running for a school board seat vary significantly by state, and in many cases by locality. Oftentimes, there are different procedures for county, city, and state school board elections. According to our research, nearly half of the 80,000+ school board seats across the country are up for election over the next two cycles. These include seats representing many of the largest school districts in the country such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas and more.

From banning cellphones in school to managing up to 10 billion dollar education budgets, elected school boards play a pivotal role in the future of our schools and the well-being of our teachers and... And, despite the vast majority of school board races being classified as "nonpartisan", outside spending and political endorsements for these contests are on the rise as more partisan fights are taking place at the... Ahead of these contests, here are 10 facts about upcoming school board races that you probably didn't know. Plus, stay tuned for a new election calendar dedicated solely to the schedule of open seats at the school board level which our research team is tracking. Florida voters opted to maintain nonpartisan school board elections, rejecting a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have required candidates to participate in party primaries and list their affiliations on the ballot. About 55 percent of voters supported Amendment 1, according to a count published by the Associated Press on Nov.

6. It needed 60 percent approval to pass. The state previously had partisan school board races before voters made them nonpartisan in 1998. Florida’s amendment—approved by the state’s Republican legislature and championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who began to endorse local school board candidates in 2022—was part of a push by national conservative groups to make school board races partisan. Their efforts come at a divisive time for education governance and as national interest groups like Moms for Liberty ramp up spending in the local races, where local teachers’ unions have typically been the...

Supporters of making the races partisan say party identification would give voters another tool to make decisions in the typically lower-profile local races.

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