Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2023
Conflicts in School Board Elections |
Regular elections • Recall elections |
Race in education • Coronavirus • Sex and gender |
See also: Endorsements in school board elections |
Between 2021 and 2023, school board elections nationwide attracted increased attention from voters and the media.
According to the Associated Press' Stephen Groves, "Local school boards around the country are increasingly becoming cauldrons of anger and political division ... School board elections that were once uncontested have drawn slates of candidates galvanized by one issue or another."[1] Conflicts in these elections broadly emerged around three topics:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
- Race in education/critical race theory: including the role of race in curricula and learning materials as well as district-specific equity and/or diversity plans.
- Responses to the coronavirus pandemic: including mask requirements, vaccine requirements, and school re-opening or distance learning plans.
- Sex and gender in schools: including sexual education curricula and learning materials as well as the usage of gender-specific facilities (restrooms, locker rooms, etc.).
Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia identified 2,080 school board elections where candidates took a stance on one of the above issues. The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 1,806 races (87%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 1,463 (70%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 1,399 (67%).
This page provides an overview of school board elections where candidates took a stance on one or more of the selected issues. These stances were identified through either local media coverage, candidate statements, or both. Click here to learn more about Ballotpedia's methodology.
The data on this page reflects research conducted between August 2021 and February 2023. For an analysis of endorsements in the 2023 election cycle, click here.
District and candidate lists
Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia identified 2,080 school board elections where candidates took a stance on race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, or sex and gender in schools.
The most commonly cited conflict was "race in education/critical race theory," mentioned in 1,806 races (87%), followed by "sex and gender in schools" in 1,463 (70%), and "responses to the coronavirus pandemic" in 1,399 (67%).
Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts in California (307), followed by Wisconsin (142), Michigan (139), New Jersey (138), and New York (98).
Click here to view a full list of identified elections by district.
Click on the tabs below to view information about the elections identified by year.
If a source link is not functioning properly, enter the URL into the Internet Archive to search for an archived version, if available.
Results
After three elections, Ballotpedia analyzed the winning candidates' stances on the three conflict topics of race in education, responses to the coronavirus pandemic, and sex and gender in schools using media reporting, endorsements, candidate statements, and more.
For each of the three conflict issues, winning candidates are labeled either supporting or opposing. If no stance can be determined, they are labeled unclear.
After identifying stances on the three conflict topics, winners are then grouped into one of four overarching categories using the following guidelines:
- Supporting: the winner was labeled supporting on at least one topic, and opposing on none;
- Opposing: the winner was labeled opposing on at least one topic, and supporting on none;
- Mixed: the winner was labeled supporting on at least one topic and opposing on at least one other; or
- Unclear: the winner was labeled unclear on all three topics.
If you have any questions about these reports, please email us.
2022
November
Ballotpedia tracked election results for 1,779 seats across 545 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on Nov. 8, 2022.
A complete analysis report is available here and embedded below.
April
Ballotpedia tracked election results in 141 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on April 5, 2022. Click here to learn more.
2021
Ballotpedia tracked election results in 96 school districts identified as part of this project that held elections on Nov. 2, 2021. If you would like to learn more about those results, please contact us.
Methodology
Timeline
This project began in August 2021 and ended in February 2023.
Districts were added retroactively in 2021 if a conflict was identified in an election that took place before the project start date, but most research focused on active campaigns at that time. This research was conducted continuously throughout 2022. In 2023, districts were added if any conflicts were identified before the project's end date, but any conflicts that arose after that time are not included here.
District selection
Ballotpedia identifies school district elections through a daily news checking process. If you would like to suggest a topic for inclusion, please email us.
A district is included if any of the following are true:
- A local news article explicitly says one of the selected issues is playing a role in the election;
- Candidates announce their stances on one of the selected issues in a candidate questionnaire or other medium including social media;
- One of the selected issues is mentioned in a debate, candidate forum, or other question-and-answer setting featuring candidates;
- An organization endorses a candidate citing or because of his or her stance on one of the selected issues; or
- A candidate is involved with local advocacy regarding any of the selected issues, which has, itself, received local news coverage.
Districts are added based on the election date, meaning any elections taking place in a school district on a particular date will be included as a single entry on the spreadsheet above. If a district holds two elections in a given year, the district will be listed twice.
If you would like to suggest a school district for inclusion, please email us.
Candidate inclusion
Once a district has been included, Ballotpedia collects information on all candidates filed to run in the given election at the time the district is added. Contact information is identified and added through internet searches. Ballotpedia aims to include only campaign contact information however if a candidate references his or her personal email address, website, or social media profiles as a point of contact for his or her campaign, those will be included.
School district elections may be partisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot with a party label, or nonpartisan, meaning only candidates' names appear on the ballot. In nonpartisan races, parties may still endorse particular candidates however Ballotpedia is not conducting party affiliation research for nonpartisan candidates. A party label is included only if the candidates are listed on official election materials as being affiliated with that party.
If a district is included before the candidate filing deadline, Ballotpedia will return to check for new candidates to add or candidates who withdrew. Once added to the sheet above, Ballotpedia does not plan to systematically remove candidates who dropped out of the election after the filing deadline. If you are aware of any candidates who should be removed, please email us.
Ballotpedia halted candidate inclusion after Nov. 8, 2022. The district name and information are included for any conflicts identified after that time, but candidate information is not.
See also
- Ballotpedia: School board issues and elections research
- School Boards and School Board Elections
- School board elections, 2021
- School board elections, 2022
- School board elections, 2023
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 AP News, "Tears, politics and money: School boards become battle zones," July 10, 2021
- ↑ EdWeek, "Why School Boards Are Now Hot Spots for Nasty Politics," July 29, 2021
- ↑ The New York Times, "The School Culture Wars: ‘You Have Brought Division to Us,'" Aug. 18, 2021
- ↑ Argus Leader, "Critical race theory, transparency among hot topics at school board candidate debate," May 12, 2021
- ↑ WFXR, "Discussions on Critical Race Theory, transgender students creates high tensions among parents and school board members in Botetourt County," July 8, 2021
- ↑ ABC 13 News, "'Perverse ideology:' Parents sound off on critical race theory, transgender school policy," July 13, 2021
- ↑ Center for Illinois Politics, "Contested School Board Elections: Covid is the Issue," April 4, 2021