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Hall Pass - February 4, 2026

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Ballotpedia's Hall Pass


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Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics



Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving  school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy. 

In today’s edition, you’ll find:

  • On the issues: The debate over teachers unions 
  • School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
  • Fewer than 3% of Oklahoma school districts are holding primaries on Feb. 10
  • Eighty-four percent of school board incumbents won re-election in 2025 — the highest percentage since 2022 
  • Extracurricular: education news from around the web
  • Candidate Connection survey

Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas!

On the issues: the debate over teachers unions

In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. Missed an issue? Click here to see the previous education debates we’ve covered.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics’ most recently available data, 69% of K-12 public school teachers reported being part of a union during the 2017-18 school year. During the 1999-2000 school year, that figure was 79%. 

The first teachers unions formed in Chicago in the late 19th century, and they have been a prominent aspect of the conversation around public education ever since. In states that allow public-sector collective bargaining, teachers unions negotiate with school districts over the terms of employment, such as wages and working conditions. Teachers mostly fund their local unions through dues. Most local unions are affiliated with state and national organizations, like the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). 

Proponents say unions help teachers secure higher pay and better working conditions, allowing them to focus on educating students. Critics say unions focus too much on politics and too often advance members' interests over students’. 

Two writers make the case for and against teachers unions below. 

Russ Latino, the founder of the Magnolia Tribune, says that teachers unions put politics ahead of students. Latino argues that unions like the ATF and the NEA advocate for progressive causes unrelated to education and spend millions of dollars each year backing mostly Democratic Party candidates. Latino praises teachers but says surveys showing declining teacher job satisfaction are evidence that unions aren’t doing a good job representing members.  

Glenn Sacks, a high school teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, says that without union protections, teachers would be overworked and required to devote more time to non-teaching activities. Sacks argues unions help limit the number of classes teachers are assigned, especially for those in the early stages of their careers, and help limit class sizes. Sacks says union political advocacy is collectively determined and represents a small fraction of total union funding. 

Education is big money for far left politics | Russ Latino, Magnolia Tribune

“People who like NEA’s and AFT’s politics will inevitably read this and claim it is an attack on teachers. Nothing could be further from the truth. I can name half a dozen public school teachers who had real impact on my life. And I can tell you both of my kids in Mississippi public schools love their teachers.

“This is not criticism of teachers. In fact, it is a recognition of how important teachers are and the real danger of turning the act of educating a child into a divisive political act. There are plenty of members of both the NEA and AFT who feed the beast unwittingly. There are plenty of non-members that over time, absent meaningful push back, will be influenced by the agendas of these unions.

“The teaching profession is uniquely collaborative. Divisive ideas introduced at the top have a way of trickling down. Our children, teachers, and schools should not be treated as political pawns or social experiments.”

Teacher union dues is money well spent | Glenn Sacks, The Hill

“The union dues teachers pay goes to the local union that represents them, such as the Chicago Teachers Union or United Teachers Los Angeles. Only a small portion of those dues goes to national umbrella organizations such as the NEA and the AFT, or to state umbrella organizations like the California Teachers Association. The umbrella organizations, which have hundreds or thousands of locals under them, do spend much of their money on political advocacy, but such funds are a small part of the total union dues that teachers pay.

“One can agree or disagree with the political positions these larger organizations take and the campaigns and lobbying they do, but this work is determined through an open, democratic process, and they reflect what the organization’s leaders and members perceive to be in the best interests of public education, students and teachers. Why shouldn’t teachers unions advocate for their political positions, just as thousands of American interest groups, trade associations, special interests and wealthy donors do?”

School board update: filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications

In 2026, Ballotpedia will cover elections for more than 30,000 school board seats. We’re expanding our coverage each year with our eye on covering the country’s more than 80,000 school board seats.    

Below is a look at the upcoming elections in the first part of this year.

Upcoming school board elections

Oklahoma

Ballotpedia is covering all school board elections in the Sooner State in 2026. Scroll below for a deep dive into the state’s Feb. 10 primaries. 

Wisconsin

On Feb. 17, Wisconsin will hold primaries in 17 districts featuring a total of 83 candidates. 

School board primary elections in Wisconsin are only held if there are more than two candidates running for a single seat or if the number of candidates running in multi-seat races is more than twice the number of seats up for election. 

If those criteria are not met, the primary is canceled and candidates automatically advance to a general election on April 7. 

Arkansas

Ballotpedia will cover general elections for all seven of the seats on the Little Rock School District school board on March 3. Little Rock School District is the second largest in the state, with roughly 21,000 students. 

North Carolina

Ballotpedia will cover elections for several districts, including Guilford County Schools and Union County Public Schools, on March 3. 

Click here to learn more about 2026 school board elections. 

Fewer than 3% of Oklahoma school districts are holding primaries on Feb. 10 

Districts in Oklahoma hold school board primaries each February. But due to the state’s election rules and the number of candidates running, most voters won’t see school board candidates on their ballots this month. 

On Feb. 10, voters in only 15 districts — 2.9% of the state’s 509 districts — will decide school board elections. 

In Oklahoma, districts hold primaries if more than two candidates run for a seat. If only one candidate runs, the candidate wins the seat outright. If two candidates run, then the district cancels the primary and the candidates automatically advance to the general election. 

General elections this year are scheduled for April 7. 

Fifty candidates are running for 15 seats across the 15 districts. In 10 of those races, three candidates are jockeying for each seat. In five races, there are four candidates apiece. 

Both the number of districts in Oklahoma holding school board primaries and the number of candidates running in primaries has fallen since 2024. 

The 15 districts holding elections are comparatively small and rural, enrolling an average of 500 students. The largest, Silo Public Schools, has about 1,200 students, which is the average enrollment for public schools in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma typically has a high rate of uncontested school board elections. An uncontested election is one in which only one candidate files to run per seat. In a 2023 analysis, Ballotpedia found that 79% of all school board races in Oklahoma were uncontested. For comparison, an average of roughly 64% of the elections Ballotpedia covered between 2018 and 2025, including school board and non-school board elections, were uncontested.

Last year, the Oklahoma Senate voted 33-10 to pass SB 6. The bill would require districts to hold primaries in August and general elections in November, when voters cast ballots for many of the state’s other elected positions. SB 6 passed out of two state House committees in 2025 and remains eligible for a full vote from the House in 2026. 

Studies find that on-cycle elections — those held at the same time as federal elections in November — generally have higher turnout than elections held at other times of the year. Turnout in Oklahoma’s school board elections is typically in the single digits. Although concurrent elections can increase turnout, proponents of separate dates argue voters focus on local issues better without high-profile state and/or federal races as distractions.

Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of Oklahoma’s school board elections in 2026, including for Tulsa Public Schools (two seats), Oklahoma City Public Schools (two seats), and Edmond Public Schools (one seat)—the state’s three largest districts by student enrollment. In all three districts, only two candidates are running per seat, automatically advancing them to the April 7 general elections.  

We’ll have coverage of the April 7 general elections in the following months. 

Eighty-four percent of school board incumbents won re-election in 2025 — the highest percentage since 2022

A version of this story appeared in the Feb. 4 edition of The Daily Brew, Ballotpedia’s newsletter covering state, local, and federal politics and elections. Subscribe here to read three important political stories each morning as you sip your coffee. 

Each year, Ballotpedia publishes an analysis of school board elections in the 200 largest districts by enrollment and those in the 100 most populous cities. Within those categories, Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 187 school districts across 29 states last year. Those school districts had a total enrollment of 4,877,739 students. 

Here are some noteworthy takeaways:

  • Last year had the lowest average number of candidates per seat since 2022. An average of 1.8 candidates ran per seat in 2025 compared to 1.9 in 2024, 1.9 in 2023, and 2.2 in 2022. Utah had the highest average number of candidates run per school board seat in 2025, while Arizona and Illinois had the fewest. 
  • Thirty-six percent of races were unopposed, up from 32% in 2024 and the highest rate since 2022.
  • Sixty-nine percent of eligible incumbents ran for re-election — the same as in 2024. In 2023, 62% of eligible incumbents ran. In 2022, 68% of eligible incumbents ran. Looked at another way, that means 31% of school board seats we covered were open last year — the same as in 2024. In 2023, 38% were open. In 2022, 32% were open.
  • Incumbents had a successful 2025, with 84% of those running for re-election winning. That's up from 83% in 2024 and the highest rate since 2022.

Of the 29 states with school board elections that we covered in 2025, Texas had the most seats up for election with 196. Ohio was second, with 61. California, Louisiana, and South Carolina tied for the fewest seats up for election, with one each. Alaska, Arizona, and Idaho had the second fewest seats up for election, with two each.

Click here for more information about these school board elections.

Extracurricular: education news from around the web

This section contains links to recent education-related articles from around the internet. If you know of a story we should be reading, reply to this email to share it with us! 

Take our Candidate Connection survey to reach voters in your district

Today, we’re looking at two candidates running in the March 3 Republican primary to represent District 2 on the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools school board, in North Carolina. District 2 comprises four seats. 

Ten candidates are running in the Republican primary, and eight candidates are running in the Democratic primary. Three of the 10 Republican primary candidates are incumbents. The general election will occur on Nov. 3. 

Derrick Hinson’s career experience includes working as an educator. Robert Weiss’ career experience includes working in finance and accounting. Hinson and Weiss are currently the only two candidates on the Republican side to have completed the survey.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is the fourth largest district in the state, with approximately 52,100 students. 

Here’s how Hinson answered the question, “What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?”

  • “Create a new Code of Conduct disciplinary policy that provides Teacher Classroom Support across the county. This could serve more than any other method to restore Teacher Morale. Admin should carry out a discipline policy that restores Order and supports a safe and productive Learning Environment.
  • Respecting Parents & Taxpayers: Parents should have a voice in the learning process of their children. Build renewed nurturing relationships between teachers, TAs, Admin & Support Staff with parents. Taxpayers should know the Board takes seriously its responsibility of Using Taxpayer Funds Wisely. Superintendent choose the CFO; they answer to the oversight of the School Board which hires the Superintendent.
  • Efficient Use Of Taxpayer Funds in the WSFC School System means the Return of Teaching the Basic Fundamentals of Education. Does this spending further the learning process and the building of moral character for young people as they mature toward becoming productive citizens of Society? Avoid programs and radical agendas which sow division. Back to Basics early education means reading comprehension skills and math fundamentals achievement that is real world- work world reality.”

Click here to read the rest of Hinson’s responses. 

Here’s how Weiss answered the question, “What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?”

  • “A ‘forensic audit’ must be performed on the system going back to 2017 in order to identify when issues arose, why they arise, who caused them and when and what, if anything, was done to resolve them. The person(s) must then be held accountable.
  • A robust Vocational and Technological program must be started system wide, to reduce truancy, increase performance and graduation rates and provide valuable workers to the work force.
  • Technology MUST be embraced in order to streamline the administrative staffing, reduce the burden on the school administrators and teachers in order for the students to get the highest level of attention.”

Click here to read the rest of Weiss’ responses.

As a reminder, if you're a school board candidate or incumbent planning to run this year, click here to take the survey. If you complete the survey, your answers will appear in your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also appear in our sample ballot. If there is an election in your community, share the link with your candidates and urge them to take the survey!

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