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Hall Pass - October 22, 2025

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Ballotpedia's Hall Pass


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 block granting federal K-12 education dollars   
  • School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
  • Where New Jersey gubernatorial candidates stand on education
  • 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 block granting federal K-12 education dollars 

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.

On Oct. 17, the Indiana Department of Education submitted a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) seeking increased flexibility over millions of dollars in federal K-12 education grants. The grants include funding for low-income and migrant students, teacher training, and assessment development. As part of the proposal, Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner is asking that the DOE consolidate several grants into a single block grant with fewer stipulations, arguing that costly compliance and reporting requirements divert resources the state could spend on students. 

Indiana is the third state to request that the DOE convert federal funding into block grants since President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order calling for closing the DOE and returning “authority over education to the States and local communities” in March. Iowa and Oklahoma submitted similar waiver requests shortly after Trump released his order, both of which are pending. 

Should the DOE block grant federal K-12 education dollars?

Ma⁠t⁠⁠t⁠ Frendewey, vice president of strategy for yes. every kid., a nationwide organization that supports private school choice, argues that giving state and local governments more control over federal funding will lead to better academic outcomes, more innovation, and increased accountability. He says critics’ fears of block grants are misplaced, since states will still be required to abide by federal law — ensuring the continuation of federal education mandates. He says state and local officials and families, not federal bureaucrats, are best positioned to know the education needs of their communities.

Tom Zembar, the manager of education policy and practice for the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, argues that block granting federal education dollars will harm the most disadvantaged students and allow states to divert resources to private school choice programs. Zembar says federal funding comes with stipulations precisely because states cannot always be trusted to spend the money in the right way. He says federal education grants already allow for local community input, including from families. 

Returning Power to the People: A New Chapter for American Education | Matt Frendewey, RealClearEducation

“By shifting funds and authority away from bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., we are paving the way for a system that encourages innovation, accountability, and a direct connection between families and tangible educational outcomes. And, it’s a move in line with our nation’s founding principles – that power should reside as close to the people as possible. By transferring decision-making authority back to states and localities, we not only honor that legacy—but we also empower parents to be the primary stewards of their children’s futures.

“Critics, lobbyists, and other special interests who profit off a centralized, top-down education system will argue that dismantling the Department of Education could disrupt vital services. But the reality is quite contrary – the calculated step toward decentralization will enhance efficiency, responsiveness, and innovation. It will streamline federal involvement, ensuring that only functions explicitly authorized by law remain under federal oversight. In doing so, we allow the true experts—educators, community leaders, and families—to shape a more effective, locally tailored educational landscape.”

Why Block Grants Are Bad News for Students | Tom Zembar as interviewed by Amanda Litvinov, NEA Today 

“Formula grants come with ‘strings attached’ precisely to ensure that all students have equal access to education. Providing states with federal aid and no requirements leaves the door open for states to do as they wish. Without any strings attached, whatever funding is sent to the states can easily be turned into private school vouchers. Students with disabilities, and students from rural areas or low-income families will pay the price. 

“Abandoning formula grants for block grant funding essentially turns the clock back 60 years on education policy and progress. While one would like to think that we can trust every state to do the right thing on behalf of all students, history tells us differently. Many states would seize the opportunity to siphon federal money away from public schools that serve all students and pump it into voucher programs that serve the few.” 

School board update: battleground election previews, filing deadlines, and recall certifications

In 2025, 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.    

Upcoming school board elections

Today, we’re continuing our series previewing Nov. 4 battleground school board elections. We kicked our series off in September with a deep dive into the statewide ballot measures that will affect K-12 and higher education. Last week, we explored the nonpartisan special election for a seat on the Plumas Unified School District school board, in California, which was scheduled after a tied appointment vote.  

Partisan control at stake in South-Western City Schools election

The nonpartisan nature of most school board elections can make it challenging for voters to get a sense of candidates’ partisan leanings. But in Ohio’s fourth-largest district, South-Western City Schools, the Nov. 4 general election has become a race between two competing slates of candidates carrying local Republican and Democratic party endorsements. 

Three of the five seats on the board are up for election this year. Six candidates are running, including incumbents Camille Peterson and Chris Boso. Incumbent Kelli Martindale did not run. 

  • The Franklin County Republican Party endorsed Boso, Steve Feucht, and Jason Gocha, who are running on one slate. Boso was elected to the board in 2021 and is the board’s president. Feucht works as a consultant, and Gocha works in logistics management. 
  • The Franklin County Democratic Party endorsed Peterson, Chelsea Alkire, and Kelly Dillon, who are running on the other slate. Peterson was appointed to the board in 2023 after Cathy Johnson resigned. Alkire and Dillon both work as educators.

Boso, Peterson, Alkire, Dillon, and Feucht completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click to read and compare their responses. 

The Franklin County Republican Party endorsed four of the five members of the board — all but Peterson — in previous elections. 

This election is taking place against the backdrop of contract negotiations between the board and the district’s educators’ union, the South-Western Education Association (SWEA). According to The Columbus Dispatch’s Anna Lynn Winfrey, “[SWEA spokesperson Emmalee] Harding said that the negotiating teams needed to bring in a mediator for the first time since 2013, at the expense of the union and the district, because both sides were having a hard time finding common ground.”

On July 10, 2025, the board and SWEA approved a new contract during their respective meetings. According to NBC4‘s Katie Millard, Harding issued a statement on the union’s behalf in which she “alleged the board ‘attacked’ important parts of the contract and thanked community members for helping SWEA ‘fight off’ the board’s changes. Within hours, Boso read Harding’s words aloud at a board meeting and voiced frustration with the union’s leadership.”

A second board member, Julie Liskany, also commented on the statement during the meeting. Millard wrote that in response, SWEA filed “an unfair labor practice charge with the state. The union alleges Boso and Liskany were trying to discourage SWEA members from similar union contract negotiations in the future, which the union interpreted as an attempt to inhibit union activity. Ohio law prohibits employers from interfering with union business.”

Click to learn more about this election. 

Where New Jersey gubernatorial candidates stand on education

There are two gubernatorial offices on the ballot this year — in Virginia and New Jersey. In both states, the incumbents are term-limited.

Last week, we looked at what Abigail Spanberger (D) and Winsome Earle-Sears (R), the candidates running for governor in Virginia, have said about their K-12 education plans. Today, we’re looking north, to the Garden State. 

Who are the candidates?

Mikie Sherrill (D), Jack Ciattarelli (R), Vic Kaplan (L), and Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party) are running to succeed incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D). Sherrill and Ciattarelli have both polled above 40% in recent surveys.

Sherrill was elected to represent New Jersey's 11th Congressional District in 2018. Before her election, Republicans had represented the district since 1985. Sherrill previously worked as a lawyer in private practice and the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of New Jersey. Her priorities include increasing new home construction, capping prescription drug costs, and expanding the state's child tax credit. 

Ciattarelli represented District 16 in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018. He previously served on the Raritan Borough Council from 1989 to 1995 and the Somerset County Board of Commissioners from 2007 to 2011. This is Ciattarelli's third bid for governor after running unsuccessfully in 2017 and 2021. His priorities include capping property taxes, reducing state spending by 30%, and expanding charter schools.

What’s at stake?

The New York Times’ Tracey Tully writes that the “race is considered particularly competitive. Democrats hold a sizable registration advantage, but Mr. Trump fared far better in the state than expected last November, buoying Republican hopes.”

New Jersey voters have not elected a member of the same party for three consecutive gubernatorial terms since 1961. However, in eight of the 10 gubernatorial elections from 1985 to 2021, voters elected a governor from the opposite party of the president.

What have the candidates said about K-12 education? 

Both candidates have addressed education on their campaign websites and in interviews and debates. 

Sherrill has made student mental health and tutoring cornerstones of her plan. Sherrill said she’ll introduce “legislation to provide high-quality tutoring to students” and increase the number of school counselors and mental health services in schools. Sherrill has also said she’d make school meals free for all students.

Ciaterrelli has focused on providing families with more educational choices within and outside the public school system, combating teachers unions, and working with the New Jersey Department of Education to raise achievement levels at low-performing schools.   

Sherrill and Ciaterrelli disagree over the Trump administration’s moves to reduce the number of employees working in the U.S. Department of Education. Sherrill said, “The dismantling of the Department of Education is [a] huge issue and we’re going to see a huge hit come into [the] state budget. It’s why I fought so hard to say we’re going to claw back that money.” 

Ciaterrelli, meanwhile, said, “I don’t necessarily have [a] problem with the president and the administration downsizing the Department of Education.”

Below, is a summary of some specific educational issues on which the candidates have taken stances. 

School funding

Sherrill and Ciattarelli have said they support changing the state’s funding formula. Sherrill said the formula “was not totally fair—it doesn’t put more into the districts that have more people with learning disabilities, for example.” 

Ciattarelli said, “I have a very specific plan on how to lower property taxes. We need a new school funding formula. A more equitable one will help lower the property tax.”

Public and private school choice

Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli support expanding the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows students to transfer to schools in a different school district.

Sherrill and Ciattarelli have differed on some aspects of school choice, while agreeing on others. 

During a Sept. 24 debate, Sherrill said she supported expanding charter schools. But aside from that comment, Sherrill has said little about charter schools. Ciatterelli, on the other hand, has made charter school expansion a central part of his education plan, saying, “As Governor, I would be a strong proponent of school choice and charter school expansion.” 

Sherrill has not released a public statement on private school choice programs, but has said she would “fully fund our schools so every kid, regardless of what language they speak or what ZIP code they are in, has access to a high-quality public school education.” Ciattarelli said “I’m an educational choice guy. We need vouchers like we’ve seen with success in Arizona, Ohio, and Florida.” Ciattarelli also said he would opt the state into the federal K-12 education tax credit created through the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act earlier this summer.

Cell phones in classrooms

New Jersey is one of 14 states without state-level policies governing student cellphone use in K-12 public schools. 

Sherrill said she would support a bill banning cellphones in classrooms. Ciattarelli said he supports limiting student access to cellphones during class time but believes the policies should be determined at the district level. 

Click here to read more about the New Jersey gubernatorial election. 

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 survey responses from the two candidates running for District 2 on the Jeffco Board of Education, in Colorado. 

  • Peter Gibbins earned a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018 and has worked as a union organizer and attorney. 
  • Samuel Myrant has worked as construction foreman and security officer, and has volunteered in schools for 44 years. 

Jeffco Public Schools is the second-largest district in Colorado, with roughly 74,200 students. It is located east of Denver. Three seats are on the ballot this year. Jeffco was on our list of school board battleground elections in 2021. Click here for an in-depth overview of the election and results. 

Here’s how Gibbins answered the question, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

“I believe in promoting policies and procedures for greater transparency whenever possible. I also want to work hard to engage with the community in meaningful, two-way conversations about the issues facing Jeffco schools today. Only with transparency and community involvement can we successfully navigate the many challenges we currently face.”

Click here to read the rest of Gibbins’ responses. 

Here’s how Myrant answered the question, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

“I would like to put the heart back into Jeffco County Schools. I am passionate about keeping our children safe and secure. As a community crossing guard I strive to connect to the parents and children one on one. In cooperation with the staff I connect with people everyday and would love to see family members feel welcome to volunteer in the schools. Their wisdom and experience would strengthen our schools and community. I truly care about people and want to encourage volunteers including crossing guards to keep our students safe and feeling secure.”

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

If you're a school board candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey.

The survey contains over 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, your answers will display on your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also appear in our sample ballot.

And if you're not running for school board, but there is an election in your community this year, share the link with the candidates and urge them to take the survey!

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