School Board Elections and Governance in a Changing Political Environment

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

School board elections and governance have traditionally been understood as low-information, low-salience affairs. However, school board politics has transformed due to new policies limiting the power of teachers' unions, rising partisanship, and increased national attention on school boards. These changes raise important new questions about how information reaches voters, who participates in elections, what shapes turnout, and how governance is experienced by those serving on school boards. These four papers work together to begin answering these questions. 

The first paper (Bertrand, Arnzen, and Jacobsen) examines the role of endorsements in school board elections from the perspective of voters, candidates, and endorsement-granting organizations. This mixed-method study of Michigan and Rhode Island elections draws on an exit-poll of voters across six districts and interviews with candidates and organizations. They find that voter awareness of endorsements is often limited or inaccurate, and that endorsement processes are shaped by growing polarization and nationalization. They demonstrate that endorsements are not a reliable informational shortcut for most voters, and that institutional context shapes both the visibility and importance of endorsements.

The second paper (Kogan) extends research on the role of teachers in elections. Drawing on administrative data and voter turnout records in Ohio, they find that teachers are more likely to vote in school board elections and in even-year November elections after they become a teacher at a traditional public school. Using a policy change in Iowa that consolidated election timing, the study shows that aligning school board and city elections increases teacher turnout. In both states, these effects extend to other household members, but teachers and their households make up only a small share of the electorate. 

The third paper (Lyon, Shepardon, Finger, Bleiberg, and Noh) examines how teacher strikes affect school board election turnout. Using an original dataset of school board elections and teacher strikes in North Carolina and Washington State, they find that teacher strikes meaningfully decrease turnout in school board elections. On average, they find that strikes pooled across states cause voter turnout to decrease by 2 percentage points. Effects are larger among voters aged 36-60 (roughly parent age) and during off cycle elections, when they decrease turnout by 7.5 percentage points.

The fourth paper (Marsh, Estrada-Miller, and Schueler) examines how school board members navigate nationalized and partisan debates and everyday governance. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design in California, the study draws on case studies of board members and a statewide survey of board members. They find that board members have experienced strain from politics related to recent changes to federal policy, while everyday politics has remained pervasive and consequential. Respondents reported encountering difficulties related to enrollment, interpersonal conflict, and labor disputes, all of which generate substantial emotional labor, public hostility, stress, and reputational risk.  

These papers show that school board politics is shaped by institutional context, organized actors, and growing political pressures. In a federal system where states and localities retain substantial authority, these dynamics vary across contexts, with important implications for participation, information, and the functioning of local governance.

Policy Area

• Politics, Media, and the Policy Process

Chair

• Cameron Arnzen, North Central College

Discussant

• Joshua Almes, Brown University

Organizer

• Ariell Rose Bertrand, Texas Tech University

Individual Presentations

• The Role of Endorsements in School Board Elections - Presenting Author: Ariell Rose Bertrand, Texas Tech University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Cameron Arnzen, North Central College; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Rebecca Jacobsen, Michigan State University

• The Electoral Power of the Teacher - Presenting Author: Vladimir Kogan, The Ohio State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Michael Hartney, Stanford University

• How Do Teacher Strikes Affect School Board Elections? - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Melissa Arnold Lyon, University at Albany; Presenting Author: Adam Patrick Shepardson, University at Albany; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Joshua F Bleiberg, University of Pittsburgh

• Big P and Little p Politics: Contemporary and Enduring Challenges for K–12 School Board Members - Presenting Author: Jeimee Ivonne Estrada-Miller, University of California, Riverside; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Beth E. Schueler, University of Virginia