The school board is not in charge of the district’s day-to-day operations; that job falls to the district’s superintendent, who is like the CEO of the district. The school board sets the policies and goals for the district, while the superintendent implements those policies and works toward the goals.
The recent politicization of school boards reveals why it is important to know more about your school board candidates. Here are more reasons why voting for them is important:
- School board members handle tough community conversations. The board decides how to handle school security, racial and gender equity, and public health concerns.
- School quality impacts community quality. Support for local public schools and children’s education impacts future adults who will live, work, and vote in your community.
- School boards control tax dollars. A large portion of school district funding comes from local tax dollars, so even if you don’t have a child in school, you should have input into the budget of your local school district.
Some voters have skipped school board elections because they don’t know the candidates or don’t feel like they have a stake in the election. School board members have the important job of overseeing the education of future community members, and that’s powerful.
Let your peers know how important it is to vote in school board elections!