Why are so many candidates running for school board seats in Stark County?
Twelve of Stark County's 17 public school districts have a contested board race on the Nov. 7 ballot. And many of the races have more than three people seeking one of the two seats up for grabs.
It's been a long time since there were so many candidates seeking an elected seat on local school boards, said Cheri Strachan, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
"Historically, school boards are seeking out people to run so they don't have an empty seat on the board," she said.
More: What's on the Nov. 7 election ballot in Stark County: Here are the issues & candidates
Sixty-two candidates are seeking 40 school board slots available on the Nov. 7 ballot in Stark County.
Starchan said the trend is happening across the country.
She credited the rise in candidates to groups like Moms for Liberty, whose local chapters are encouraging people to seek political offices.
"Issues around curriculum, bathroom use, whether teachers can use alternative pronouns — all of those things became highly politicized at the national level, and Moms for Liberty is a mechanism being used to encourage people to take action," she said.
The push by the national nonprofit has prompted those with opposing beliefs to run against the Moms For Liberty-backed candidates, Starchan added.
School board races: Culture-war issues take center stage in many central Ohio school board races
Traditionally, school boards have been a "maintenance group," making sure the district has a superintendent or has policies in place for things like calling off school on a snow day, she said. None of their duties were politicized on a national scale.
"When Moms for Liberty came in and encouraged community members to be vocal on these polarizing issues, then we see the reaction, and others will run to provide an alternative," she said.
Stark County's Moms for Liberty chapter
The nonprofit Moms for Liberty was started in 2021 by current and former school board members in Florida. Initially, the group focused on mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions in schools but has shifted gears and is now “dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”
Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center branded Moms for Liberty an extremist organization. The agency emphasizes that in contrast to the relatively mild agenda on its website, Moms for Liberty's social media posts, policies and practices target teachers, school officials and the U.S. Department of Education; advances conspiracy theories; and spreads “hateful imagery and rhetoric against the LGBTQ community.”
Sarah Simon, founder of the Stark Chapter of Moms for Liberty, said there are misconceptions about the group, adding her chapter wants to get voters of all political views involved in the education process.
"Our chapter focuses on issues in our area," she said. "We've never challenged a book or banned one. We are more focused on curriculum, finances and exposing things that are going on in our (school) districts. We want transparency. Our No. 1 goal is to get everybody looking at school board races."
Simon and her local group took on this year's school board races, creating the website StarkParents.com to provide a platform for all candidates — not just ones seeking endorsement from the group — to reach parents about their beliefs and why they were running for office.
Simon has talked to nearly every candidate on the ballot and welcomed them to answer their questionnaire or submit their picture and political website if they have one.
Some took her up on the offer; many did not.
"For me personally, it was really cool calling all of the candidates," Simon said. "Everyone has their reasons for running and some things we didn't agree about, but when we got done talking, we realized that we were on the same page about 95% of things."
For Simon, it's all about the children and parental rights to ensure board members are making the best decisions for the school and the community.
Stark County school board races for Nov. 7
Fifteen of the 62 school board candidates sought an endorsement from the group, Simon said. After filling out questionnaires, 11 candidates were interviewed and then taken to the general membership for endorsement. Candidates had to receive a two-thirds vote to be endorsed. In the end, the group endorsed nine candidates.
The candidates answered questions, including whether they support saying of the Pledge of Allegiance and student-led prayer in school.
They also were asked if they support training and teaching of critical race theory, diversity, equality and inclusion and if they support minors changing their gender.
Dianne Digianantonio, co-president of the League of Women Voters of the Canton Area, believes the political climate, especially at the state level, is pushing interest in local races like school boards.
"The governor is trying to take on education with his creation of the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, which reports directly to him," she said. "There is a ton of political effort on schools."
The League of Women Voters is aware of several groups, including the Moms for Liberty, that back certain candidates, Digianantonio said, and that has led to greater interest.
At a recent candidate night sponsored by the league for North Canton school board candidates, Digianantonio was pleased with the turnout and questions generated by those in attendance.
She estimated about 150 people attended.
Using questions recommended by the Ohio League of Woman Voters and billed as nonpartisan, Digianantonio, who moderated the program, used the league questions for about 35 minutes before switching to questions from the audience. Submitted questions sought information about how candidates would respond to LBGQT issues, what groups they were endorsed by, as well as who was financing their campaigns.
"I found it very interesting," she said. "There were a lot of questions that we couldn't get to."
Regardless of where candidates get their support, Digianantonio is happy to see people getting involved in local government.
"We always support people getting involved in our election," she said. "Our focus is on democracy."
Simon agreed.
"It's about getting people on the ballot and doing what they can to improve our schools," she said.
There was a time when no one wanted to run for school board
That's what the Ohio School Boards Association has been trying to do for the past few years. The group launched a campaign to get people to run for the school board.
Jeff Chambers, director of communication services for the organization, said the campaign is working. They have seen more people getting on the ballot for a school board seat each election cycle since they started the campaign.
He admitted the political climate and groups such as Moms for Liberty could also be playing a part in the rise of candidates.
The association is still gathering data about the November election, but Chambers said there are pockets of higher numbers of candidates in mostly suburban areas. Franklin and surrounding counties have a number of contested races, he said.
Plain Local school board member John Halkias, who is not up for election this year, has served on the board since 1999. He doesn't find it unusual for his district to see a high number of candidates. Voters almost always have a plethora of choices. Plain has five candidates, including two incumbents, seeking two seats this November.
As a former president of the Ohio School Boards Association, he recalled a time when they could not get people to run for the school board.
He believes the uptick in candidates across the county is in response to the political climate.
Whatever the reasons candidates are seeking a seat, he said those seeking office must have the right focus and no political agenda. What matters, he said, is educating students and making sure the kids are a top priority.
"As a school board member, I am more concerned about the political divide," he said.
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
This article originally appeared on The Independent: Why are so many running for school board seats in Stark County?
