Voters should pay closer attention as school board races become more politicized, experts say

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- School board elections that didn't carry much weight in years past are now hotly-contested races.

For example, Ballotpedia identifies the school board election in Central Bucks School District as a battleground election after the board passed policies that critics say are anti-LGBTQ.

The change has many watching the races very closely.

"The state of school board elections has dramatically changed in the past several years," said Michael Kozak, director of the Education Administration Program at Drexel University.

The Pennsylvania School Board Association doesn't comment on political races, but they say over the past several years some elections have become more politicized, while others have seen more people engage because education is a key issue to them.

Kozak adds that school board positions have also become springboards to bigger political positions.

"Political appointees being put in positions where they could influence how legal decisions are interpreted, how policies are enacted, what policies are put in place and what policies are removed," he said.

Dr. Myra Forrest, who has had a long career in education and now works with the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, felt compelled to write an op-ed.

"I believe that school board elections are extremely important," said Forrest.

As a former school superintendent, she's noticing more school board races, like the one in Souderton, Montgomery County, where candidates have combined their efforts to get elected.

"The school district where I live, there are five open seats and two teams of five running," she said, "and they want to be voted in as a block."

Voters, she says, don't always realize the weight of their decision

"People do not take (the elections) seriously. They do not look into the candidates' background," she said.

Pennsylvania only requires school board candidates to be at least 18 years old, reside in the district, and be of "good moral character."

"Finding background information on candidates is difficult because some of these people might not have been in a corporate environment," said Kozak.

It's one reason experts say voters should consider their choices carefully.

"The more knowledge you can gather," said Forrest, "the better your vote will be."