Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #144

By

Ballotpedia staff

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 the sick-out protest of Houston schools  
  • School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
  • Oklahoma Governor appoints new members of the state board of education
  • Michigan school board appoints incumbent who lost election after winning candidate fails to file paperwork 
  • Extracurricular: education news and numbers from around the web
  • Candidate Connection survey

Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas!

On the issues: The debate over the sick-out protest of Houston schools

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.

Here is the background

On Feb. 5, an estimated 3,000 Houston Independent School District (HISD) students stayed home from classes as part of an organized sick-out to protest the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) takeover of the district. Community Voices for Public Education, a nonprofit that describes its mission as “uniting parents, educators, students, and community members to advocate for strong, equitable public schools,” helped organize the sick-out. 

The TEA assumed control of HISD in June 2023, citing persistent academic underperformance and district governance concerns. In the transition, the state replaced the elected school board and superintendent with a state-appointed board of managers and a new superintendent—Mike Miles.

Among other changes, Miles implemented a mandatory curriculum at more than 50 campuses, placed more emphasis on testing, and cut central office staff. Miles also converted some school libraries into multi-purpose spaces for disciplining misbehaving students and tutoring high-achieving ones. 

Here are the arguments

Alexandra Elizondo, a representative for the district, wrote the calls to keep kids home were irresponsible and harmful for students. Elizondo says the district has made significant progress since the takeover and better serves the needs of more students and schools.

The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board wrote that parents and students have concerns about stressful environments, teacher retention, and repetitive testing requirements. The Board said although the protest cost students a school day, the sick-out legitimately voiced those worries. 

Read on

HISD’s response to Community Voices for Public Education’s irresponsible call to protest. | Alexandra Elizondo, X

“Encouraging students to skip school only hurts students. Every data point—STAAR, NAEP, School Accountability Ratings, College-Credit Course Access—shows that HISD’s students and schools, especially those neglected by previous administrations, are making significant progress. What bad old days do they want the district’s most marginalized students to be dragged back to now? Do they want to go back to the time when only 17% of graduates earned a living wage, when the schools serving our poorest students graduated students with empty diplomas, or when students with special needs were so chronically underserved that the state had to step in? And are they really willing to encourage children to skip school to make their point? The old HISD may have worked wonderfully for a few students, but it didn’t work for most students. The systemic transformation underway at HISD is the best shot to ensure that all of Houston’s students have a fair shot at the education and life they deserve. Unfortunately, a small group of adults continues to put their interests ahead of students.”

HISD students in ‘sickout’ are protesting Mike Miles. He should listen | Editorial Board, Houston Chronicle

“It’s been nearly two years since the State of Texas announced its takeover of Houston Independent School District, thanks to long-struggling campuses and school board dysfunction. And in that time, many here have wondered … Is anyone listening to us? … Members of the editorial board talked to 11 students and parents from campuses across the district, including NES and non-NES schools, about their decision to participate in Wednesday’s community-organized sick-out. … All the students spoke of more stressful environments, teacher turnover and the encroachment of repetitive, test-oriented curriculum. … The sickout might look like an excuse to skip. But the students we spoke with felt that missing even one day could put them behind, especially those at NES campuses. Daily attendance is also a critical part of the funding formula for campuses. We share their concerns: This protest comes at a cost to both the schools and the student protesters. But we don’t quite agree with the district’s public affairs and communications chief Alexandra Elizondo that, ‘Encouraging students to skip school only hurts students.’ Not when they have some legitimate grievances.”

School board update: filing deadlines, election results, 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

The 2025 school board election calendar continues to come into sharper focus. The map below shows the states where Ballotpedia will be covering school board elections:

  • March 4—California, Alabama, Iowa (special elections)
  • March 11—Arizona
  • April 1—Alaska, Illinois, Oklahoma, (general elections), Wisconsin (general elections)
  • April 8—Missouri and Nebraska
  • May 3—Texas
  • May 6—Montana
  • May 13—Arkansas and Delaware

We will continue to update the list of states and election dates as we gather more information on election dates, filing deadlines, and candidate lists. 

Click here for more information on upcoming elections in your state.

Alabama

Eight seats on the Tuscaloosa City Schools school board are up for general election on March 4. Seven of the eight elections were cancelled because only one candidate ran in each one.

Incumbent Karen Thompson-Jackson and Tony Humphries are running in the election for District 1.

Tuscaloosa City Schools is the 14th-largest district in the state, with more than 11,000 students. 

California

Ballotpedia will cover partial redo elections for three seats on the Coachella Valley Unified School District school board on March 4. The Coachella Valley Unified School District spans both Riverside and Imperial counties. The elections originally took place on Nov. 5, 2024, but due to a clerical error, the races were omitted from roughly 2,400 voters’ ballots in Imperial County. 

As a result, a Riverside County Superior Court judge ordered a partial redo election in which only Imperial County residents will participate. Election officials will then add the results from the partial redo election in Imperial County to the results from the other county’s November election to produce the final results.

Coachella Valley Unified School District is the 77th largest district in California, with more than 17,000 students.

Oklahoma Governor appoints new members of the state board of education

On Feb. 11, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) announced he was removing three members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) and appointing replacements. Stitt cited the latest National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores and what he called “needless political drama,” including his disagreements with the Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) over a proposed rule that would have required districts to track students’ immigration status.

Here’s what you need to know.

What happened: Stitt removed Donald Burdick, Kendra Wesson, and Katie Quebedeaux, three of the five members of the OSBE. Stitt appointed the three members in 2022 and 2023. Stitt said, “After months of headlines followed by disappointing NAEP scores this month, it’s clear that our education infrastructure has fallen prey to needless political drama. If we want to be the best state for business, we need to make sure our kids have a path to success.” Stitt appointed Ryan Deatherage, Michael Tinney, and Chris VanDenhende. 

The Oklahoma Senate must confirm the appointments. 

The OSBE comprises six appointed members and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who serves as chair. 

Walters said: “Governor Stitt has joined the swampy political establishment that President Trump is fighting against. The board members that stood with us, working with the Trump Administration to make our schools safer and better, have been fired for political purposes.” Walters was elected education superintendent in 2022. Stitt appointed Walters secretary of education in 2020, a position he held until 2023. 

The context: The state board of education is an executive branch agency that oversees K-12 public schools in 48 states. Minnesota and Wisconsin are the only states without a state board of education (the Minnesota State Legislature voted in 1998 to eliminate the board and transfer its duties to the education commissioner). 

Oklahoma is one of 34 states where all state board of education members are appointed. In most cases, the governor appoints the board members, while the Senate votes to confirm or reject them. 

In eight states—Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Utah—and D.C., voters elect all board members. In every state but Nebraska, candidates for state board run in partisan elections. Elections in each state are held in even years, meaning no state board elections are scheduled in 2025. 

Five states—Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington—select state board members using a mixture of elections and appointments. For example, in Louisiana and Nevada, voters elect some members, while the governor appoints the rest. In Washington, local public school board members elect five members and the governor appoints seven. The board also consists of two high school student representatives and a member selected by private school administrators. 

In New York, the legislature elects all 17 members of the state Board of Regents. 

Go deeper: Stitt and Walters have disagreed over an SBOE rule that would have required districts to collect students’ immigration status. The board unanimously approved the rule on Jan. 28. Stitt, who has final say over whether the rule gets implemented, said: “Collecting 6, 7, 8-year-old kids’ addresses and immigration status in the state of Oklahoma, that’s not a public safety issue. Let’s go after the people that are committing crimes, and let’s not terrorize and make our kids not show up for school.” 

Stitt accused Walters of generating controversy and having his sights on a higher office.  

Walters proposed the rule after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ended a policy that generally prohibited U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests in schools, churches, and other locations. 

Walters said, “For years the liberal media has been vilifying Republicans for separating illegal immigrant children from their parents. Now they want us to explain why we’d let ICE agents into schools. The answer is simple: we want to ensure that deported parents are reconnected with their children and keep families together.”

Michigan school board appoints incumbent who lost election after winning candidate fails to file paperwork 

Here’s a story related to school board governance you might have missed. 

On Nov. 5, 2024, voters in the Hopkins Public Schools district, about 15 miles outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, went to the polls to elect two candidates for at-large positions on the school board. Former Michigan state Rep. Steven Johnson (R) received 35% of the vote, while incumbent Karen Ryan received 34%. 

Incumbent Ian Gibson came in third, with 31%. 

But two months later, the school board, including Ryan, appointed Gibson to the seat Johnson had won. 

Here’s how that happened. 

According to Michigan state law, school board candidates must sign an Acceptance of Office form within 10 days of election administrators certifying the results. Johnson failed to sign the form, writing on his Facebook page: “Because this form was not signed within the 10 days, the Board was required to vacate the seat and appoint a replacement.” 

Johnson went on to write, “Regardless of who you voted for, I hope we all can agree that the honorable thing for the Board members to do, is to respect the outcome of the election. To do otherwise would be an affront to the voters and cause the Board to lose all credibility.”

The board invited eligible individuals interested in serving on the board to submit an application by Jan. 8. Johnson did so, as did Gibson. 

On Jan. 14, the board voted 6-0 to appoint Gibson. Johnson wrote, “With complete disregard for the voters, the Hopkins School Board decided to appoint the guy we beat in the election.”

Hopkins Public Schools enrolled about 1,500 students during the 2022-23 school year.

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 two candidates who ran in the Feb. 18 primary for three at-large seats on the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education, in Wisconsin. 

Elliot Christenson and Ethan Rouse completed the survey. They were two of the seven candidates who ran, including incumbents Rick Crosson and James G. Lyerly. The six candidates with the most votes will advance to the general election in April.

Preliminary results show Rouse in seventh place with 6% of the vote. Christenson was in sixth place with 10%.  

Green Bay Area Public Schools is the fourth largest district in Wisconsin, with around 19,000 students. 

Here’s how Christenson answered the question, “How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?”

“We need to get back to clear messaging on the requirement of academic excellence. Over the past 30 years, our district has gotten away from the core function of a school district. Our function is to teach. We need to do that ABOVE expectations (not below) before we should expand the scope to include other aspects of student life. Teachers went into the field to teach. Taxpayers and employers support public schools because they teach. We need to focus a bit more on the fundamentals.” 

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

Here’s how Rouse answered the question, “What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?”

“Victims of bullying may feel the need to defend themselves, but zero-tolerance policies frequently punish any form of retaliation, even when it’s in self-defense. This can result in victims feeling powerless and vulnerable. When self-defense comes into play, we should use what is legally defined as self-defense as policy.”

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

Everyone deserves to know their candidates. However, we know it can be hard for voters to find information about their candidates, especially for local offices such as school boards. That’s why we created Candidate Connection—a survey designed to help candidates tell voters about their campaigns, their issues, and so much more. 

In the 2024 election cycle, 6,539 candidates completed the survey, including more than 500 school board candidates. 

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

The survey contains more than 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, a box with your answers will appear in 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!