Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #146

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 Indiana’s House Bill 1136 
  • In your district: Misconceptions about school boards
  • School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
  • A roundup of K-12 education policy news
  • 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 Indiana’s House Bill 1136

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.

What’s the background?

Indiana Rep. Jake Teshka (R) introduced Indiana HB 1136 on Jan. 8. The bill was referred to the Education Committee, but has not been acted on since. The bill proposes that if more than 50% of students residing within a school district’s boundaries are enrolled in schools not operated by the district as of Oct. 1 of the previous year, the district must be dissolved and converted into charter schools. 

Under that criteria, five districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), would be dissolved and converted to charter schools.

What are the arguments?

Reid Litwack writes that Indianapolis Public Schools and other big city school districts are failing to educate students. Litwack says large school district governance structures are ineffective and that converting the public schools in districts to charter schools would improve accountability. 

Michael Shaffer writes that converting public schools into charters would steal resources from the community and reduce local control. Shaffer says the elimination of elected local school boards will reduce public accountability and push out underperforming and underserved students.

Read on

Let Indianapolis Public Schools die | Opinion | Reid Litwack, IndyStar

“Charter schools are now the majority of public schools within the Indianapolis Public Schools boundaries. Stanford University’s research is very clear: Black and brown students (especially boys) learn significantly more in charter schools. House Bill 1136 completes this transition by making all IPS schools charters. I believe it’s time to openly declare what most of us have known for the last 60 years: IPS does a terrible job educating the vast majority of its students (especially Black and brown students). There are many factors contributing to this, including poverty and housing instability; no one doubts it’s a hard job. But no big-city school district in the U.S. is good. None. Zero. The old governance model of a large central office trying to run 50 to 100 schools simply does not work. It’s time to declare the emperor has no clothes and move to a fully autonomous and highly accountable system.”

The grandest of larcenies: HB 1136 would seize public property for charter schools | Michael Shaffer, The Journal Gazette

“For as long as these individual schools and districts have existed, the communities in which they reside have fully funded and paid the costs of securing properties on which the building is located, paying the mortgages, budgeting to pay for not only the original construction but all improvements to each building, and maintaining the buildings to meet the needs of the community in which they are located. In one fell swoop, the state will take those buildings and give them to charter school organizations, and all local control disappears. Our communities have spent and are spending millions to provide the safest and best school buildings in which students will be educated. All the buildings owned locally by the citizens of that school district will become the property of the charter schools that take over.”

In your district: Misconceptions about school boards

We want to hear what’s happening in your school district. Please complete the very brief survey below—anonymously, if you prefer—and we may share your response with fellow subscribers in an upcoming newsletter.

What is the most common misconception you encounter about school boards?

Click here to respond!

You can read our previous reader surveys and responses here. 

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 map below shows the states where Ballotpedia will be covering school board elections:

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

A roundup of K-12 education policy news 

It was a busy week in the world of state and federal K-12 education news. We’ll walk you through the following stories:

  • The U.S. Department of Education’s recent guidance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the use of race in hiring and admissions
  • Idaho’s and Wyoming’s new private school choice programs
  • Arkansas’ ban on cellphones in schools

U.S. Education Department issues followup guidance on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs

On March 1, the U.S. Education Department released guidance clarifying a Feb. 14 letter that gave schools two weeks to end programs it described as engaging in “overt and covert racial discrimination,” including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, or risk federal funding. 

The details: The guidance states that while, “[m]any schools have advanced discriminatory policies and practices under the banner of ‘DEI’ initiatives,” the Department’s “assessment of school policies and programs depends on the facts and circumstances of each case.”

  • The guidance states that “[w]hether a policy or program violates Title VI does not depend on the use of specific terminology such as ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ or ‘inclusion’” and notes that historical and cultural observances, such as Black History Month, do not violate federal law so long as students aren’t discriminated against. 
  • The guidance states that federal law prohibits “the Department from exercising control over the content of school curricula.”

Background: In the Feb. 14 letter, acting Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights Craig Trainor wrote: “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.” Trainor cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College. The 6-3 ruling significantly limited the consideration of race in college admissions.

Response: The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the country’s second-largest teachers union, sued on Feb. 25, stating: “the Letter radically upends and re-writes otherwise well-established jurisprudence. No federal law prevents teaching about race and race-related topics, and the Supreme Court has not banned efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.”

  • The Eugene School District 4J, in Oregon, announced it was joining the AFT’s lawsuit on Feb. 26, becoming the first district to do so. School board chair Jenny Jonak said, “Our equity programs are part of our board and district goals to make sure our students have fair access to achievement and that our schools are effective in reaching all students, including our most vulnerable.”  

Context: The Trump administration has targeted what it calls DEI in education institutions and throughout the federal government. 

  • On Feb. 27, the U.S. Department of Education launched an “End DEI” portal for reporting sex- and race-based discrimination. Opponents have described the portal as a “snitch line.” A press release quoted Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice: “Parents, now is the time that you share the receipts of the betrayal that has happened in our public schools.”
  • Trump issued an order on his first day in office terminating “all DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions (including but not limited to ‘Chief Diversity Officer’ positions); all ‘equity action plans,’ ‘equity’ actions, initiatives, or programs, equity-related’ grants or contracts; and all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors, or grantees.” Click here to view Ballotpedia’s coverage of all Trump’s executive orders. 

What happens next: As of March 5, the AFT had not dropped its lawsuit against the U.S. Education Department. AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “ED may have realized they overreached but there’s nothing to help teachers determine what is / is not ok to teach. Can they cover Jim Crow laws? American involvement in WWII? We shouldn’t have to hire private law firms to interpret guidance from the govt.”

Idaho and Wyoming enact private school choice legislation

Idaho and Wyoming became the latest Republican-led states to adopt or expand policies that provide families with taxpayer funding for private educational expenses, such as private school tuition, tutoring, or homeschooling curriculum. On March 4, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) signed HB 199, opening a 2024 income-restricted education savings account (ESA) program to all students. Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed HB 93 on Feb. 27, creating a refundable tax credit program with universal eligibility. 

Context: Fifteen states now have private school choice programs open to all or nearly all students. Since the beginning of the year, three states—Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming—have enacted laws creating or expanding programs. Going into 2025, Idaho was one of four states with a Republican trifecta without any private school choice program. 

The details: Programs in Idaho and Wyoming are open to all students, regardless of family income. In both cases, students cannot be enrolled in a public school to use the funding. 

  • Idaho: The refundable tax credit program is capped at $50 million per year and provides $5,000 for eligible families to use on educational expenses ($7,500 for students with disabilities). The program prioritizes families making less than 300% of the federal poverty limit, which is roughly $96,000 for a family of four. Idaho spends roughly $9,300 per pupil on K-12 public education. 
  • Wyoming: The program, capped at $30 million, provides $7,000 to students on a first-come first-served basis. Priority is given to students or their siblings who received the funds in the previous year. The program allows families making at or below 250% of the federal poverty level to spend the money on pre-K. Wyoming spends roughly $20,000 per pupil. 

Background: Wyoming lawmakers passed, and Gordon signed, legislation creating a limited, income-restricted ESA program in 2024. Gordon vetoed a provision in the bill that allowed families making between 150% and 500% of the federal poverty level to apply for the program, saying the state constitution prohibited the government from giving money to individuals “except for necessary support of the poor.” 

This time around, Gordon said the courts might have to settle the question. 

State Rep. Ocean Andrew (R), who sponsored HB 199, said, “Whether it’s micro schooling, private school, or home based programs, parents now have more tools to tailor education to their child’s needs.”

The Wyoming Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, opposed the bill, and said, “The district court’s ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required, and the choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision.” On Feb. 27, Laramie County District Court Judge Peter Froelicher ruled Wyoming schools were underfunded, violating the state constitution. 

Idaho lawmakers rejected private school choice bills in 2023 and 2024. In his 2025 state of the state address, Little said, “I recognize the growing desire to expand school choice especially for students with unique physical or developmental conditions. I am recommending $50 million to further expand education options for Idaho families.” Little went on to stipulate that any private school choice legislation needed to be done “the Idaho way, which means it is fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable.” 

While mulling whether to sign, veto, or allow HB 93 to become law without his signature, Little said the legislation fell short in some respects: “There’s not enough accountability in it. But I don’t think there’s enough accountability in the money we give public schools either.”

On Feb. 17, President Donald Trump (R) endorsed HB 93 in a post on social media site Truth Social. The Idaho Education Association, Idaho’s largest teachers union, opposed the bill and urged Little to veto it. Little’s office reported the state received 36,366 messages in response to HB 93, with 86% urging the governor to veto it. 

Arkansas bans cellphones in classrooms

On Feb. 21, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed SB 142, the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act, requiring districts to establish policies that prohibit student cellphone use during the school day. In her Jan. 14 state of the state address, Sanders said, “This session, we will ban cell phones in our schools, bell to bell, so that our kids are not distracted, in class or out of it.” 

Context: Arkansas is the first state this year to enact a statewide policy prohibiting student cellphone use during part or all of the school day. Arkansas is one of eight states—California, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, and Virginia—that requires districts to limit cellphones in schools. At least five other states have adopted policies encouraging districts to limit cellphones and other technologies in the classroom.

The details: SB 142 requires districts to submit their cellphone policies to the Arkansas Department of Education for approval. Districts that fail to do so, or fail to enforce their policies, can be cited for violating the state’s accreditation standards. Each policy must provide exemptions for emergencies and students with disabilities.   

Click here to learn more about state policies around cellphone usage in K-12 public schools. 

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 Wisconsin candidates running in school board elections on April 1. 

Isaac Sung is one of six candidates running for four at-large seats on the Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education, northeast of Madison. Incumbents Diana McFarland, Steve Schroeder, and Colleen Uhlenkamp are running. As of this writing, Sung is the only candidate who has completed the survey.

The Sun Prairie Area School District is the 12th-largest in Wisconsin, with roughly 8,300 students. 

Incumbent Jim Coursey is one of two candidates running for one of two seats to represent Area IV the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education, northwest of Madison. Incumbent Robert Hesselbein is also running. 

Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District is the 15th-largest in Wisconsin, with about 7,200 students. 

Here’s how Sung answered the question, “What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?”

“The school board operates under a coherent governance model. This means that the board members do not dictate day-to-day details, but instead sets expectations and goals for the district to accomplish. If the district fails to meet those goals, then the board holds them accountable and must offer guidance in order to get them back on track. As such, a board member must be willing and able to set appropriate, measurable goals, and must be willing to hold the district accountable when necessary. They must also have enough knowledge to be able to offer plans of improvement if and when the district fails to meet expectations.”

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

Here’s how Coursey answered the question, “What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?”

“Effective school board membership requires addressing multiple, overlapping challenges at the same time. I don’t plan to be a single-issue candidate; rather, I am interested in working with my fellow board members, MCPASD Administration, and the public to create consensus around near-term decisions that will shape education in our community for the next decade.”

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