Many people who run for school boards are either parents or teachers. Maryam Zafar, 19, is not one of these.
She said, “I have a lot like, really close experience with a large chunk of the people that are supposed to serve as a school board.” “And because I’m older, people know that I have an unique perspective. It doesn’t matter if they’ve heard it before.”
Zafar is currently a student at University of Texas-Austin and a 2020 graduate of McNeil High School in Round Rock, Texas.
She said, “I feel really privileged to be here; it gave me many opportunities but it wasn’t always a safe or healthy space for me and/or my friends, particularly in regard to sexual harassment, assault, and assault,” as she spoke in the Round Rock High School courtyard on a spring afternoon. Students were leaving school that day. “I was in ROTC. It was my high school’s Air Force program. So, one of the major responsibilities of my job was to deal with any harassment cases that might arise.
She says that this experience made it clear to her that she wanted to serve as a school board member in the district. Zafar trained with Run for Something to prepare for her run.
Although the group has been recruiting people for various offices for many years, cofounder Amanda Litman said that they are now focusing on school boards.
Litman stated that one of the key things after 2020 was to put more emphasis on local positions such as school boards. “There is a great need for progressive broadening of these local positions. More than 80,000 school board members are elected across the country. This year, there are approximately 21,000 new positions.
Nationally, there is more interest in running for school board. Ballotpedia reports that 25% of school board races have been unopposed, a decrease from 35% last and 40% in 2018.
It is difficult to determine who or what is driving all the energy because school board elections are almost entirely nonpartisan.
There has been an unmistakable surge of conservative enthusiasm in school politics over the past few years, mainly around national issues such as race, LGBTQ issues and COVID. Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn in Education and Moms for Liberty are just a few of the groups that have been working to alleviate parents’ frustration.
At Run for Something, progressives such as Litman are looking to create their own organization and funding to counter the enthusiasm of the right.
“The far right is spending a lot of money on outside PACs. Litman stated that we have seen that the Leadership Institute (a Koch Brothers-funded non-profit that provides conservative training for operatives, activists and activists) has been running for school board programming all year. Moms for Liberty is focusing on support for candidates and school board positions. They’re now doubling or tripling their efforts. We have to do the same.”
It is not unusual for national-level politics in school board elections. aEUR” In the 1990s, conservative parents focused on the teaching of evolution and sex education. Some parents were also opposed to No Child Left Behind during George W. Bush’s presidency.
However, the political landscape has changed dramatically.
“What’s new this time is the coordination and the financing, and then social media really being in able to spread an extremely consistent message to so many schools districts so quickly,” Rebecca Jacobsen, Michigan State University professor of educational policy, said. “In previous eras, prior to internet and social media these things happened but at a slower pace. In some ways, this slower pace allowed for alternative voices to be heard, voices that may have moderated the discussion.
She also expressed concern that this kind of polarization could have long-term negative effects on the public schools system.
Jacobsen stated that schools are “really the last remaining holdout in our support of a large public institution.” “So I believe that this is perhaps the most important impact of the policy than anything else. It doesn’t matter if the policy becomes X orY. I think whether it continues to believe that local schools are good and that all children should attend them. That’s why I support taxes and continue sending my kids there. This is, for me, the more important question.
Round Rock has witnessed national-level tensions play themselves out locally aEUR”, one turbulent September meeting saw parents and board members clash over masking. This culminated in two arrests.
Zafar stated that she is concerned about meeting being politicized.
She said, “I have certainly seen that here.” “We’ve seen a lot disruption in our school board about mask mandates, and there’s been a lot legal action taken about it. It’s disrupted our ability to focus on student outcomes as well as the health and wellbeing of students.”
Christy Slape, a Board of Trustees member, stated that YouTube and social media have helped to mobilize parents in the area. She was there to talk about books that she felt were too sexual. The books were first mentioned to her by a parent who complained about them to the school.
She said, “That just launched an entire basically like a snowball effect of parents wanting more information about books in the classroom and then other books available in the library.” “There has been a snowball effect across the country of parents wanting more information about their libraries and what books they have.
Slape spoke, but books weren’t on the agenda. This board meeting was not about cultural issues. It was instead about district concerns such as student recognition and raises in staff salaries. This is a point that can easily be lost in viral videos of rowdy school boards meetings. Local school-board politics are often not about national cultural discussions but rather more mundane, yet vital, local topics like bond issues.
Litman also stated that she recommends candidates stick to concrete local solutions and not debates about critical race theory.
“You want, like, to really get to the root of the matter, which it is that people are anxious about school quality. What can you do? She said. “And it’s usually quite boring. It’s the specific, tangible things that you can fix.
However, the school board may face problems that they cannot fix. Zafar, who was raised in an era of school lockdowns, is concerned about gun violence after the Uvalde school shooting.
She said, “It’s been an important issue to me ever since I was a child aEUR” She used to have nightmares about being gunned down.
She is also realistic about the limitations of school board members’ ability to address shootings.
She said, “I don’t believe we can do much regarding guns themselves.” “I believe all we can do is safety policies, locking people down, and making sure that people are educated about what to do in a lockdown.
Litman hopes that members will have an influence beyond the school walls.
“I think that in many cases, school board members are best placed to ask the state legislators what they can do. How can school board members leverage their political platforms and bully pulpit to advocate for greater statewide changes? She said.
National politics are now reaching school boards. In other words, she hopes that some members’ political views will filter up.
