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Episode 811Nov 9, 2022

The rise of outside money in local school board elections

School board races: no longer low-key affairs.

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People and members of the "Moms For Liberty" Association, attend a campaign event for Jacqueline Rosario, to be re-elected as a member of the school board for District 2, in Vero Beach, Florida, on October 16, 2022. - Rosario's candidacy for re-election to a school board is supported by the controversial group "Moms for Liberty", which claims to defend the "rights of parents" but is accused by its critics of opposing LGBT rights. Long dormant and apolitical institutions, these councils, whose members are elected, have become real powder kegs with the politicization of subjects such as the discussion of gender or sexuality in schools, or the teaching of racism. Education has been at the heart of some mid-term elections.
People and members of the "Moms For Liberty" Association, attend a campaign event for Jacqueline Rosario, to be re-elected as a member of the school board for District 2, in Vero Beach, Florida, on October 16, 2022. - Rosario's candidacy for re-election to a school board is supported by the controversial group "Moms for Liberty", which claims to defend the "rights of parents" but is accused by its critics of opposing LGBT rights. Long dormant and apolitical institutions, these councils, whose members are elected, have become real powder kegs with the politicization of subjects such as the discussion of gender or sexuality in schools, or the teaching of racism. Education has been at the heart of some mid-term elections.
Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

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School board races have become some of the most contentious elections of the 2022 midterms. 

These used to be mostly local affairs, with candidates typically raising less than $1,000 from friends and family. But now it’s not uncommon for big national political action committees to sink tens of thousands into a single race.

“There’s both good and bad that money can bring,” said Rebecca Jacobsen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University.

Jacobsen traces the rise in outside money to the nationalization of school board politics — a trend she says goes back more than a decade that’s been supercharged by pandemic and culture war issues. 

Today, we talk with Jacobsen about the implications of outside money in school board elections for education policy and local democracy. 

In the News Fix, we’ll discuss what’s being done to address voter intimidation at the polls. Plus, two cryptocurrency giants are joining forces.

Then, we’ll hear from a listener who wonders if the universe is sending us an Election Day message, and a mathematician who has thought a lot about “How Not to Be Wrong” answers the “Make Me Smart” question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear your answer to the “Make Me Smart” question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART. You can also email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The Team