State and local school board elections in Ohio are non-partisan, like many municipal and local races. But a new bill in the Ohio Legislature would change that.
Sen. Andy Brenner (R-Delaware) said voters need to know the party affiliations of candidates for school boards.
“These local school boards are very political,” Brenner said.
Brenner’s bill would require candidates for local school boards and for the 11 elected positions on the State Board of Education list party affiliation so voters will know whether their values match the candidates' views.
“They would have to declare their party or they could run as an independent if they do not have a party affiliation and that to me is for transparency," Brenner said. "So whether you are Republican, Democrat, Green or Libertarian, you can run as that in a November election and it would be up to voters to decide."
Some think partisanship is not needed in these races
Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) served on her local school district’s board of education for eight years before being appointed to the legislature last year. She won her first election to the House in November. Brown Piccolantonio said the nature of the work school board members do is nonpartisan.
"They are decisions about budgets for our school districts and how to allocate funds and how to make sure that students are getting everything that they need in order to get a good quality education. And those are not partisan issues," Brown Piccolantonio said. "So while you may have people who run and serve on school boards who do otherwise have a partisan affiliation, that is not something that really comes into play in the kinds of decisions that they are making."
Pondering party designations
Brenner said parties could endorse candidates and provide support for them under his bill. But he said unaffiliated candidates could run independent of a partisan designation on the ballot. And he said those who run with a party designation could go through its screening process.
"Most races for school boards, no local party vets any of their candidates because they are technically nonpartisan. So you’ve got people who are running who may have no businesses being in those offices," Brenner said. "I think this opens up the idea that local parties can start vetting some of these candidates and there would be an incentive to do that."
Most Ohioans who are registered to vote are not affiliated with a political party, and that's likely to include school board candidates too, said Brown Piccolantonio. She added some public employees are prohibited from running for or being engaged in political campaigns, but because school boards are nonpartisan, she said they can serve on those. But if party affiliation comes into play, that could change. Further, she said there are a lot of independents on school boards who might not want to run in a partisan primary.
“There are lots of people who wouldn’t seek endorsement because they are not affiliated with a party. And I am not sure what would happen to their ability to be successful in a school board campaign in a scenario when party affiliation is on the ballot," said Brown Piccolantonio.
Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, said partisan politics have no place in education.
“I’ve never heard a single member say this is a good idea. This would shut out effectively people who don’t identify with a political party from participating,” DiMauro said. “Look at all other partisan races. Independents are often an afterthought in our two-party systems."
Brenner said teachers’ unions, which often back Democratic candidates, have traditionally had power in school board races. Brown Piccolantonio countered that voters have always had the opportunity to check out potential candidates to find out their political affiliations or points of view.
In 2021, a law requiring party affiliation of candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court and courts of appeals went into effect. In 2022, the three seats on the Ohio Supreme Court that were on the ballot went to Republicans. In 2024, the three seats that were on the ballot also went to Republicans, with Justice Jennifer Brunner as the only Democrat in statewide elected office. Brunner will be up for re-election in 2026.