How Progressives Stole Our Schools, and How to Take Them Back
This opinion piece argues that the current structure of school board elections in the United States, characterized by off-cycle and nonpartisan voting, has allowed progressive ideologies and teachers' unions to dominate public education, even in conservative areas. The author, Stanley Kurtz, contends that low voter turnout in these specialized elections enables highly organized interest groups to exert disproportionate influence, effectively sidelining conservative viewpoints. To counter this, the article proposes moving school board elections to coincide with federal Election Day (on-cycle) and allowing political parties to nominate candidates. This reform aims to increase voter participation and ensure that school boards accurately reflect the political demographics of their communities. The text highlights that while some red states are adopting these changes, the movement lacks national attention and momentum. It suggests that high-profile advocacy from national Republican leaders could catalyze a significant cultural shift by breaking the monopoly of progressive education bureaucracies. The author traces the origins of nonpartisan elections to the Progressive Era, arguing that these reforms have backfired by fostering ideological partisanship under the guise of neutrality, thereby necessitating urgent structural electoral reforms to restore local control and conservative representation in education.
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How Progressives Stole Our Schools, and How to Take Them Back
This opinion piece argues that the current structure of school board elections in the United States, characterized by off-cycle and nonpartisan voting, has allowed progressive ideologies and teachers' unions to dominate public education, even in conservative areas. The author, Stanley Kurtz, contends that low voter turnout in these specialized elections enables highly organized interest groups to exert disproportionate influence, effectively sidelining conservative viewpoints. To counter this, the article proposes moving school board elections to coincide with federal Election Day (on-cycle) and allowing political parties to nominate candidates. This reform aims to increase voter participation and ensure that school boards accurately reflect the political demographics of their communities. The text highlights that while some red states are adopting these changes, the movement lacks national attention and momentum. It suggests that high-profile advocacy from national Republican leaders could catalyze a significant cultural shift by breaking the monopoly of progressive education bureaucracies. The author traces the origins of nonpartisan elections to the Progressive Era, arguing that these reforms have backfired by fostering ideological partisanship under the guise of neutrality, thereby necessitating urgent structural electoral reforms to restore local control and conservative representation in education.
nationalreview