This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
Most school board members in Virginia and across the country have a higher level of optimism about their school districts than the public, reflecting a key public education disconnect, according to a study published by the Fordham Institute on Wednesday.
The research, supported by the conservative think tank, comes as school boards and the communities they serve increasingly diverge over policy decisions and values. In Virginia, conservatives have also pushed for voucher programs and charter schools, which opponents say will divert funding from public schools.
About 75% of the 5,364 school board members across 3,093 districts surveyed for the study said they would give their schools an “A” or “B.” The study adds that among the general public, however, only about half grade their own schools so highly.
“If board members consistently overestimate the quality of their districts, they may fail to recognize the urgency of reform in those same districts,” the report states. “They may dismiss parental complaints as outliers rather than indicators of systemic problems. And they may approve policies or budgets that assume satisfaction when dissatisfaction is widespread.”
The study, co-authored by David Houston and Michael Hartley, called “Who’s on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict,” includes school board member findings about demographic gaps, and their perceptions of elections and political alignment with the rest of the country. The study also pulled from previously conducted public surveys — including from Gallup, U.S. Census and Education Next Survey of Public Opinion — to generate estimates of the general population.
According to the study, school board members showed higher rates of alignment with the average of the U.S. population on cultural war issues like transgender student access than on long-standing debates like charter schools and teachers’ unions.
In Virginia, transgender student access has been a hot button issue over the past four years. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration overhauled the state’s transgender student policies, which now states “students shall use bathrooms that correspond to his or her sex, except to the extent that federal law otherwise requires.”
The total number of local school boards that have adopted the policies is unclear, however a few in Northern Virginia have opposed making any changes, in an effort to support transgender students. The U.S. Department of Education is now targeting some of them for their bathroom policies.
Transgender students’ bathroom access has also become a flashpoint in the gubernatorial race, with Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears speaking out against Loudoun County’s policy that allows students to use restrooms aligned with their gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth. Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has broadly promised to protect LGBTQ+ students’ rights if she is elected governor.
Regarding charter schools, researchers found that 59% of school board members oppose them, compared to 45% of the public respondents who favor them.
In Virginia, the governor’s efforts to increase the number of charter schools have struggled due to pushback from some lawmakers and the state constitution’s requirement of state and local approvals. Virginia has a total of seven charter schools.
Nationwide, board members’ general political identity closely matches the country’s political leanings and policy views, according to the study. The report further states that about 65% of all board members share the same political party affiliation as the majority of voters in their local district.
In Virginia, school board candidates are elected without political party affiliation; however, some have received endorsements from political parties and organizations that favor specific political values.
The study also identified demographic trends on school boards, including that most board members are more likely to be white and highly educated, and a quarter of members are current or former public school teachers. Researchers also said they found “gender parity” on American school boards after a 2001 survey by Hess and Leal reported that six in 10 board members were male.
Board members nationwide described different electoral environments, which vary based on the size of the district, according to the study. The report goes on to say that in smaller districts, most elections are neither very competitive nor very partisan, and teachers’ unions play a relatively minor role. Cardinal News reported this week that at least eight Virginia school board elections will not have a candidate on the ballot this fall.
In larger districts, serving over 5,000 students, school board elections are more competitive, highly partisan and influenced significantly by major interest groups.