The politics of the 2021 school board recall attempts

ABSTRACT

The past few years have seen a rise in interest in local elected offices, specifically in school board seats. These seats hold unequivocal power over what school districts can do in terms of advancing equity and excellence in education. We explore one facet of what became a playbook of anti-equity efforts in school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic — the 2021 school board recall attempts, which had quadrupled compared to any other year. Highlighting one successful recall and identifying similarities among these recall efforts, we argue that the these attempts were fueled by ideological differences and racial politics, which often served to disrupt equity efforts in education.

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Additional Resources

1. ProPublica. (2023, July 28). “How Culture Wars Have Derailed School Board Meetings Across the Country.” Virtual Event. Speakers included: Nicole Carr, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Kevin Goldberg, Carrie Sampson, Mara Shalhoup. [Episode]

“In a recent investigative series, ProPublica reporter Nicole Carr examines the upheaval at school board meetings across the country. This virtual event invites a panel of speakers to help provide a broad view of how the battles waged at the meetings have changed public education and the ideological makeup of school boards across the nation. Among the contentious issues: teaching concepts related to racial equity, granting transgender students access to bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity and allowing books with LGBTQ+ themes in school libraries.”

1. Saldaña , C. & Sampson, C. (2023, February 16). NEPC Talks Education: An Interview with Carrie Sampson About the Role of School Boards. [Episode]

“NEPC Talks Education offers insightful programming on a variety of significant education policy and practice topics for educators, community members, policymakers, and anyone interested in education. In this episode, Christopher Saldaña discusses the role of school boards in K-12 educational policymaking with Carrie Sampson, professor of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University.”

1. Bertrand, M & Sampson, C. (2023, January 2). “Unpacking the White Innocence Playbook with Drs. Melanie Bertrand and Carrie Sampson” Leading Equity with Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D. [Episode]

“This podcast, which focuses on supporting educators with the tools and resources necessary to ensure equity at their school, highlights three important aspects of leading equity. They include the white innocence playbook, what happens in school board meetings and strategies for school board members.”