5 Reasons To Pay Attention to Local School Board Elections

Keller ISD is a very large school district.  It encompasses 51 square miles, and was formed in 1911 at a time when this was a rural area.  With such a small population and so few schools,  Trustees were elected on a at-large basis, which means they could reside anywhere within Keller ISD and run for a Board seat.  The structure of the School Board was suited to the situation of the time.

Things have changed!  

 Keller ISD now encompasses all or part of 9 cities:   Keller,  Fort Worth , Westlake, Southlake ,  Watauga , Colleyville , North Richland Hills, Haltom City, and Hurst.  The population has grown from less than 1000 to over 186,000.  We have gone from one high school to four high schools.  What was once a mostly white,  racially segregated school system of a few hundred students is now a 50% minority district of 34,000 students.  The Board of Trustees no longer reflects the diversity of Keller ISD.  It is long past time to move to an election model better suited to our needs today - single member voting districts.  This means moving  to a system where there are distinct voting districts within Keller ISD, and then  residents can vote for a Trustee  who resides in their own voting district.  Our school district is a collection of diverse communities, and each of these communities deserves the opportunity to select a Trustee that reflects their unique background and interests.

From: The Center for American Progress, September 2024: The Power of One Vote. … “The facts are similar for school board elections. The largest group of elected officials in the country are school board members,136 as roughly “90,000 school board members oversee the education of more than 50 million public school students.”137 School board members are not only integral to determining the quality of education students receive, but they also make decisions that can affect the general well-being of students and are responsible for allocating about $600 billion in expenditures.138

Despite this, voter turnout in school board elections is extremely low. The National School Boards Association estimates that voter turnout for local school board elections is generally only 5 to 10 percent.139 In fact, in 2023, no school board district election in Delaware had voter turnout of greater than 10 percent, and most school district elections recorded voter turnout well below 5 percent. A year earlier, in 2022, just four votes decided a Delaware school board race.140

While it is easy to get swept up in the fervor of presidential elections every four years, local elections also deserve attention. The fact that voter turnout in local elections is so low makes every vote matter even more. Critical decisions are being made daily at the local level; and those who vote in these elections are helping shape those decisions, often by just a handful of votes.”

“Apathy and low turnout should not continue to define local elections. Although the media and general civics education play a large role in fueling this lack of democratic participation, the causes are not as important as the steps that individuals can take to have their voice heard. Individuals can research candidates and their stances on issues, and then proceed to vote based on the information that they have learned. There are ways to stay civically engaged in local politics even beyond voting. If someone feels particularly passionate about a candidate, they can even reach out and see if there are any volunteering opportunities available. Additionally, a person could start attending community meetings or begin to voice their opinions to their city council members.

There is no trade-off between learning about federal elections and local elections, and, as such, people should take the time to become informed about their local elections. Local elections have important consequences and voters should not dismiss them. The aforementioned issues only scratch the surface of what local governments can address and voters should do their part to ensure that these concerns can be resolved.”