Can School Boards Save Our Democracy?

Democracy, at its core, is about people coming together to civilly govern themselves. With the rise in political violence, the fractured nature of our discourse has become more painfully obvious, leading Americans to ask: Can democracy be repaired? The answers don’t seem to be in the places that we typically would look. There is something refreshingly nostalgic and transformative about public school boards, a place where contentious issues are routinely discussed. Composed of neighbors, parents, and community members, school boards are modern-day town halls where self-government is not just discussed but enacted. As a result, school boards are emerging as one of the most vital and overlooked arenas in American democracy. On the surface, it’s easy to dismiss the more than 13,000 school boards across the country as yet another broken component of our democracy, mired in polarization. Social media exacerbates tensions by distributing viral clips of contentious meeting moments. In Florida, an exchange between the board and a pastor over sexually explicit content of a school library book amassed 5.9 million hits (and counting). Politicians and special interest groups on both sides of the ideological divide fuel the fire by leveraging school board battles to energize voters and galvanize their base. But a closer look at the characteristics of school board governance makes it our best hope to rebuild trust and root us in the founding principles of our democracy. School boards embody civil discourse  School board meetings serve as a powerful model for our K-12 students to learn how to articulate a viewpoint while also respecting differences. While battles occasionally get out of hand, the vast majority of board meetings showcase citizens productively and openly expressing differences of opinion. A recent study that analyzed 100,000 hours of video published in Urban Affairs Review suggests that only a small number of school districts are responsible for the most intense boardroom conflicts that garner much of our attention. Board meetings provide a space that encourages us to listen to our neighbors who don’t always think like we do. They require us to make tough decisions with full transparency. Community members have the opportunity to express their opinions directly to decision makers before voting takes place. Because we can look each other in the eye, rather than communicating through the anonymity and algorithms of social media, we gain exposure to broader perspectives and can appreciate good-faith differences of opinion. The structure of school board elections provides a buffer against polarization  Most states conduct nonpartisan school board elections, and contests are often off-cycle, which makes turnout more challenging but provides separation from federal and state political races. Because most board candidates run at-large rather than from wards (subdistricts), elections are largely insulated from gerrymandering, a driver of systemic dysfunction. Additionally, nonpartisan elections avoid closed primaries, which have been criticized for allowing a narrow group of party members to select general election candidates.  While some argue that these structural elements simply hide the underlying political ideology of candidates, the hyper-local nature of these elections provides an opportunity for direct candidate interaction. These elections are centered on education, as opposed to the multitude of issues that voters need to trade off when choosing a mayor, legislator, or governor. While some school board races increasingly attract big money, a National School Boards Association survey found that 75% of school board members spent less than $1,000 on their campaign. Read more: Project 2025’s Plan to Eliminate Public Schools Has Already Started Parents’ satisfaction with their child’s school can rebuild institutional trust We have the opportunity to capitalize on the higher degree of satisfaction Americans have in their local school districts versus other American institutions. Recent surveys show a broad erosion of trust. According to Gallup surveys, Congressional job approval has fallen to 26%. Only 34% of Americans are satisfied with the way democracy is working. Though only 35% are “completely or somewhat satisfied” with our K-12 education system, 74% of parents report being “completely or somewhat satisfied” when asked about the quality of their oldest child’s education. The unique layer of school board governance fosters civic participation and provides a check and balance of our broader democratic system Alexis de Tocqueville highlighted this differentiated feature when he traveled from France in the early 1800s to compare American democracy to Europe. According to Tocqueville, “local institutions are to liberty what primary schools are to science: they put it within the people’s reach.” He articulated how local governments can protect against administrative centralization and oppressive federal and state laws, as well as foster a sense of civic engagement and cohesiveness that strengthens our republic. School boards are hyperlocal, which means interactions are personalized The scope of school boards, with over 80,000 members scattered across the country, gives it a reach that extends far beyond state capitals and Washington D.C. There is an opportunity to have more personalized interactions with citizens on both sides of the aisle. While there remains room for improvement, particularly in increasing voter turnout, school boards nevertheless exemplify the democratic process at work and offer us hope. School boards can serve as a unifying force, reminding us of what it means to be an American. It is the ultimate expression of our vibrant democracy.