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In 2024 just about every school district in this nation will have a portion of their school board seats up for election, and teachers who have left the profession, especially retirees, can do their school district a world of good by being that link between trustees and employees. Rules about who can be on a school board vary from state to state, but here are the basics: You must:
● Be at least 18 years of age
● Be a resident of the state
● Be a school district resident – and perhaps of a specific area within it. (School board members in California generally represent a geographically-defined portion of the district rather than the district at large.)
● Not be employed by the school district (You may be an employee when you run, but if elected, you will need to resign before being sworn in.)
● Be a registered voter
As an educator, you are uniquely qualified not only to run for school board but to succeed and be a positive force of advocacy for the students you serve. As an educator, you research better than anybody, homework is your middle name, and you have some of the most advanced speaking skills in your community. In addition, you have the love and support of your students and their parents (barring a few here and there, of course) and the overwhelming support of your colleagues.
How do I know this? I ran for my local school board right after I retired from 34 years in a high school English classroom and won handily, thanks to my teaching experience and the support of my fellow teachers.
Through the course of my campaign, I learned more about electioneering than I ever thought I would. There are filing deadlines, Fair Political Practices Committee (FPPC) forms that must be completed, laws and rules you must be familiar with, and deadlines you must meet.
The first step is to file for election at your county office of elections. If your school district covers more than one county, be sure to file in each county to get your name on each county’s ballot. In addition, be sure you submit a statement of qualifications (the blurb that candidates write for the election information guide prepared by the state) to each of the counties as well. You will be required to pay filing fees as well as fees for submitting your statement of qualifications. Want your statement translated into Spanish (or some other language)? Tack on more fees. That could add up to hundreds of dollars which are reimbursable for your campaign.
If you expect to spend more than $2,000, set up a campaign committee (this is a good time to seek out a trusted colleague to help you), give your campaign a name (John Doe for School Board, for example) and open a separate campaign checking account to manage your campaign funds. Donations should be made out to your campaign, not to you. Some banks will offer free checking accounts for campaigns, so shop around. Become familiar with FPPC financial filing deadlines and be sure to meet them. Election laws require that you make public where your funding is coming from.
Next, get started defining who you are and what you stand for. Research your opponent(s) so that you can clearly delineate your qualifications for school board. There are position statements to be written for local publications, an autobiography for your campaign website, and priority statements. And make darn sure that nothing you write can be used out of context to make you look unqualified, uninformed, or downright foolish. Do your homework and search around for other school board campaign websites for ideas on what to write and how much information to put on your website. Most candidates will have a place for people to volunteer, donate, or publicly endorse. While you’re at it, put your personal social media accounts to sleep for the duration of the campaign and open new campaign accounts, and post content on them as frequently as you can. Pictures of you and your family (and/or pets) at school district events are great!
The big work comes in getting the word out. And this can get expensive. Targeted text messages cost money. Targeted mailers cost money. Yard and road signs cost money. I have found, though, that you will get the most bang for your buck by speaking to people. Speak at town candidate forums, parent-teacher organization meetings, community breakfast club meetings, at your local political party meeting, and any place they will let you. I spent many hours standing outside our post office handing out campaign materials and talking to voters one on one. Be seen at every single school board meeting and plan to make a public comment that is not a campaign statement.
I will say this about the little yard signs, one sign in someone’s yard is worth ten signs out on the street. Voters are well aware that signs on the street are put there by the campaign, but a sign in someone’s yard sends a message, “Here is a voter who supports this candidate, and maybe I should too.” The more signs you have in people’s private yards (with permission, of course), the more effective those costly little signs are.
During it all, there will be tough times when you may want to drop out. Don’t do it. As an educator, you are greatly needed. As an educator, you are trusted, respected, and highly qualified. With these qualities, you can effect change and improvement in any endeavor you undertake. Why not continue to be a leader your students need? Use those assets for the good of public education. Use them for the good of all of our kids.
Patrick Mooney is a recently retired 34-year secondary English teaching veteran in Northern California, with a bachelor’s in English and an MEd in Educational Management, and he currently serves on his local school board. Patrick has written for a variety of publications on the topics of education, writing instruction, mentoring new teachers, raising children, and ski racing. He is also the dad of three fine boys.
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