In Kentucky, we need less politics in education, not more. | Opinion

On the first day of the regular session of the 2023 Kentucky General Assembly, a bill was filed that would require local officials like mayors, city councilmen and councilwomen and school board members to take part in party primaries and partisan elections. From its initial filing, officials from city governments joined school boards in lock-step opposition to HB 50 and any bill like it that would forcibly inject partisan politics into local decision making.

Late last week, the bill was assigned to the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

Supporters of the bill argue the best way to inform voters is to tell a person what party you’re from. In today’s hyper-partisan climate, the move would only encourage broad-brush thinking. The best way for voters to be informed is by listening to what a candidate has to say, by reviewing campaign materials, by thoughtfully considering what a candidate stands for and by casting a ballot for the person who best matches what they want to be achieved. Active involvement leads to better decisions than any partisan litmus test ever could.

School boards are charged with approving budgets, addressing staff shortages, evaluating the superintendent and driving district improvement plans, among other responsibilities. Party affiliation has nothing to do with these. If this bill becomes law, school boards, overnight, would be forced to contend with controversial issues that are perhaps playing out on cable news but are not nearly as relevant to our local schools.

If partisanship is allowed to seep its way into the board room, our district leaders will be inundated with complaints and questions about entire party platforms. Valuable time and attention would be redirected away from matters of local significance to address questions and emails about things like the border crisis and Ukraine. That leaves less time for citizens to become informed about critical local issues, like the consolidation of elementary schools or the rationale behind proposed property tax rates.

More citizens than ever are taking an active interest in their public schools. Public attendance at school board meetings is up. Families are inquiring about how decisions are made. That healthy scrutiny is already impacting education-centered policy. Partisanship would only dilute the effectiveness of our locally elected leaders and distract us from the most important issue of our time.

It’s ironic, if not altogether unsettling, that our public schools are being singled out in HB 50 for politicization. Kentucky’s system of common schools is clearly meant to be protected from this.

In Wooley v. Spalding (1956), the Kentucky Supreme Court stated that, “the fundamental mandate of the Constitution and Statutes of Kentucky is that there shall be equality and that all public schools shall be nonpartisan and nonsectarian.”

The Rose decision (1989), also issued by Kentucky’s highest court, said in part that “all public schools shall be nonpartisan.” In fact, the ruling names Kentucky’s General Assembly as the entity responsible for ensuring that our public schools “are operated with no waste, no duplication, no mismanagement, and with no political influence.”

How can our public schools be non-partisan and free from political influence if those entrusted with their governance are required by our legislature to affiliate with and answer to partisan interests? HB50 wrongly construes political party as a qualification to serve our students at a time when we need all hands on deck.

Forcing candidates to run in partisan races will discourage some community members from seeking school board seats at all. Local stakeholders — many of them parents, grandparents, former educators, business owners — passionately want to be involved in decisions about the education of children but have no desire to be partisans.

There are current school board members whose seats and livelihoods would be in jeopardy if this bill were to pass. Take for instance, a federal firefighter, whose job prohibits him from public party affiliation. We have learned of a host of other federal and state government employees who would be affected this way, from attorneys to agricultural leaders. Should these committed public servants, elected by their communities, be forced to quit their jobs or resign their offices? Absolutely not.

Nothing prohibits school board candidates from shouting their party affiliations from the rooftops, and many make their views known in televised news interviews, candidate forums, newspaper articles, social media and in their door-to-door canvasing. Attaching a “D” or “R” to school board candidates doesn’t clarify intentions. It calls them into question.

While bipartisan legislation this session has addressed real issues facing our public schools, from literacy and teacher shortages to student discipline and school facility projects, HB50 appears to be a legislative solution in search of a problem.

Josh Shoulta is the director of communications for the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA). KSBA was established in 1936 and represents 857 locally elected school board members from across the state.