Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #119

Welcome to Hall Pass, the newsletter that keeps you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and education policy.

In today’s edition, you’ll find:

• On the issues: The debate over mandatory book lists
• School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
• From the ballot to the blackboard: education-related ballot measure news
• Extracurricular: education news and numbers from around the web
• Candidate Connection survey
• School board candidates per seat up for election

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On the issues: The debate over mandatory book lists

In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. Missed an issue? Click here to see the previous education debates we’ve covered.

In the workshop model of reading instruction, teachers demonstrate good reading practices to students and then encourage them to choose the material they want to read at their skill level. It contrasts with approaches that require all students to read the same books together, such as lists of classic works.

Daniel Buck writes that the workshop model isn’t evidence-based. Buck says allowing students to choose the books they read will not necessarily make them passionate readers. He says an engaging and passionate teacher walking them through engaging discussions is a better way to help students enjoy reading through shared experiences.

Paul Emerich France writes that requiring students to read the same books reduces engagement and stunts independent learning. France says teachers should guide students, helping them find and understand books and topics that interest them. France says curated book lists make teachers into lecturers and reduce student engagement and interest.

Everything I learned about how to teach reading turned out to be wrong | Daniel Buck, Hechinger Report

“My research confirmed what I had concluded from my classroom experiences: The workshop model’s text-leveling and independent reading have a weak evidence base. Rather than obsessing over the difficulty of texts, educators would better serve students by asking themselves other questions, such as: Does our curriculum expose children to topics they might not encounter outside of school? Does it offer opportunities to discuss related historical events? Does it include significant works of literature or nonfiction that are important for understanding modern society? … Proponents of the workshop model claim that letting students choose the books they read will make them more motivated readers, increase the amount of time they spend reading and improve their literacy. The claim is widely believed. However, it’s unclear to me why choice would necessarily foster a love of reading. To me, it seems more likely that a shared reading of a classic work with an impassioned teacher, engaged classmates and a thoughtfully designed final project are more motivating than reading a self-selected book in a lonely corner. That was certainly my experience.”

Using the Workshop Model to Foster Independence | Paul Emerich France, Edutopia

“By leveraging the workshop model, we can teach with student independence as an input to educational equity and student liberation. This necessitates more than a change in pedagogy—it requires teachers to reposition themselves in their classrooms as guides for students, as opposed to lecturers. … Good teaching entails helping our students learn how to learn, building their stamina for their own independence, and otherwise humanizing the experience of learning—putting their humanity front and center. Ironically, in some ways it seems that we should always be teaching from a reasonable distance: Whether in person or through digital means, we should be far enough away to build independence in our students but within arm’s reach when they need a helping hand. The workshop model, in my opinion, is one way to teach from a healthy distance while building students’ independence. It can help make teaching more sustainable by eliminating the materials and energy required to micromanage classrooms of 20 or more students.”

School board update: filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications

This year, Ballotpedia will cover elections for over 11,000 school board seats across more than 30 states. We’re expanding our coverage each year with our eye on the country’s more 80,000 school board seats.

Upcoming school board elections

Except for Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the largest district in Tennessee, the districts on the list above held partisan primaries on March 5. School board elections in the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district, however, are nonpartisan.

one of five states—including Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia—where state law effectively provides for partisan and nonpartisan elections depending on the school district. In four states, school board candidates run in partisan elections only. More than 90% of school boards are nonpartisan.

Minnesota

Ballotpedia will cover the nonpartisan primary for Minneapolis Board of Education At-large on Aug. 13 in Minnesota. Three candidates are running in the election—incumbent Kim Ellison, Elena Condos, and Shayla Owodunni. Ellison was first elected in 2012.

The two candidates that receive the most votes will advance to the Nov. 5 general election.

Minneapolis Public Schools is the third-largest in Minnesota, with an estimated enrollment of around 29,000 students.

From the ballot to the blackboard: education-related ballot measure news

We periodically bring you updates on this year’s education-related ballot measures. Today, we are looking at a statewide measure on the ballot in Kentucky on Nov. 5. In addition to our coverage of current and future statewide measures, Ballotpedia’s Historic Ballot Measures project aims to document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. Our list of historical education-related measures stretches back to 1862.

On Nov. 5, voters in Kentucky will decide Amendment 2, the “Kentucky Allow State Funding for Non-Public Education Amendment,” which would allow the Legislature to enact laws providing state funding for private schools and homeschooling. Since 2021, Republican governors in at least 17 states have enacted or expanded education savings accounts (ESA) or voucher programs that provide at least some students with taxpayer funding for educational alternatives outside the public school system.

Proponents collectively refer to those policies as private school choice.

Kentucky is one of 16 states without a private school choice program. The state has a divided government—Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and Democrats control the governor’s office. Alaska is the only other state with a divided government that does not have private school choice.

Amendment 2, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, would add the following language to the Kentucky Constitution: “The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools.”

K-12 public schools are referred to as common schools in the state constitution.

State Rep. Suzanne Miles (R) introduced House Bill 2 (HB 2) in January, saying, “This has been a conversation for really multiple decades now, so I think it’s time for us to let the voters decide.” The House voted 65-32 to approve HB 2, while the Senate voted 27-8 to do so. Across both chambers, 14 Republicans sided with all Democrats to oppose the bill.

Amendments do not require the governor’s signature to be referred to the ballot.

The Kentucky Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, has urged its members to vote against Amendment 2. An issue committee called Protect Our Schools KY, which includes Kentucky Education Association leadership, formed this spring to campaign against the measure. Protect Our Schools KY chair Tom Shelton said, “The passage of HB 2 represents a grave misstep for our state. It paves the way for public dollars—funds meant to support the education of every child in Kentucky—to be funneled into unaccountable, private institutions that are not held to the same standards of accountability and transparency as our public schools.”

Amendment 2 backers formed the Kentucky Students First committee. Charles Leis, the CEO of EdChoice Kentucky, an organization that supports school choice, chairs the committee. Kentucky Students First’s website states: “We believe that every child should have access to the education that best suits their needs, which is why we’re supporting Amendment 2 to the Kentucky State Constitution to provide financial support for students in addition to public schools.”

The measure is a response to lawmakers’ earlier attempt to enact private school choice—an effort the state supreme court ultimately struck down. In 2021, lawmakers passed the Education Opportunity Act, HB 563, which would have established a tax-credit education savings account (ESA) targeting low-income students. Gov. Andy Beashear (D) vetoed the bill, but the Legislature overrode the veto. A circuit court judge ruled the program unconstitutional, and in 2022, the Kentucky Supreme Court agreed in a 7-0 ruling. In Kentucky, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method.

Kentucky is not the only state where disagreements over private school choice are playing out in this year’s elections. In Texas and Tennessee, private school choice has been a prominent theme in Republican state legislative primaries, where the issue has divided rural and urban lawmakers. You can read our coverage of those primaries here.

There are eight statewide education-related measures certified for the ballot in upcoming elections this year.

Extracurricular: education news from around the web

This section contains links to recent education-related articles from around the internet. If you know of a story we should be reading, reply to this email to share it with us!

• Which Students Are Most Likely to Be Arrested in School? | Education Week
• Oregon invests in science of reading with Early Literacy Success Initiative | K-12 Dive
• Judge orders D.C. public high school to let in Christian athletes group | The Washington Post
• State Board of Education recommends NC drop entry exam requirements for prospective teachers | WCNC Charlotte
• 3 Pinellas candidates want to flip the school board. What would that mean? | Tampa Bay Times
• Once Non-Partisan School Boards Are Getting Mired in Culture Wars | FlaglerLive
• School board candidates present platforms during forum: ‘This is a really big deal’ | Chicago Tribune
• Newsom signs law banning schools’ gender notification policies | Los Angeles Blade
• Michigan school leaders push lawmakers to reverse cuts to mental health and safety budget | Chalkbeat Detroit
• The Great Recalibration of AP exams | Thomas B. Fordham Institute
• Chicago’s most marginalized students have almost no shot of getting into CPS’ elite schools | WBEZ Chicago

Take our Candidate Connection survey to reach voters in your district

Today, we’re looking at surveys from two candidates running in the Nov. 5 general elections for seats on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees, in Nevada. Clark County is the largest district in the state, with an estimated enrollment of around 310,000 students.

Four seats are up for election this year.

Lydia Dominguez is running against Eileen Eady to represent District B. Dominguez and Eady ran in the June 11 primary against four other candidates and advanced to the general election because they were the top vote-getters. Dominguez won 30.4% of the vote to Eady’s 24.2%.

In Nevada, school board candidates can win the election outright with more than 50% of the vote.

Lorena Biassotti is running against Kamilah Bywaters for District E. Nine candidates ran in the June 11 primary, and Biassotti and Bywaters emerged as the top vote-getters. Bywaters won 21.3% of the vote to Biassotti’s 19.9%.

Neither Eady nor Bywaters have completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey.

Here’s how Dominguez answered the question, “What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?”

“I have proudly served in the U.S. Air Force for the past ten years. With my background as a Flight Chief and my educational qualifications, I have developed a strong leadership foundation that enables me to excel in leadership roles.”

Here’s how Biassotti answered the question, “What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?”

“To exercise best judgement in adopting policies that will equip children with an education that will prepare them to succeed. To set a vision of unity and success. To serve as a liaison between the district and community. To oversee the budget, monitor expenditures, and provide transparency.”

If you’re a school board candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey. If you’re not running for school board, but there is an election in your community this year, share the link with the candidates and urge them to take the survey!