Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #125

Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance. Today, my colleague Mercedes Yanora walks you through the latest in education policy, including the debate over high school grow-your-own teacher programs and updates on education-related ballot measures.

In today’s edition, you’ll find:

• On the issues: The debate over high school grow-your-own teacher programs
• 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

Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas!

On the issues: The debate over high school grow-your-own teacher programs

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.

High school grow-your-own (GYO) teacher programs are collaborations between school districts, colleges, and educator training providers. These programs offer mentorship to high school students interested in becoming teachers. They often include opportunities for high school students to mentor elementary students. The program may also allow students to earn college degrees and teaching licenses at reduced or no cost.

Rick Hess writes that GYO programs prioritize the needs of school systems over the needs of high school students. Hess says the programs lock high school students into teaching professions before they have the chance to experience or explore other paths.

Lennon Audrain writes that GYO programs are generally effective and help students become teachers. Audrain says when properly run, the programs provide benefits to both schools and students.

‘Grow Your Own’ Teacher Programs Are Misguided | Rick Hess, EducationWeek

“After all, I think very few people really know what they want to do when they’re 17 or 18. Indeed, part of the rationale for students going to college is that it’s an opportunity to see the world in new ways, discover new passions, and explore new avenues. Asking college-goers who’ve spent the lion’s share of their young lives in a schoolhouse to commit to a profession before receiving their high school diploma seems … well, it seems very much at odds with the notion of education as a formative, evolutionary endeavor. … Again, I get the argument. It’s logical enough. And yet, it strikes me as profoundly problematic. This seems like the apotheosis of putting the needs of ‘the system’ over those of the kid. I don’t think it’s healthy or appropriate for school districts to be in the business of ‘convincing’ students to pursue a given career. And I’m especially leery of schools trying to use their special relationship with students to ‘convince them that education is a great life’ because it makes staffing a school district more manageable.”

Grow-Your-Own-Teacher Programs Could Use a Redesign | Lennon Audrain, EducationWeek

“I disagree, however, with your [Rick Hess’] view that the programs are misguided. While you argued that GYO programs put the needs of the system before those of the kids, I see it differently. I think many school districts see the program as a way to introduce teaching in the same way that they do the crafts, trades, and other professions through career and technical education—and it just so happens that this program also benefits the system. … Now, what about the outcomes? In your post, you mention that the jury is still out on the effectiveness of GYO programs. Well, the jury’s back with some strong evidence that GYO programs work—at least to a degree. A recent study found that Teacher Academy of Maryland completers enter teaching at significantly higher rates than those who did not go through the program. This is good. … [W]e need to reframe the purpose of GYO programs and broaden their scope. They should be an opportunity for service learning rather than simply a program to create future teachers. That way, we can execute a program to serve all students—not just the 10 percent who become teachers after college.”

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 than 80,000 school board seats.

Election results from the past week

Idaho

Voters in the Boise School District were set to decide three elections on Sept. 3: one regular election and two special elections. Only one of the three, the special election between Krista Hasler and Matthew Shapiro for an at-large district, took place. Hasler defeated Shapiro 54.08%-45.92%.

The other two elections, a regular election for three at-large districts and a special election for another at-large district, were canceled. Incumbents Paul Bennion, Maria Greeley, and Elizabeth Langley were the only candidates who filed to run for the regular election and incumbent Debbie Donovan was the only candidate to file for the special election.

Canceling elections isn’t uncommon. States like Colorado, Idaho, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, for example, cancel school board elections if not enough candidates file to run.

The Boise School District is the second-largest district in Idaho, with around 23,000 students.

Upcoming school board elections

Rhode Island

On Sept. 10, Ballotpedia will cover school board elections in Rhode Island in the following districts.

Except for Warwick Public Schools, the districts on the list above will hold partisan primaries.

Rhode Island is one of five states—including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee—where state law effectively allows 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.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado will decide Initiative 138, the Colorado Constitutional Right to School Choice Initiative, which would add a sentence to the state constitution that says, “Each K-12 child has the right to school choice.” The amendment would state that “all children have the right to equal opportunity to access a quality education” and that “parents have the right to direct the education of their children.” Under the amendment, school choice would be defined to include neighborhood schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschools, open enrollment options, and future innovations in education.

There are 11 statewide education-related measures certified for the ballot in elections this year.

Initiative 138 is one of 14 measures that will be on the ballot in Colorado this November. As of Sept. 4, Colorado had the highest number of statewide measures on the ballot this year.

Advance Colorado Action, a conservative political nonprofit, proposed Initiative 138 and the Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced the measure had qualified for the ballot on Aug. 22. In Colorado, a 55% supermajority vote is required for constitutional amendments to be added to the constitution.

Chalkbeat Colorado’s Melanie Asmar said, “[Advance Colorado Action] leaders say the initiative would protect families’ ability to educate their children the way they see fit — whether that be in a traditional public school, charter school, private school, or home school — from attacks by state lawmakers who want to erode school choice in Colorado.”

Colorado allows public school choice, where students can apply to attend any public school in the district (intradistrict) or another district (interdistrict), and was one of the first states to pass a charter school law in 1993. According to the Education Commission of the States, Colorado is one of 19 states to require intradistrict open enrollment, and one of 24 states to require interdistrict open enrollment.

Advance Colorado Action claims that state legislators have threatened public school choice, and specifically charter schools, with bills such as HB24-1363. The bill would have made it easier for local districts to close charter schools with low enrollment. The Democratic-sponsored bill did not pass out of the House Education Committee after some Democrats joined Republicans in voting “no.” Governor Jared Polis (D) opposed the bill as well.

Opponents of Initiative 138 argue it is intentionally ambiguous and can lead to a voucher program where public money is used to pay tuition at private schools. President of the Colorado Education Association Kevin Vick said, “They’re using the innocuous word of ‘choice’ as a vehicle for what opens the door clearly for a voucher scheme. There’s no other reason to include private schools in [the initiative] unless that is their ultimate intent.”

University of Colorado Denver education analyst Parker Baxter said, “I don’t think it’s clear [Initiative 138] establishes a right to public funding of private education. This language will likely make it a topic of litigation for years to come.”

Colorado is one of 17 states without a private school choice program. According to Chalkbeat Colorado, there is an exception: Colorado’s universal preschool program does fund four-year-old attendance at both public and private preschools. The state has a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office.

Colorado adopted a private school choice law in 2003, but a Denver judge ruled the law unconstitutional because it deprived local school boards of their constitutional authority over education.

Colorado 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.

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!

• Ohio School Districts Use Surveillance Software to Monitor Student Devices | The 74
• School Attendance Suffers as Parent Attitudes Shift | EducationWeek
• Should the Wealthy Benefit from Private-School Choice Programs? | Education Next
• Maryland parents could have the option to stop children from repeating third grade | The Baltimore Sun
• Five Caveats About AI Hazards In The Classroom | Forbes
• Teachers still quitting at a concerning rate; hindering students’ education | Fox 10 Phoenix

Take our Candidate Connection survey to reach voters in your district

Today, we’re looking at survey responses from Krista Goodrich and Cassandra Gonyer, two candidates running in the Nov. 5 general election for Volusia County Schools school board District 2, in Florida. Goodrich and Gonyer advanced from the Aug. 20 primary with 45.9% and 30% of the vote, respectively. Angela Kopnicky lost in the primary with 24.1%.

Volusia County Schools is the 14th largest district in Florida with an estimated enrollment of 63,000 students.

Here’s how Goodrich answered the question, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

“I am passionate about getting Volusia County Schools financial house in order. The complete financial disaster that we have now has led to the loss of crucial programs like arts and music, the displacement of over 300 teachers during a time where we are already experience a significant teacher shortage and to a distrust of how our taxpayer funds are managed. We have so many ideas and opportunities, but if we don’t get a board member on there with an understanding of finance it will be nearly impossible to implement them. When you build a board, you want to have strong people in all areas-our current board has two 30+year educators, a mom with kids in the school system but not a business person with strong financial knowledge.”

Click here to read the rest of Goodrich’s responses.

Here’s how Gonyer answered the question, “What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?”

“Every student should have access to high-quality educators, programs, and resources, no matter the zip code of its building. Teachers and support staff should be respected and supported in their classrooms. And parents should have entry points to partner with their child’s teachers and school-wide community.”

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!

In the 2022 election cycle, 6,087 candidates completed the survey.

The survey contains more than 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, a box with your answers will display on your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also appear in our sample ballot.