School board elections are important!

The role school board members play in your community is critical not only for the students who attend school, but also for your community as a whole. The decisions school board members make determines educational opportunities and outcomes and determine how your districts’ budget and your community tax dollars are used, among other essential duties.

Voters have an incredible opportunity to support their local public schools by carefully considering all candidates and casting a vote in the next school board election. The following information is available to help voters do just that!

Your community’s students are depending on your VOTE.

In order to know who to vote for, it’s important to understand what a school board member actually does. In short, school board members:

• Policy-making: creates or amends policies and responsible for oversight

• Budget and finances: approves and manages the budget, ensuring the district is a good steward of taxpayer dollars

• Curriculum: approves curriculum, including textbooks

• Hiring: recruits, hires, and evaluates the Superintendent. In some districts, school boards will also hire and evaluate additional staff roles, such as Treasurer, General Counsel, or Internal Auditor.

• Community engagement: represents, engages, and informs the community about policies and decisions of the district

It’s also important to understand the difference between the role of a school board member and the role of district administration. For a quick overview of who does what in your school district, check out this slide deck. If you’re ready to take a deeper dive into the roles of a school board member or why school boards matter, check out our additional resources here.

The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions to run for office is August 6. Check with your county Board of Elections office for the most current information about all the candidates in your district.

Greater Cincinnati counties:

Butler County

Hamilton County

Warren County

Once you know who your candidates are, you can begin to research all the candidates to make a decision regarding your vote. Nonpartisan organizations like the League of Women voters are a reputable source of unbiased information. You can check out their voting guide for Ohio elections to learn more.

Candidate information for select Greater Cincinnati school districts can also be found here:

Cincinnati Public Schools

Forest Hills School District

Lakota Local School District

Get involved!

It’s important to vote for school board, and it’s also important to spread the word to your friends and neighbors so that they vote, too!

Here are some actions you can take to spread the word about school board elections in your community:

School Board School is a 513(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to education advocacy in Greater Cincinnati. School Board School is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates.