Ever more partisan, vicious school-board races in Wisconsin (on ballot tomorrow) may presage nasty races nationwide

"Voters in Wisconsin and three other states head to the polls Tuesday in what are some of the nation’s earliest school board elections this year. In a harbinger of what voters across the country will see in coming months, many of the traditionally nonpartisan school board races have become increasingly polarized. Outsiders who have traditionally stayed out of local races are now trying to influence school board contests across the country, using tactics more typical of elections with higher stakes," Megan O'Matz reports for ProPublica. "Republicans, and particularly the wing of the party that still supports former President Donald Trump, have come to see local races as a way to energize their base and propel voters to the polls — part of what some leaders have called a 'precinct strategy.' Sen. Ron Johnson, the Wisconsin Republican, last year encouraged residents to 'take back our school boards, our county boards, our city councils'."

School-board races in Wisconsin have been a bit partisan in the past, but have mostly centered on local taxation and education issues, O'Matz reports: "Today, school board elections are more heated and personal — framed in terms of saving schools, saving children and saving America. Also mentioned: Covid-19 protocols, critical race theory, equity, 'divisive curriculum,' library book bans and parental rights. Parents, who during the pandemic saw their children struggle with remote learning and other issues, are demanding more control over school management and curriculum decisions. The backlash against mask-wearing by students has played neatly into conservative themes of parental freedom."

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon warned on his podcast last May that concerned parents would revolt against the "cultural Marxism" being introduced in schools, O'Matz notes. "The path to save the nation is very simple," Bannon said. "It’s going to go through the school boards."

In Wisconsin and elsewhere, "School board members and other school officials have quit without finishing their terms, saying that the anger directed their way has made serving untenable. Others have declined to run for reelection," O'Matz reports. "Some political observers and academics worry that the politicization of local offices will make it harder to deliver essential school services."