All over the country, the cost of school board races have skyrocketed. Newly elected school board officials are taking books off of shelves, pulling money for student programs, and making teachers the subject of scrutiny. Many school personnel are now so overrun with sunshine requests, they say it keeps them from their regular job duties.
How did we get here? The answer is layered and loaded, but in short, we’ve been played. National interest groups have manufactured a culture war to benefit high level politicians and venture capitalists looking to profit off of K12 students, and local control in many communities has been co-opted. The money and the connections are clear in this infographic, detailing the start of the CRT controversy in Southlake, TX and the impact to Francis Howell, where a new interest group raised tens of thousands of dollars to install candidates on the school board.
It’s important to note this has happened before. Culture wars impacted the 60s and the 80s, shaping the content of textbooks and state education policies for decades to come. Consider this podcast, Teaching Texas, to hear more.
So what can be done? How do we stop this attack on public education and the disruption to learning? It starts with individuals who are willing to stand up against partisan politics. District leaders need our voices. They serve the public, but if the only public they hear from are those threatening their jobs and attacking curriculum, it is easy to think this is majority opinion. We can show our support for our teachers and administrators through email and by speaking at board meetings. But the most effective way you can keep this culture war from our doorstep is to support organizations like Francis Howell Forward, which work to keep partisan politics out of education.
We need your support. By stepping into the conversation and endorsing a bipartisan slate, we are standing up to a highly organized, impassioned group with deep pockets. When you sign up here to canvas or click here to donate, you help us protect our community from misinformation and attacks on our public schools. Please share this post and this infographic with others in your community and ask: Has your district been Southlaked?
See also: this article detailing the similarities between the CRT controversy and the integration debate.