Putting Teachers on the Ballot: Raises for Teachers, Fewer Charters When Educators Join the School Board

• Published in: Education next 2023-06, Vol.23 (3), p.56
• Main Authors: Shi, Ying, Singleton, John G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boards of Education; Charter Schools; Compensation and benefits; Elections; Elementary Secondary Education; Labor relations; Membership; Political activity; Public Officials; Public School Teachers; School boards; School districts; Teachers; Unions
• ISSN: 1539-9664

Public K-12 education in the United States is distinctively a local affair: school districts are governed by local boards of education, composed of lay members typically elected in non-partisan elections. These boards have decision-making power over hundreds of billions of public dollars and oversee complex agencies that, in addition to preparing a community's children for the future, can be the biggest employer in town. Yet very little is known about what factors influence a board's governance and impact, including the professional backgrounds of elected members. Educators serving on school boards could be influenced not only by expertise but also allegiance to union priorities. That could theoretically influence collective bargaining, which is one of the major responsibilities of a school board. Union allegiance could shift bargaining agreements toward union goals, such as increasing teacher salaries or limiting charter-school growth, which may not necessarily benefit students. This article investigate these possibilities in California. State election rules randomize the order of candidates' names on the ballot, which allows the authors to estimate the causal effects of an educator serving on a school board. By looking at randomized ballot order, candidate filings, election records, and school district data, the authors provide the first evidence on how the composition of local school boards affects district resource allocation and student performance.