Ohio bill would add political parties to school board races, reduce State Board of Education seats
Ohio lawmakers have brought back up a bill that would add party labels to candidates in local school board elections with a newly added amendment that would eliminate all elected seats on the State Board of Education, making the entire body governor-appointed.
The Senate General Government Committee last week heard from supporters of Ohio Senate Bill 107, a bill whose original intent was to add partisan affiliation to school board races.
With changes made in the committee, the bill would also follow through on state operating budget action from this summer, in which the General Assembly approved a measure to reduce the board to five members, all appointed.
Currently, the board is made up of eight appointed members and 11 elected members.
Under the budget measure, the spots filled by elected members will disappear when the current officials’ terms expire or in the event of a vacancy.
The three appointed spots to be eliminated will be lost when the three earliest terms expire, or a vacancy occurs.
Back in 2023, the the legislature officially eliminated a significant amount of the roles for the board, leaving them with authority to address educator discipline and school district territorial disputes.
The changes came as board officials and the state’s superintendent of public instruction sounded alarm bells about the financial state of the board, concerns that have continued through this year.
Supporters of the measure to give partisan labels to local board candidates included Lisa Breedlove Chaffee, who said she was a member of a group called Parents Rights in Education, and parent of a former Hilliard City Schools student.
Chaffee was one plaintiff in a lawsuit against the school, saying teachers in the district were having “inappropriate” conversations with students regarding LGBTQIA+ identities. That lawsuit was later dismissed.
In the matter of school board members, she said holding elections for those races without partisan labels leaves voters without the ability the vet the values of the candidates.
“We see names on ballots, but no clues about a candidate’s values or potential biases,” Chaffee told the committee.
“In today’s climate — marked by national flashpoints over curriculum, parental rights, and even basic literacy — that’s no longer acceptable.”
She argued the information would empower more Ohioans to vote, and those voters to do more research.
Asked whether she felt like it would actually lead voters to choose candidates based on party alone, she acknowledged that people often vote the same party all the way down the ballot, but this bill would make people feel more comfortable voting in the first place.
“I’m guilty of it, if I don’t see an ‘R’ beside someone’s name or an ‘I,’ I don’t vote in that particular race, so I think this will actually encourage people to vote more, and I hope people will do their research to begin with,” she said.
The Ohio chapter of conservative group Americans for Prosperity submitted testimony urging support for the bill, and calling party affiliation “a key piece of information that helps voters understand a candidate’s general philosophy, approach to governance, and likely policy positions.”
“By requiring party designation, S.B. 107 ensures that voters are not left guessing about where candidates stand on important issues,” wrote Hannah Kubbins, legislative director for the group.
The bill was introduced in February, and last week’s hearing was the first public comment on the measure, indicating there will be further hearings for those who oppose the bill and other interested parties.
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