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Early voting for the four open seats on the South Washington County School Board has already begun and will continue through Election Day, November 4.
The majority of children in Woodbury attend District 833 schools, and decisions by the elected school board impact kids and adults across our communities in everything from approaches to reading instruction to property values, school suspensions, and family vacation schedules.
It can be difficult to learn about candidates’ positions on issues. Last week WNN, for example, shared responses to short questions from folks running for the four open seats. Two candidates didn’t tell Woodbury residents why they were running and what their priorities are.
School board elections are non-partisan (without party designation) but in this polarized time stakeholders, advocates in culture wars, and political parties are becoming more involved. Sometimes these groups are open participants in the campaign, but more commonly their impact is felt behind the scenes and heard only in coded phrases and slogans.
What’s a Woodbury voter to do?
While some of us have trusted networks of well-informed friends who can help us as we head to the polls or the new Washington County Service Center, to cast our ballots, many others need to find reliable candidate information on our own. Don’t hesitate to contact candidates directly and to use the resources below.
Voter information Forum Thursday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m. at The Grove United Methodist Church,7465 Steepleview Rd, co-hosted by Prism, The School Board Integrity Project, and OutFront Minnesota. RSVP for more information about this discussion on the importance of school board elections.
League of Women Voters Woodbury Cottage Grove Area Candidate Forum Held on September 17 and available for viewing.
WNN Article from last week’s Woodbury News Net, with responses from most candidates and links to their websites.
District 833Parents United Advocacy group supporting three candidates.
United Teachers of South Washington County Teachers’ Union endorsement statement.
Minnesota School Boards Association Information on running for school board.
Cottage Grove Journal Candidate Statements.
Minnesota Parents Alliance Reclaiming Our Schools Voter Guide.
School Board Integrity Project Works with candidates pledging good governance and inclusion.
Nationwide only about 5-10 percent of voters cast ballots in school board races. While Woodbury turnout is generally higher, most residents don’t vote. As Kyrstin Schuette, Executive Director of the School Board Integrity Project said in a recent op-ed piece: “Your vote at the school board level is supercharged. Fewer than 10% of eligible voters typically participate in school board elections. This means every vote counts exponentially more than in higher profile contests, every donation goes further, and every volunteer has outsized impact.”
One reason for low participation in school board elections is the difficulty in learning about the candidates, incumbents and issues in our schools. It wasn’t all that long ago that the chairman of the SoWashCo school board would check snowfall as he walked out to milk his Woodbury cows and decide if school would be cancelled or not. Everybody in the community knew him, went to church with him, or grew up with him so they knew where he stood on issues and snow.
With nearly 100,000 people living in the 84 square miles of District 833, that kind of familiarity is long gone.