Teachers’ Unions Face More Competition for Influence in School Board Elections

A new academic article by Ariell R. Bertrand, an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, examines which groups are active in school board politics. Published in the Teachers College Record, it suggests that teachers' unions may have less sway than commonly assumed, as parents, advocacy groups and political parties play a bigger role in local races.

The study draws on a nationwide survey, taken in late 2024 and early 2025, of about 1,000 school board members from nearly 700 districts. It also reviews endorsements tracked by Ballotpedia across 10 states in 2023. Board members most often named parents and groups like the PTA or PTO as active, at roughly twice the rate they named teachers' unions. Bertrand notes that union-endorsed candidates win about 70% of the time, but says unions are less active than conventional wisdom suggests. The study also describes more partisan and nationalized politics in some places, citing Florida's governor endorsing school board candidates in 2022 and 2024. According to Ballotpedia, five states put party labels on ballots and five others allow them. The AFT and NEA declined to comment.

Ohio State political scientist Vladimir Kogan called the work a valuable contribution but cautioned that it is a snapshot. He said it is too early to conclude that unions have less impact or to say which groups are most influential.