Analysis: School Board Elections Animated by State Issues

*a correction was made Nov. 25 to indicate that three winning Ocean City candidates did not run as a team
COURT HOUSE – In the last few years, school board elections across the county have taken on an importance they were seldom given before. 
In 2017, Cape May County’s school districts had 44 open seats on school boards. Only 43 candidates filed petitions to run. Of the 17 districts with elections, only Wildwood ­– with four candidates for three seats – was contested. 
By 2022, eight of the 17 districts saw contested school board elections, with 63 candidates on the ballot running for 44 seats.
Emotions over school board choices became more animated with Covid restrictions when schools closed. After their return to in-person instruction, schools dealt with state-mandated masks and social distancing regulations.
As schools tried to bring students back into the classroom another concern took center stage for many parents. There was a fear among some that schools were being used to indoctrinate students on issues of racism and sexuality. Some states moved to pass legislation against teaching what they termed divisive subjects. 
“Critical race theory” became a catchphrase for this emotionally charged debate.
This year, the focus of discontent has been on New Jersey standards for sex education. The focus has been on how those standards apply to elementary and middle school grades. In the November elections for school boards across Cape May County, evidence suggests that this concern about the new standards cost some incumbents their seats.
In Ocean City, a slate of candidates voicing strong opposition to the new standards ousted four incumbents who were attempting to get reelected to the city school board. Three newcomers won seats on the Ocean City Board of Education at the expense of three incumbents who included the sitting board president. In a separate election for a one-year unexpired term, a new candidate also ousted the appointed board member who was seeking election to the seat.
The trio of candidates that won full-term seats were prominent in their opposition to the state’s new Health and Physical Education standards throughout the year. The board narrowly adopted the standards in a 6-to-5 vote after administrators said they could meet the standards while tailoring the curriculum to fit the local community. 
Nine candidates ran for four seats in 2022. In 2017, the Ocean City board had three seats up for election and a total of three candidates ran. Even during the pandemic election of 2020, the Ocean City school board election drew three candidates for three spots. 
Across the county, at least one incumbent lost a reelection bid in eight other districts. In Middle Township, incumbent Edward Dagney lost his seat when he came in sixth of six candidates vying for three seats. Incumbents won in the race for the other two seats, but Dagney faced difficulty at a candidate night hosted by the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce. 
Dagney was the only one of the three school board candidates at the event who did not condemn the new state standards on sex education. He tried to explain the difference between standards and curriculum, speaking of the ways the school district found to craft what he called “a comprehensive curriculum” that met the standards in a way the community could endorse. 
The argument about curricular adjustments to ameliorate parental fears about the standards did not seem to win him sufficient support. In 2019, Dagney garnered 23% of the vote. In his losing 2022 reelection bid, he received just 10% of the vote.
Lower Township Elementary School District board saw conflict this year over accusations that critical race theory was leading to inappropriate lessons about white privilege. One focus of the debate was the book “Black and White” by Paul Volponi, a book some parents argued was age inappropriate.
They objected to its use of explicit language and its manner of dealing with matters of race. At a November 2021 meeting, a motion to declare the book as age inappropriate for the district was defeated. One year later, six candidates vied for three seats. All incumbents lost and three newcomers gained seats on the board. 
In Upper Township, incumbent William Sooy lost his seat, finishing last among the seven candidates on the ballot. Sooy stated prior to the election that “the new standards are not ideal in my view, but listening to parents, students, and teachers, they are necessary.” He went on to say that he was “very comfortable with the way the school districts are going to present the curriculum.” In 2019, Sooy received 33% of the vote compared with 8% in 2022. 
It isn’t clear that all incumbents lost due to parental anger over hot-button issues like racism and sexual orientation. But it is clear that incumbents, as a percentage of those seeking seats on school boards across the state, have declined. 
This year, 42% of candidates running were incumbents, a drop from 47% the year prior. The ratio of candidates to open seats has also been moving up over the last several years. 
More people running, a lower overall percentage of incumbents and a more highly charged environment seem to be the characteristics surrounding school board elections. That trend was evident in Cape May County; several districts had twice as many candidates as open school board seats. That contrasts sharply with the sleepy 2017 races where just one was contested.
Things have changed.
Thoughts on the increasingly competitive school board races? Email vconti@cmcherald.com.