Politically charged education issues roiled the 2022 races for seats on state boards of education, yet none of the boards flipped partisan control. However, majority parties expanded their representation on boards in Colorado, Kansas, and Utah so far. Of the 63 seats on the ballot for 12 state boards, 35 incumbent candidates were reelected. This…

In the late 1600s, British physicist Sir Isaac Newton first demonstrated refraction and dispersion in a triangular prism. He discovered that a prism could decompose white light into a spectrum. Hold a prism up to the light at the correct angle and white light magically splits into vivid colors of the rainbow! So what do prisms and rainbows have to…

As noted in "School Referenda in Indiana", the contributing factors to school referenda outcomes are often subject to the individual communities; while a referendum with a high requested tax rate increase might fail in one community, the same referendum might pass in another. Despite this factor, there often are notable trends and…

The May primary election added seven school district referenda to the total number occurring in Indiana since 2008, three of which passed and four of which were rejected by voters. In the 2011 primary election, there were five General Fund referenda and two construction referenda. Of General Fund referenda, two passed (Crown Point Community School…

Ipswich, with about 2,200 students, is one of the many school districts in Massachusetts. Ipswich is governed by an open town meeting at which every registered voter may speak and vote. Budgets in Ipswich are highly detailed public documents in which every salary, classroom, and operating expenditure is identified. The budget book provides…

The theory of "voter crosspressure" focuses on the idea that voters have predispositions and try to avoid information (pressure) that would cause them to vote against their predisposition. If a voter is unsuccessful in avoiding that information, he or she will vote against his or her predisposition. (Author/IRT)

The vote-by-mail procedure is presently being tried in Oregon. Supporters claim it is good for democracy because it increases the number of persons involved in decision making. Opponents say it encourages participation by people who know little or nothing about issues on the ballot. (MLF)

Identifies the organizational and public contact strategies used successfully by school supporters in three school funding elections in the Clayton (Missouri) School District between 1975 and 1980. Notes the types of voters contacted by block workers prior to the 1980 election and analyzes their subsequent voting behavior. (PGD)

Discusses 13 mistakes school leaders make in planning and executing campaigns for the passage of school bond and levy referenda. Suggests corrective action for each mistake. (PKP)

Describes school financial election campaign strategy using a random survey of registered voters, concentric targeting of likely "yes" voters, and an integrated database. (PKP)

Describes how one district mounted a successful campaign to get its budget passed after the same budget was defeated three months earlier. (IRT)

Superintendent of Antigo Unified School District, Antigo, Wisconsin, explains the use of school-level and community-level data to build support for bond and budget referenda. Describes the benefits of data-driven decision-making. (PKP)

This document describes the public relations strategies employed by the Lakewood (Ohio) City School district to obtain voter support for a school levy. Various aspects of this successful campaign are described, including the formation of administrative committees to oversee campaign activities, steering and citizens' committees, the use of…

EdSource's annual public education budget report, "School Finance 2006-07: State Leaders Settle Up with Education," offers a comprehensive look at this year's funding decisions for schools, recent budget history, and how the state's schools are funded. In contrast with last year's budget battles, the process for 2006-07 notably lacked…

Two telephone surveys of registered voters in Toledo (Ohio)--one conducted a month before a school levy election, one a week before the election--enabled campaign workers to see if their strategies were effective and to make suggested changes. The levy passed with 52 percent of the vote. (Author/MLF)