The deadline was this week for candidates seeking to run for local school boards in New Jersey. Because of culture-war battles over book banning, diversity and equity and the curriculum itself, the elections are expected to draw a lot more heat and attention than usual.
Darcy Draeger heads Districts for Democracy, a political action committee with a focus on diversity and equity in public schools, as well as book banning. It was founded by former U.S. Rep Tom Malinowski.
“To run for school board, you need money. You need money for lawn signs, you need money to send mailings. And that means you have to fundraise. It can get expensive,” Draeger said.
Nik Stouffer, a co-founder of the conservative New Jersey Project which has had success in statewide school board elections, said her group has a 62% win rate. “And it’s mostly word of mouth. Everybody thinks we have this money flowing and it isn’t — it’s just social media and a lot of parents working — we have a large email list,” Stouffer said.
Stouffer said she expects to more than double the number of school board candidates who will benefit from her group’s support this fall. The group supports the parental rights movement.
