Party politics already drive some school board elections. Some NH lawmakers want to make it official

For Eric Pauer, a former board member of the Hollis Brookline Cooperative School District, school board elections are already deeply rooted in party politics. So, why not make it official?

“While officially they’re nonpartisan, underneath they really are partisan in a lot of ways,” said Pauer, who is now president of the School District Governance Association of New Hampshire. “A lot of the local education policy choices and budgeting choices are driven by partisan beliefs because that’s where people come from. They have those biases and they have those beliefs.”

Pauer, a Republican, testified in support of House Bill 356, which would allow local communities to adopt partisan school district elections by a town vote. His wife, Rep. Diane Pauer – a Republican whose district includes Greenville and Mason -- is a co-sponsor on the bill.

Rep. Mark Vallone, a Democrat from Epping, urged the Election Law Committee to leave that option “off the table.” He argued that town and school issues are often considered nonpartisan and should be kept that way. A former teacher and elementary school principal, he warned that dividing elections by political party could increase polarization in communities.




https://www.ledgertranscript.com/Republicans-file-NH-bill-to-allow-partisan-school-board-elections-NH-State-House-59668834