In recent years, conservatives in California have attempted to capitalize on backlash to progressive causes. Nowhere have they had greater success than in schoolboard elections.
Using the language of “parental rights”, conservatives running in these elections have often opposed teaching about LGBT+ issues. Such campaigns have faced a series of recent setbacks, but conservatives now hope they will be able to capitalize on recently passed legislation in the state concerning children’s gender identity.
Six Recall Failures For Conservatives
In 2024 alone, six school board members have been recalled after implementing policies that attacked the rights of LGBTQ+ students.
Meanwhile, an effort to get a parental rights measure on the November ballot failed to earn the necessary number of signatures.
Conservative Campaigns Earn Trump’s Attention
Parental rights has been a core talking points for conservatives in California, so much so that Eric Trump rallied in support of a California schoolboard member facing a recall.
However, voters in the Sunol Glen Unified School District recently voted to recall trustees Linda Hurley and Ryan Jergensen, who supported a measure that would ban the flying of pride flags on schools.
Conservatives’ Opponents Speak Out
Kristi Hirst, who co-founded the group Our Schools USA that opposes conservative policies, said, “We have a lot of proof points now across the state that the average voter is not happy with what extremists are doing with our school boards.”
Hirst added that conservatives, “have proven time and time again that they’re willing to take our tax dollars and use them to advance political crusades, and they’re doing this at the detriment of good governance.”
Why The Pandemic Motivated Conservative School Board Candidates
Conservatives began making their voices heard at school board meetings during the pandemic – opposing prolonged school closures and mandatory masking of children.
Following the pandemic, Republicans ran thousands of candidates for school board seats, many of whom won unopposed. For some Republicans, this is seen as the best way to win control in a state otherwise dominated by Democrats.
Republicans Remain Determined
Republican Assembly Member Bill Essayli recent told a Republican convention, “I am convinced that the issue of 2024 needs to be about parental rights.”
He added, “It is an issue that transcends politics, it transcends language, it transcends culture.”
How Conservatives Use Their Power
Conservative-majority school boards have the power to fire legal counsels and superintendents, and to change key policies.
Conservative-controlled school boards have previously banned Pride flags and passed legislation to forcibly “out” students to their parents. The latter has now been banned via statewide legislation passed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
What LGBT Advocates Say
Tom Temprano, of the LGBT+ advocacy group Equality California, said conservatives in school board races are replicating tactics used by Republicans on a statewide level.
However, he added, “What these successful recalls show, though, is that these anti-LGBTQ stunts distract from what schools should be doing.”
Conservatives Face Another Defeat
In March, Orange Unified School District Board President Rick Ledesma and Board Member Madison Miner were recalled after their school board banned the LGBT+ flag and temporarily shut down the district digital library for containing “age inappropriate books”.
In that same month, Woodland Joint Unified School District’s Emily MacDonald resigned after early results suggested she would lose a recall race. MacDonald had a notable history of making anti-LGBT remarks.
Conservatives Remain Determined
Greg Burt, Vice President of the conservative California Family Council said conservatives would continue to fight, and he said he believed that conservative policies were ultimately popular.
He said, “It’s just going to take us longer to communicate to the public. It takes a long time to get people to pay attention.”
