Welcome to the resistance

New Hampshire’s 2022 school board elections were supposed to be proving grounds for conservative frustrations around school policies, from spending to COVID-19-related restrictions to teachings about racial justice and diversity.

Instead, Tuesday’s local elections appeared to deliver broad victories for progressive public school advocates, who argued against what they characterized as threats to traditional public schools from the right. In total, 29 candidates designated by progressive organizers as “pro-public education” won Tuesday night, many in traditionally conservative towns like Brookline and Londonderry.

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Hanging over many of the local races this year were debates with national or statewide themes. Two years of intermittent periods of remote learning and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic helped fuel a “parental choice” effort on the right, voiced by angry parents at school board meetings and championed by many conservative school board candidates.

Opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at public schools from some right-leaning activists – and accusations that administrators have applied concepts of “critical race theory” in K-12 schools – made a mark on some New Hampshire campaigns and ballot initiatives.

And a statewide school choice movement among Republicans that has led to the creation of an “education freedom account” program to allow public education funding to help pay for private school tuition for eligible families appeared to play a role, too.

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That combination of issues has worked for conservatives in other states’ elections in recent years, drawing in parents and voters anxious over pandemic-related restrictions. But in New Hampshire, even amid higher than usual turnout Tuesday, the approach appeared to fall short.

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“Tonight’s results prove that when young people run, they win, and that a little bit of encouragement and focused investment go a long way in building the next generation of leadership,” said Tim Peltier, the leadership development director for 603 Forward, a progressive group focused on electing young candidates in the state.

Rice Hawkins agreed.

“This is really the first time Granite State voters have had an opportunity to weigh in here,” she said, noting that the school elections came after a recent spate of laws and bills that would penalize teachers who teach banned concepts around race or oppression. “Part of the reason our organization is so excited is we knew that the public was in a very different place than some of the politicians on this, and that is turning out to be true.”

  New Hampshire Bulletin