​2025 Ohio General Election
Primary — Tuesday, May 6th
General — Tuesday, November 4th

ALL Ohio K-12 public school boards are on the ballot!
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​Why School Board Elections Matter
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"Ohio’s public school board members, one of the largest groups of elected officials in the state, are charged with one of the major responsibilities in government — to provide the best educational opportunities possible for the youth of Ohio and to manage and control the political subdivision of the school district." - Ohio School Boards Association
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Local boards of education have the awesome responsibility of setting the policies and priorities that determine how a district will function: campus safety, student wellness, curriculum, operating budget, staffing, facilities, transportation, and more.
  • School boards supervise, hire, and dismiss the superintendent, and serve as a conduit for community sentiment.
  • School boards help decide how education funding is allocated and spent in the district.
  • School board members can protect the freedom to learn or censor education and enforce book bans.
  • School board members can set policies embracing all races, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and faiths — or policies that harm vulnerable children and marginalized communities.
  • School board members can set policies that value and support hardworking teachers and staff, or policies that attack, villainize, and drive quality educators away.
  • Bottom Line — If you care about public education in your community and your state, you need to vote in local school board elections!​
🚨 Read a recent study highlighting the most controversial issues facing school boards today.
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Prepare to cast your vote! 

School Board Candidate Guide

​How to research school board candidates in 5 EASY STEPS!
STEP 1: Find your candidates
Use these options to find school board candidates in your area 
  • Full list of school board candidates across Ohio HERE
  • Voter Guides: OhioVoterGuide.org • Vote411.org • School Board School (Cincinnati area)
  • Local Board of Elections website
    • Find your Board of Elections website HERE
    • Select What’s on My Ballot and enter your address for a list of candidates or a sample ballot


STEP 2: Research your candidates
Use this checklist to research key information about the candidates.
  • Campaign website and social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, etc.)
  • Campaign endorsements and affiliations (IMPORTANT: these can have a strong influence on a candidate’s values)
  • Candidate interviews (visit Vote411.org to read unedited responses to candidate questions)
  • News coverage (TV, radio, newspapers, letters to the editor, blogs, podcasts, candidate profiles, etc.) 
  • Place of employment
  • Resume or curriculum vitae 
  • Lawsuits, litigation, criminal background, registries
  • ​Personal social media accounts and blogs
  • Personal affiliations (boards, committees, memberships, volunteer work, etc.)

​Helpful Considerations
  • What are their values and priorities? What education issues are most important to them?
  • Does the candidate understand the role of the local school board? (Learn more HERE)
  • Would their work, expertise, or experiences add value?
  • What do their endorsements and affiliations reflect about their beliefs?
STEP 3: Attend candidate events ​
Engage with candidates and ask questions at in-person, voter education events
  • Candidate forums, debates, and town halls hosted by nonpartisan groups, including PTO/PTA, League of Women Voters, NAACP, Urban League, Equality Ohio, Chambers of Commerce, etc.
    • Find local candidate forums by entering your address at Vote411.org
  • Meet and Greets hosted by candidates or supporting organizations

TIP: Bring these helpful candidate questions to the events. Take notes on candidate responses, tone, and how they engage or reference other candidates or board members.


STEP 4: Attend school board meetings ​
Attend board meetings to learn about district priorities and issues, and observe incumbent candidates.
  • Find meeting dates and times on your district’s website or call the administration office
  • Watch live and recorded meetings on your district website, YouTube, or other social media
  • Review board meeting documents, including agendas, minutes, proposed policy changes, curriculum updates, and budgets

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STEP 5: Assess candidates & create sample ballot​
​Almost done! Use all of your research to Use all of your research to evaluate and select the best candidates for your district.
  • Make a table comparing  your priorities with the candidates, and select your final candidates (sample chart)
  • Finally, use your final list to create a personalized sample ballot at  OhioVoterGuide.org • Vote411.org
  • ​Bring your personalized ballot with you to vote!

Candidate Questions
Provided by League of Women Voters Ohio​

Below are questions and considerations to help evaluate school board candidates at candidate forums, debates, town halls, meet and greets, interviews, and other voter education events. Print the information to take with you!

Learn more about the Profile of an Honesty Leader
​Role of Public Schools
  • What is the role of public education in our community?
  • What do you think are the top three issues in public education?
  • What challenges to our public schools do you hope to address?
  • A system of public schools is mandated by our Ohio Constitution. Given the alternatives such as charter schools, religious schools and home schooling, why is our public school system important?
  • A system of public schools is mandated by our Ohio Constitution. In your view, what should that look like?

Local Control
  • Ohio is a “local control” state; what does local control mean to you?
  • State lawmakers are increasingly trying to define more of what happens in a school district. If and when the state proposes or passes policies that a school board collectively feels is contrary to the interests and values of the community, what is the role of the school board?

Role of School Board Member
  • Please describe the role of a local school board member.
  • Please describe the role of a local school board member and share why you are the best person to fill this role?
  • What traits would you look for in a superintendent?
  • What questions would you ask a candidate for superintendent?
  • What traits would you look for in a district treasurer?
  • What questions would you ask a candidate for district treasurer?
  • How would you support the district’s teachers?
  • How can school boards support teachers?

District Priorities
  • What about your school district do you want to be different by the end of your term?
  • What do you think are the top three issues in our district?

Personal Motivation
  • Why do you want to serve?
  • What is your experience with your public schools? For example,have you attended a school board meeting, or have you spent time inside your schools?
Decision Making/Conflict Management
  • You are one voice but the board makes decisions. Can you speak to your ability to build consensus when your opinion is in the minority?
  • Boards of education represent the public and are accountable to the public. What makes a good board member? How should board members work with each other and with the public?
  • Education has become the target for hot-topic issues. What skills do you have for constructive responses to controversy?

Curriculum/Learning
  • Are there unmet educational needs that you feel need to be addressed and what are they?
  • How can our school district support all our students?
  • How will you assure that our school system meets the unique, diverse needs of all students?
  • Comment on programs for gifted and talented learners and how do you believe students should be qualified to access these?
  • What are your thoughts about acceleration policies for students in courses for which they demonstrate extraordinary aptitude and interest?
  • What advanced courses (AP, IB, CCP) are appropriate for our school district?
  • What is the role for distance/remote learning in our school district?

Operations/Safety
  • What operations issues, if any, would you prioritize?
  • What policies will you support or oppose to protect our schools from violence?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • What specific actions or policies do you support or oppose regarding diversity, equity and inclusion in education?

Emotional Health
  • What role, if any, should our schools play in supporting social, emotional learning for our students?
  • What policies will you support or oppose to protect students from bullying?​

Additional Resources

Candidate Support Resources

Honesty for Ohio Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and, as such, does not endorse or support candidates in any election. The following list includes organizations and consultants who have requested to be featured on this resource page. While some of these resources are affiliated with Honesty’s formal partners, Honesty does not evaluate, approve, or endorse any of the listed programs.

LEAD Ohio
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LEAD Ohio fills a unique need in Ohio’s progressive infrastructure. We are the only organization that conducts year round recruiting, training, connecting, and supporting of potential candidates and their staff no matter what level of office they may seek in Ohio. We are proud to have graduated more than 450 "LEADers" from our flagship Campaign Academy training program, many of whom have gone on to run for and win election to everything from State Legislature to Township Trustee. We have also provided training and support to thousands more candidates, staffers, and activists through virtual webinars, weekend campaign bootcamps, and programming specially designed for women interested in civic leadership. We are a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan non-profit organization based out of Columbus, Ohio, and our sister organization, LEAD Ohio Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization also runs programming. We do not charge for our training and support programs in an effort to make this space as inclusive as possible. Although our Campaign Academy is full for this year, we are planning to offer the following programs in the coming months:
  • Women LEADing Ohio "Pow-Her to Launch" virtual program for women candidates starting their campaigns for elected office. Sessions will likely be held in late March and April.
  • ​Women's Progressive LEADership Circles support programs for women actively running for office this year. Applications will open in April and program will meet once a month in a hybrid in-person and virtual model from June-November. Cohorts are small, a dozen women or less.
  • LEAD Ohio Campaign Skills Bootcamp, which will be a full day weekend program providing essential skills and tools for building an effective campaign. Bootcamps will likely be held in May and June.
  • ​Additional virtual webinars on topics of interest will be announced as they are built
  • LEAD newsletters include a Candidate Corner with additional information on endorsements and trainings
  • General candidate support available through early summer; August and September “Hot Topics” trainings on school board races

​To sign up for our mailing list to get all the information about LEAD Ohio programs, visit us at https://www.leadohio.org/contact and complete the form.