School board races around Ohio in produced a variety of winners, both for and against mask mandates, but the is pleased with the results.
鈥淥ver 80% of our targeted candidates were successful,鈥� says OEA President, Scott DiMauro. 鈥淏y and large candidates who were focused on issues of meeting the needs of students, fulfilling our constitutional responsibilities as a state were successful.鈥�
Since the pandemic began in 2020, school board meetings have been a flashpoint of controversy for parents who disagree with mask mandates.
鈥淭hose who were campaigning on divisive topics using race as a wedge issue, using COVID as a wedge issue were unsuccessful in many places across the state,鈥� says DiMauro.
DiMauro points to Hilliard where school board candidate Kara Crowley who supported the decision to mandate masks won the most votes.
鈥淭he number 1 vote-getter was somebody who was very supportive of the school district and an educator herself,鈥� says DiMauro. 鈥淪o even there you know two people who were affiliated with this anti-mask group they weren鈥檛 the top vote-getter.鈥�
DiMauro says he doesn鈥檛 think the hotly debated Critical Race Theory was a factor.
鈥淚t has been widely pointed out that Critical Race Theory isn鈥檛 something that鈥檚 being taught in schools,鈥� says DiMauro. 鈥淏ut what needs to be happening is attention paid to meeting the needs of all students.鈥� Which means paying attention to diversity, making sure that we鈥檙e inclusive in our curriculum and our instruction.鈥�
DiMauro says Ohio voters generally made the right choices.
鈥淥verall, as voters did their homework, they decided that they were supporting candidates that really cared about students and wanted to keep their public schools strong," says DiMauro.
