Campaign 101
During the 2023 campaign season, Democracy and Education began building tools for non-partisan school board candidates and local PACs to use, including:
A campaign schedule with to-do lists to keep you on track through your November election;
An example monthly event calendar;
A how-to presentation on making a great campaign video;
Canvassing tips and more.
These tools draw on the wisdom of those who have run before against extremist candidates and won.
We will continue working to provide this kind of information in 2024. But because this site is public and extremist groups are always looking for an edge or a peek into our processes, we aren’t listing them all for just anyone to use.
If you are interested in those resources, fill out the form on the Connect Page and so we can get to know you, your race, and your needs. We’ll be in touch and let you know how to access our full suite of resources.
State-by-State Resources
We have catalogued publicly available state-by-state information about how to run for school board.
A few things to keep in mind:
In general, your Secretary of State or your state Board of Elections should have information about what forms you need to file to become a candidate and the deadlines you need to follow. Your state association of school boards should (but doesn’t always) have information for school board candidates. Please also consult your local elections office.
Before you accept your first dollar of campaign funds, make sure you file as a candidate and set up a separate campaign bank account with your official campaign name. You are essentially setting up a business, and you need to make sure your personal money and your campaign money are completely separate. Not only is it good practice, it’s the law.
If you have trouble figuring something out, use the contact page to reach out to us. We’ll see if we can find someone in your state to help decode the rules. Sometimes, you need a guide through the thicket. And if you find a new resource we should feature, please let us know!
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The Alabama Association of School Boards has a “Get on board” campaign to explain what school boards do and how to run.
The Secretary of State has some information about elections, though very little about school boards.
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The Association of Alaska School Boards has some information about running for school board.
The Department of Education and Early Development has information about schools and districts.
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The Arizona School Boards Association has a straightforward description of how to run for school board.
The Secretary of State’s web site has links to local jurisdictions which govern school board elections.
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The Secretary of State has some information for school board candidates.
The Arkansas School Board Association has training for new board members but no easily findable information for candidates.
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The California Fair Political Practices Commission, has straightforward information about running for school board.
Ed100, a project of a non-profit organization in California, has helpful information about running for school board in California.
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The Colorado Association of School Boards has information for school board candidates.
The Colorado Secretary of State has information for school board candidates.
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The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education has an online resource kit for school board candidates.
The Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission has a manual for candidates.
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The state’s Department of Elections has information for school board candidates.
The Delaware School Boards Association has information about school boards but no easily findable information for candidates.
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The local school board is appointed by the mayor; the “state” school board (the District is not a state, but the board functions the way a state board typically does) is elected by ward. Elections are staggered and some wards will elect members in 2024. The DC Board of Elections has information for candidates.
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The Florida School Boards Association has information about running for school board.
The Florida Division of Elections has information for candidates.
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The state government site provides information about running for office.
The Georgia School Boards Association has information for candidates.
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Hawai’i has one school board, appointed by the governor (plus one member appointed by the senior military officer in Hawai’i).
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The Idaho School Board Association published some information for candidates in 2020.
The Idaho Secretary of State has information for candidates regarding the campaign finance laws and necessary forms.
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The Illinois Association of School Boards has straightforward information for school board candidates.
The Illinois Education Association also has a handbook for school board candidates.
The Illinois State Board of Elections has a 2024 Candidate Guide.
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Indiana School Boards Association has information on election procedures.
The Secretary of State has information for candidates. Information about school board races begins on page 111 of this document.
As of 2023, candidates for school board must file between May 21, 2024, and 12:00 noon, prevailing local time, on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
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The Iowa Secretary of State published a guide for school board candidates in 2023.
The Iowa State Education Association has a helpful toolkit for school board elections.
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The Kansas Association of School Boards has information for school board candidates.
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The Kentucky Association of School Boards has information for candidates.
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The Louisiana Secretary of State has information for candidates.
The Louisiana School Boards Association has information for members, but no easily findable information for candidates.
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To find out the requirements to run for school board in your town, call the municipal clerk. Some towns require filing papers and petitions; some only require a nomination in the town meeting. The Secretary of State has a listing of all the municipal clerks.
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Maryland has elected school boards in every county. Baltimore City has members both elected and appointed by the mayor.
The state Department of Elections has information for candidates.
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The Massachusetts Secretary of State has a publication on running for office.
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The Michigan School Boards Association has information for candidates.
The Michigan Secretary of State has a manual for candidates and a publication detailing the requirements of candidate petitions.
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The Secretary of State has information about becoming a candidate, including a campaign filing packet and filing fees (the fee to file for school board is $2).
The Minnesota School Boards Association has resources for school board candidates.
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The Mississippi Secretary of State published a 2022 guide for candidates and has a web page for candidates and links to the forms they need.
Each county should have information for candidates. Here, for example, is the information for DeSoto County.
The Mississippi School Boards Association has a guide to becoming a school board candidate and member.
In 2022, the Parents Campaign distributed questionnaires and provided information about school board races.
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There are 513 school boards in Missouri, and most members serve staggered three-year terms, so there is a school board election most places every year in the spring. Although they are as of this writing non-partisan, there are efforts in the state legislature to make school board races partisan and move the elections to November when other elections are held.
The Missouri School Board Association has a great deal of information for candidates, including a description of the roles and links to videos and a legal guide.
The Missouri Secretary of State also has information for candidates.
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The Montana Association of School Business Officials and the State Superintendent of Instruction published a guide for school board candidates in October 2022 that seems to have comprehensive information about running and where to find the legal forms necessary.
2023 Election Calendar with Forms
Trustee Candidate Forms
FY2023 Election Webinars -
The Nebraska Association of School Boards has a guide for school board candidates. Most have to file with their local board of elections.
The Nebraska Secretary of State has additional resources:
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The Nevada Secretary of State has a lot of information for candidates including how to file; financial reporting requirements; including these step-by-step instructions.
The Nevada Association of School Boards has information for sitting school board members but nothing easily findable for candidates.
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Reaching Higher, a non-profit organization in New Hampshire, published a guide to running for school board.
From the guide: “Each district sets its own filing requirements. This information can usually be found online, often on the school district/SAU website. The town clerk’s office will have all the necessary information as well. School board election rules vary from district-to-district, but all must follow the state guidelines for elections and campaigning. Rules about financial interest statements, campaigning, materials, contributions, committees, are all set by the state. For more information on specific campaigning policies, visit the NH Attorney General’s Office.”
https://www.doj.nh.gov/election-law/index.htm
The Secretary of State has information for candidates and campaign finance forms & filing dates
The New Hampshire School Board Association has a resource center and a guide to the role of a school board member.
The New Hampshire Department of Education provides a lot of information about local schools. -
The New Jersey School Board Association has a candidate kit for prospective school board candidates that includes key dates and links.
Some time in 2024 the New Jersey Secretary of State should post information about candidate petitions.
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The New Mexico School Board Association published a candidate manual for school board candidates in 2023.
The New Mexico Secretary of State has information about campaign finance reporting requirements for school board candidates.
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The New York School Boards Association has information for prospective candidates about how to run for office. By state law, all school board elections except for the “Big Five,” (Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers), are held the third Tuesday in May.
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There are 115 school districts in North Carolina—100 county and 15 city districts, the vast majority of which have elected boards.
The North Carolina School Board Association has information for school board members but no easily discoverable information for candidates.To find out the specific requirements on your board, check with your county Board of Elections.
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The North Dakota School Board Association has some basic forms candidates need to file.
The North Dakota Secretary of State’s office has helpful links.
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The Ohio School Boards Association has information about how to run for school board.
The non-profit organization Honesty for Ohio Education also has a guide for prospective school board candidates.
The Ohio Secretary of State has a listing of county boards of elections which run local elections.
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The Oklahoma State School Boards Association has a great deal of information for prospective school board candidates.
Board of Education primary election will be held February 13, 2024, and the general election will be April 2, 2024.
Candidates must file between December 4 - 6, 2023 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.). For information, go to the Oklahoma State Election Board.
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The Oregon Secretary of State has information for candidates.
The Oregon School Board Association began a campaign, Get on Board, to recruit school board candidates a few years ago and it has a lot of resources
including webinars and videos. -
The Pennsylvania School Board Association has a lot of information about how to run for school board.
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Rhode Island school committee elections are non-partisan, and candidates file with their local board of canvassers (Rhode Island’s name for board of elections). For all the details, go to: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/ and click on elections and then “Be a candidate.”
Here is the link to the information about campaign finance forms candidates must file.
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In South Carolina, school board elections are non partisan and are held at various times throughout the two-year election cycle. Election dates and rules vary. Check with your county election commission for specific information related to these elections, but the state election commission also keeps a list.
Candidates for municipal and nonpartisan offices must electronically file a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) through the State Ethics Commission website. Candidates may also be required to make Campaign Disclosure reports.The South Carolina School Board Association has very little information for candidates, but you can find it here.
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The Secretary of State has information about local and state elections.
The Associated School Boards of South Dakota has training for new school boards. It publishes the forms needed to be a candidate on this page, about two-thirds down the page.
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The Secretary of State’s web site lists the qualifications needed for every office, including school board candidates. New state legislation means that Tennessee school board elections are now partisan.
All candidates are required to file campaign financial disclosures. Visit this page (link is external) for more information on candidate responsibilities from the Bureau of Campaign Finance.
Campaign Disclosure Forms, https://www.tn.gov/tref/tref-candidates/tref-candidate-forms-and-publications.html
Candidates must also file a Statement of Interest with the Tennessee Ethics Commission. For more information, please visit this page. (link is external)
Candidates’ Statement of Interest, https://www.tn.gov/tec/tec-statement-of-interest.html -
The Texas School Board Association has a nice web site with links to the offices candidates need to know about.
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Utah held school board elections in 2022. It has remarkably little public information easily available, but some information is on vote.utah.gov. We will try to update closer to the next election, in 2026.
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Elections were held in 2022. The Vermont School Board Association has some information on how to run for school board.
Here are some links from the Vermont Secretary of State’s office:
Running for Local office
Local Candidate Nomination Petition
Local Candidate Consent Form
Union School Dist. Director Petition
Local Office Consent
Campaign Finance Guide -
The Virginia Board of Elections has a great deal of information about running for office. Look for the specific information provided for school board members.
Virginia school board elections are non-partisan but in some counties the parties endorse candidates. The primary is June 20, 2023 and the general election is November 7, 2023.
The Virginia School Boards Association has information for members but no easily findable information for candidates.
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School Board Candidate Filing was May 15 – 19, 2023; If 3 or more candidates file for the same School Board seat, there will be a primary election on August 1. If not, candidates will be voted on during the General Election, November 7.
School Board members are called School Directors.The Washington School Directors Association has a great deal of information about how to become a school director.
The Washington Secretary of State has information for candidates.
To file for candidacy to run for your local School Board, contact your County Elections Department.
Candidate Filing FAQ
Campaign Regulation, financial regulations, and reporting, -
West Virginia’s school board members are non-partisan and elected for four-year terms. Elections were held in 2022.
The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office has information on running for office (search on education).
The West Virginia School Board Association has information for school board members but no easily findable information for candidates.
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The Wisconsin Elections Commission has information for local candidates.
Campaign Finance
Directory of Wisconsin Clerks to file for local electionThe Wisconsin Association of School Boards has training for school board members but no easily findable information for candidates.
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The Wyoming School Board Association has this information for school board candidates.
The Wyoming Secretary of State advises school board candidates to contact their local election boards to find out how to file for their candidacy but has information about campaign finance forms and campaign committees.