School board elections turning into 'big time politics' in Minnesota

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - "Exceedingly partisan." That's how mom and voter Courtney Burress describes this year's school board race in Minnetonka.

"We are supposed to be a community. Our kids go to school together, parents know one another. It's just different when it's at a school board level," said Burress.

It's just one example of the changing face of school board elections across the state of Minnesota. Traditionally, political affiliations have not been a part of the positions, but hot-button issues like COVID-19 mask mandates and critical race theory are changing that.

"Schools have become yet another thing that are partisan and politically divided," said political analyst and Hamline University Political Science Professor David Schultz.

Schultz tells FOX 9 that school board seats are still technically non-partisan, but there's a definite partisan basis to how candidates are campaigning this year.

"They are running as slates this year. They are running with agendas. This is incredibly unusual to see in Minnesota, but it's a trend we are seeing across the United States," said Schultz.

In Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools and Eastern Carver County Schools, groups of candidates are teaming up to run together as a ticket. 

"School board elections have become almost big-time politics," said Schultz.

Some big-time bucks are being poured into these races as well.

"Attracting money from outside the school district or outside the state is really telling us a lot about how school board elections have become the new touch point...(a new) conflict point in American politics," said Schultz.