The politics of the 2021 school board recall attempts

Abstract

ABSTRACT The past few years have seen a rise in interest in local elected offices, specifically in school board seats. These seats hold unequivocal power over what school districts can do in terms of advancing equity and excellence in education. We explore one facet of what became a playbook of anti-equity efforts in school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic — the 2021 school board recall attempts, which had quadrupled compared to any other year. Highlighting one successful recall and identifying similarities among these recall efforts, we argue that the these attempts were fueled by ideological differences and racial politics, which often served to disrupt equity efforts in education.