BUFFALO (WBEN) - Tuesday marks school board election day across the state, and because of the spotlight on school districts during the pandemic, some believe there will be increased attention placed on these elections.
"We have seen that the pandemic and issues surrounding reopening schools in the fall has certainly generated interest in school board seats this election cycle," said David Albert, spokesperson for the New York State School Board Association.
Tarja Parssinen is a parent advocate with WNY Students First, and she called the pandemic 'the elephant in the room' when it comes to these school board elections, and she wouldn't be surprised if there's more voter turnout because of it.
"I do anticipate much more voter turnout this year," said Parssinen. "I think people are much more interested just with the whole school closures and school openings debate, and especially in New York because it has taken so long for schools to reopen, parents are feeling the need to get out there and let their voices be heard."
Parssinen also believes that the school closures and slow reopening process exposed other issues that parents are now more aware of.
"Over the past year with the pandemic, just sort of seeing the composition of school boards and parents really feeling like they haven't had a voice, and saying, 'How can we be heard?' This is the perfect way."
David Lowrey is Executive Director for Erie County Association of School Boards, and he's not sure there will necessarily be a higher turnout, but he agrees that overall participation in the process has increased this election cycle.
"I do think there are probably more people that are possibly throwing their hat into the ring this year because they would like to get students back to school," he said.
While there has been increased attention on schools because of the pandemic, Albert noted that not much will be able to change because of school board elections. Districts will still be required to follow the guidance and direction of state and local health departments regardless of who is elected Tuesday.
"I think it's been a very challenging year," said Albert. "I think schools have been caught in the middle because we know that there are a lot of parents who want their children back in school full time, and certainly boards understand that, but they also know they can only work within the framework of the health officials.
"School boards are not medical experts or public health experts, they are in charge of overseeing the school district, but they have to work within the guidelines and parameters that are set up by their state health department, county health department, and the CDC," Albert continued. "In many ways, the school board isn't necessarily able to unilaterally say, 'We're going to open in-person 100% of the time' if the state, federal, or county guidelines don't allow them to do that."
Lowrey encourages residents to check in with their local school districts for more information on voting locations and times, as specifics can vary district to district.
"We talk about the importance of getting out the vote, and we need to bring that down to the very local level of school board elections and how important it is for each of us to be involved, not just if you have kids, but for every stakeholder in every district," said Parssinen.
