With the Nov. 3 election drawing near, voters across California will find plenty to weigh in on — but local school board races won’t be among the most hotly contested items on the ballot. According to a recent report from the University of Southern California, roughly half of the state’s school board candidates are expected to run unopposed this cycle, even as K-12 education faces sweeping changes at both the state and federal level.
That lack of competition troubles education researchers, who warn it leaves school districts with little public oversight at a pivotal moment.
“We need more people, more choices, more public debate,” said USC education professor Julie Marsh, one of the report’s lead authors. “Otherwise it opens the door for interest groups to step in and have outsized power.”
Marsh and her colleagues found that many current and former school board members are walking away from the job, citing a mix of factors: shrinking budgets, labor disputes, immigration enforcement actions affecting students and families, and an increasingly charged political atmosphere. On top of that, the position demands long hours for little pay, and often isolates members from friends and colleagues.
“A large group didn’t anticipate how emotionally draining the job can be,” Marsh said. “We saw a lot of disillusionment.”
A system under strain
California’s shift toward local control of school governance dates back more than a decade, when the state implemented the Local Control Funding Formula, giving districts greater say over spending and policy. But that autonomy is being tested as the state consolidates more authority under the governor’s office, and as the Trump administration moves to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education — developments that have left many school boards navigating unfamiliar and shifting terrain.
Contentious debates over curriculum — including how schools address LGBTQ history and the rights of transgender students — have added friction to board meetings in politically divided communities in recent years. But according to Marsh’s research, those flashpoints are secondary to the deeper stress caused by teacher strikes, school closures and tightening budgets.
Meanwhile, labor unions and conservative advocacy groups have increasingly worked to get their preferred candidates elected to local boards. When those candidates run unchallenged, they often win with minimal public vetting.
Would higher pay help?
State lawmakers have taken some steps to make board service more sustainable. Assembly Bill 1390, signed into law last year, allows school districts to compensate board members up to $4,500 a month, depending on district size — a significant jump from the modest stipends, often just a few hundred dollars monthly, that most board members currently receive.
Still, many say no paycheck could fully account for a role that frequently demands 40 hours a week of unpaid labor and public scrutiny.
“If I run for re-election, it’s very much not for the money or personal benefit,” said Nick Caston, who was elected to the Santa Rosa City Schools board in 2024 and became board president the following year. “It’s for the long-term benefit of the students, staff and community.”
Caston, a father of three and business strategy consultant, said he underestimated how all-consuming the role would become. What began as a plan to close a single elementary school to address budget shortfalls ballooned into a proposal to shutter six campuses — a decision that drew fierce community backlash.
“You feel like you’re the tangible face of things that are happening beyond your control,” Caston said. “It can be very stressful.”
Better training, but no requirement
The California School Boards Association has expanded its training offerings in recent years, including webinars, workshops and a 40-hour “master’s in governance” program covering topics such as collective bargaining, community engagement, California’s open-meeting laws and school finance.
Yet none of that training is mandatory. State law currently requires only a two-hour ethics course for incoming board members. Beginning next year, new members will also be required to complete a four-hour course on school finance. Still, the USC survey found that most board members feel underprepared — particularly when it comes to managing social media, evaluating whether academic programs are working, and defusing political conflict.
“Training cannot eliminate every source of stress, but it can help trustees become more confident, effective and efficient in their work,” said Troy Flint, a spokesperson for the school boards association. “Our goal is to ensure they have the tools to succeed without having to navigate these challenges alone.”
A rising presence: Latinas in local leadership
Even as overall interest in school board service declines, one demographic is gaining ground: Latinas. A 2023 survey by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Hispanas Organized for Political Equality found that Latinas made up at least 20% of school board members in districts with significant Latino student populations statewide — and nearly 30% in Los Angeles and along the Central Coast. In the Oxnard School District, the entire board is composed of Latinas.
“These are women, many of whom are first-generation, who care about their communities and want to give back,” said Helen Torres, the organization’s CEO.
Torres’ group has spent 35 years preparing Latinas for civic leadership roles, training more than 2,500 participants, including UC Board of Regents chair Maria Anguiano, Cal State trustee Yammilette Rodriguez, state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez — who chairs the Senate Education Committee — and state Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, herself a former school board member. Other alumni include Daisy Gonzalez, head of the California Student Aid Commission, and Cal State Chancellor Mildred García.
Torres said greater Latino representation on school boards matters because more than half of California’s public school students are Latino. Latina board members, she said, are often strong advocates for programs that support immigrant and working-class families, including English-learner services and after-school programs. Marsh’s research also found that, statewide, school board members tend to skew older, whiter and wealthier than the student populations they serve.
Fighting apathy — and burnout
For Nabil Kherfan, a board member in Fresno’s Central Unified School District, the decision to step away after a single term wasn’t driven by political conflict or budget battles — it came down to time.
“After putting many things in my personal life on hold for five years, I’m looking forward to advancing my career and hopefully starting a family,” Kherfan said.
Kherfan, one of California’s first elected Palestinian American officials, is 30 years old — younger than most of his peers on local school boards. A product of Central Unified schools himself, he said he hopes to return to public service someday, once he has more flexibility to balance the demands of the job with his career and personal life.
“We all want change, but there can be inertia against changing the status quo,” Kherfan said. “Addressing systemic inequity and apathy takes time.”
Original source: CalMatters
