National politics has influenced public education for years. Maryland, for the most part, has remained immune.

But now, partisanship has crept into local school board elections, which are supposed to be nonpartisan. A recent announcement by the Maryland Democratic Party makes it clear that the spirit of the races has changed.

For the first time “in the Party’s modern history,” Democrats are investing in campaigns for the Maryland board of education “that will counter the far-right agenda of extremist and hate-aligned candidates,” the party said in a news release. .

The divide is perhaps most evident in Carroll County, where two seats are up for grabs on the five-member school board. Fighting for spots are Greg Malveaux and Kristen Zihmer, both endorsed by Republican leaders and groups, and Muri Lynn Dueppen and Amanda Jozkowski, who are backed by Democratic leaders and the teachers union — a group that often backs Democratic candidates in Maryland.

Backing both Malveaux and Zihmer is Carroll’s chapter of Moms for Liberty, which calls itself nonpartisan, though its positions consistently align with those of Republicans. The national group first emerged in 2021 when some parents were unhappy with virtual school and mask requirements to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Carroll’s chapter was formed the same year.

Locally, the group’s influence over schools has grown.

When pride flags were passed around a school in 2022, Carroll chapter president Kit Hart testified at a school board meeting that pride flags didn’t belong there because gender identity was an adult concept too difficult for children. Children should not be reduced to their sexuality, she said. During Pride Month, Carroll’s school board voted to end the display of the rainbow flagor any flag, unless it is the American, Maryland, or Carroll County flag.

Chapter Vice President Jessica Garland said her proudest accomplishment was Moms for Liberty’s 2023 campaign for challenges over 50 school library books considered unsuitable for children. Most were written by LGBTQIA+ authors and authors of color, though they said they were escaping schools explicit sexual content was their only motivation. The campaign prompted the superintendent to temporarily remove all challenged books and the school board tightened its policy so that no textbooks or library books deemed sexually explicit could be available in schools.

Moms for Liberty endorses Malveaux and Zihmer because they are most aligned with the group’s values. Kit Hart, the chapter’s president, said he supports Malveaux, in particular, because he supports parental involvement in education.

Malveaux told The Banner that safety and special education are among his top priorities and said at an election forum last week that students want equality, not equity. He is a Republican and said in an email that his positions on books and parents’ rights “are just a few of the reasons the Republican Party supports me, as well as many independent and Democratic voters.”

Campaign finance reports show his donors include the Carroll County Republican Club, Republican Commissioner Chairman Ken Kiler and former Republican state delegate Susan Krebs.

Zihmer is calling for more focus on academics, wants class sizes to be manageable and said at Thursday’s election forum that “divisive theories about race” should not be imposed on students. She said in an email that she is a Republican who aligns with traditional conservative values. Her campaign has received money from Kiler and fellow Republican Commissioner Joseph Vigliotti, as well as Republican state lawmakers Justin Ready, April Rose and Christopher Tomlinson.

Zihmer told the Banner that she did not seek Moms for Liberty’s endorsement and does not advertise it.

The Brookings Institutiona nonprofit public policy research organization, reported that 47 percent of school board candidates supported by Moms for Liberty won their races in 2022. That dropped to 33 percent in 2023.

If Malveaux and Zihmer lose, Garland said, Moms for Liberty knows what to expect from their opponents.

“We will continue to fight their progressive policy ideas if they win, which will further collapse our education system,” she said.

Democrats see the stakes as high.

Neal Goldberg, a Carroll County parent and Democrat, fears Malveaux and Zihmer’s win will lead to more decisions like banning books and flags, as well as good educators leaving the school system.

He joins a group of people in the district who have organized efforts to fight the Mothers for Freedom. his organization, Move Carroll forwardidentifies as nonpartisan but advocates for “progressive change,” sustainable environmental practices, inclusion, and equity—all traditional democratic positions.

Campaign finance reports show that both Jozkowski and Dueppen received campaign donations from David Trone, a Democratic congressman.

Jozkowski accepts better pay and more manageable workloads for educators. She said at Thursday’s forum that she supports the intentions behind it Maryland Education Reforms and told The Banner that her goal is to stop the “politically motivated and divisive rhetoric that is currently harming our school system.”

Dueppen told The Banner that she will put students first when making decisions and said at Thursday’s forum that Moms for Liberty’s book campaign was an “attack” on students’ freedom to read and learn.

Dueppen and Jozkowski are campaigning together. Both are democrats. Dueppen, who served on the Democratic Central Committee, said he would like the election to be non-political.

Jozkowski said she and Dueppen accepted the Democrats’ help because they could not afford to turn it down, but that she would not dictate how they would govern the school system if elected. It’s important to represent everyone — “that includes those who don’t have the same party affiliation,” she said.

School leadership races weren’t always like this. Traditionally, they are hyperlocal businesses focused on issues such as teacher pay, academic performance or overcrowded schools. Party affiliation was not relevant. In recent years, however, the conversation in some districts has shifted to restrictions on pride flags and school library books. School board candidates are now routinely endorsed by partisan groups.

The Pew Research Center reports that the pandemic has exposed a partisan divide on many education issues. About half of Republican parents surveyed in 2022 said the government has too much influence over what schools teach, compared with 2 in 10 Democratic parents. Republicans were also more likely to say their state government and local school board have too much influence.

In Carroll County, government leaders such as the board of commissioners, the sheriff and the state’s attorney are Republicans. During the 2020 election, 60% of Carroll voters chose Trump for president. Its school board members don’t necessarily flaunt their party affiliation, but in recent years, their actions at meetings have aligned with conservative values.

When parents were unhappy their children had to wear masks in 2021, board members asked the state to lift wearing the mask. The Council has adopted a policy for limit political conversations in classrooms after parents wrongly accused the teaching system of critical race theory in 2022.

Kiler, now chairman of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, was a member of the school board when decisions were made about COVID, flags and political conversations. Throughout his tenure on the school board, he said he was called racist, homophobic and senile, and some called for his removal. It stems from the divisions in the county and the country between Republicans and Democrats, he said. He believes it’s okay to be divided and not agree with everything, but it becomes worrisome “especially when it turns into hate.”

Kiler said she’s not part of Moms for Liberty, but she agrees with them on some things, like getting rid of the books. He threw withholding funds from local libraries for supporting state law preventing book bans. He said, however, that the number of books that were challenged was “extreme”. But Moms for Liberty is not a hate group as others have claimed, he said.

“We’re all entitled to our opinions,” Kiler said.

Nine states have passed legislation to make races partisan, according conversationa nonprofit news source. Carroll County parent Bryan Thompson says it should be. He did not share his party affiliation, but he founded a group in 2020 that fought against mask-wearing and school closings during the pandemic — efforts supported by Republicans.

He supports Malveaux and Zihmer and recently wrote in Carroll County Times that party affiliation should count in the race.

“I encourage everyone to vote their conscience and be mindful of the candidates’ political affiliation,” he wrote in an email. “This is not about bringing political agendas into our schools, but rather about ensuring transparency about the candidates who are running.”

About Education Hub

This report is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that gives parents the resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.