FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2023 

Contact: press@campaignsharedfuture.org

The Campaign for Our Shared Future Calls the 2023 Elections a Triumph for Students: Elections Send a Clear Message for Education Democracy

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) Executive Director Heather Harding, Ed.D. released the following statement regarding the 2023 school board elections:

“Yesterday, voters across the country had an opportunity to vote for the health and wellbeing of our students and democracy. And their votes sent a resounding message - we don’t like political interference when it comes to our kids. Parents fought for their children and won.

“Since Day 1 of its existence, COSF has stood on the grounds of keeping politics out of classrooms and has helped parents navigate political threats entering the education system. The results of yesterday’s elections prove that when parents understand what’s at stake, they will get out to vote. In Pine Richland County Pennsylvania voter turnout increased by 53 percent, and in Loudoun County Virginia, voter turnout increased by 22 percent. 

“The work is just beginning. While COSF has developed resources such as its voter guide and voter playbook that local partners used to drive voter turnout in school board elections, the advocacy and work leading up to this election created a blueprint for winning for our kids. This blueprint will be pivotal in the 2024 elections. Yesterday’s results shined a spotlight on the candidates who ran for the wrong reasons, and politicians should take notice.

“Given the high stakes for our students and the challenges educators and curricula have faced across the country,  it is imperative that we come together in pursuit of an education system that offers every student an equitable chance to learn true history and see their own reflections in their coursework.  We are responsible for engaging with and holding our school board members accountable. Let’s continue to put the right people in place for the job and fight for family and community voices to be the driving force behind transforming education.”

###

The Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) is a non-partisan effort to support high-quality K-12 education and preserve access, inclusion, and meaningful content in our schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and thrive. COSF is a common ground effort committed to fighting the attack on education across the country.