Tuesday is election day for school districts in the state.
There are seven districts statewide with contested races - Appoquinimink, Christina, Colonial, Red Clay, Caesar Rodney, Milford and Delmar.
In those districts, First State Educate reports 24 people will compete for 11 contested seats. Eight incumbents are running in those races, including two recently appointed to fill a vacancy.
First State Educate executive director Julia Keleher says she’s pleased with their effort in trying to recruit more candidates to run for school boards in the state.
"We had a lot of success with getting more interest from new people, and finding people from new sources. So there are about 20 people that weren't connected to our work before that we had done outreach with digital ads and this whole scientific process of which link did I click on but really there is more interest,” said Keleher. “Now of those, three made it through to actually file that we found that way."
Turnout is historically low for school board elections. Last year saw 11 districts with at least one contested race. Six districts drew over 12 hundred voters.
Keleher says when electing school board members it’s best to focus on more than just one issue.
"While an issue may motivate voters, you're really looking for a person who can lead to consensus. A person who will be rational in their decision making. A person who can balance short and long-term priorities. A person who can listen to the community, who can frame trade-offs, right? And that goes beyond any one issue," said Keleher.
Keleher notes those qualities are important in school board members because they are part of a group that approves multi-million dollar budgets, make policy, oversee district leadership and help set priorities.
Polls are open from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm Tuesday.
You do not need to be a registered voter to vote in school board races, but must provide proof of identity and residency in the district.
