Leonard Munson News Today

Around the country, conservative groups have harnessed parental angst to gain seats on school boards. Liberals see a threat to public education and have scrambled to keep up.

With few exceptions, candidate slates that pushed for "parental rights" and leaned into culture war issues failed to make waves Tuesday night in politically charged races for suburban school boards.

While some Lake County districts lacked enough candidates to fill all their open school board seats, campaign talking points in some races stemmed from fiercely raging national debates over books and sexual education, which followed sharp disagreement over masking requirements and school reopenings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results of the Barrington 220 school board race were as divisive as the campaign. Two incumbents appear to have held onto their seats, while none of the candidates from the slate endorsed by ACTION Pac won spots on the school board.

Two incumbents and one newcomer held a slight edge in the contentious Barrington Community Unit District 220 board of education race late Tuesday.

Some races for Northwest suburban and Lake County municipal offices and school boards have generated controversy -- and more than a little public attention -- ahead of Tuesdays election.

School boards have become targets of both the ire and political ambitions of conservatives arguing schools have been overtaken by liberal agendas.

Two years ago, school board races across the suburbs drew long lines of candidates galvanized by mask mandates and remote learning. This election cycle, school board hopefuls from Wheaton to Palatine have refocused their energy on heated debates over library books, lessons on racism and the role of parents in deciding what is taught in classrooms.

While most of the challengers running for seats on the Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board of education say district finances could be handled better, a pair of incumbents seeking reelection maintain they have been good stewards of taxpayers dollars.

A Cook County electoral board opened hearings Thursday on challenges to the nominating paperwork of two candidates for the Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board.