School Board Candidates Should Reflect your Education Values

School Board Elections in 2026

Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy and is essential for healthy communities. School boards are designed to give citizens a direct say in local education yet often their membership is critically overlooked,

Most jurisdictions in Virginia elect school board members on a regular schedule. Who is elected to those school boards is important because those boards shape the quality, direction, and accessibility of public education. This year most cities in Virginia are holding elections for school board members.

Unfortunately most voters can’t identify who are the good candidates running for school board in their jurisdiction. School board candidates don’t claim a political party and have very small budgets so are not able to share their values with the public. And, recently, candidates who do not support public education have been winning seats on school boards. 

This year 4 Public Education has identified school board candidates that hold our values and believe that every child deserves to experience a welcoming, inclusive, safe, relevant, and nurturing public education. We encourage voters to consider voting for the candidates with those values, as identified in the table below on November 3, 2026. 4PE also encourages voters to be informed by conducting research on candidates by reviewing their education values, policy positions, social media posts, and endorsements.