Partisan school board bill passes Senate

CHEYENNE — A bill that would adjust the general election ballot to include party affiliation for school board candidates has passed the Senate.

On Thursday, senators passed Senate File 98, “School board trustees- party affiliation” in an 18-12 vote on third reading. Bill co-sponsor Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, said the bill is “straightforward,” and that partisan labels help voters quickly identify candidates whose values and priorities align with their own political beliefs.

On Wednesday, Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, said he was against the measure.

“Our children, and our education system, kind of requires us to rise above politics,” he said. But Olsen said that it is a “farce” to believe that school boards are not already partisan.

“What the difference between this bill (and) the reality of what we operate in today is transparency,” Olsen said.

Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, said that he would vote for SF 98 because “something in the way that school boards are selected” must be changed.

“As I look across the state, we are getting considerable problems because I think many administrations are recruiting the school boards, and getting a captive school board,” Scott said.

Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, one of the 12 senators not to vote for SF 98, said she worried it might decrease candidate participation in school board elections.

“My worry is, you look at this past election season and you look at how ugly that season got,” Schuler said. “I look at this and think, now our school board members are going to have to do the same thing?”

SF 98 has been received in the House for introduction.

This story was published on February 7, 2025.