What’s at Stake.

School Boards across America are under attack, even here in Radnor. There is a concerted and coordinated effort by the national GOP to take over school boards, and we are seeing it in our own community.

 
 

The Radnor GOP School Board candidates:

  • Have accepted the endorsement and campaign support of Reimagine Radnor, who hired Patrick Krason, the treasurer of the pro-Trump Stop the Steal PAC.

  • Have been supported by Reimagine Radnor, who accepted at least $10,000 from national GOP mega-donor Paul Martino.

  • Have accepted funding raised from the Radnor GOP fall fundraiser headlined by Trump-endorsed US Senate candidate Sean Parnell.

  • Have broken with longstanding tradition by withdrawing from the non-partisan Radnor League of Women Voters Fall 2021 School Board Candidate Forum.

  • Have not completed the League of Women Voters 411.org candidate questionnaire listing their top three priorities that has been online since the May 2021 primary election.

  • Are continually propagating national GOP disinformation “they’re teaching CRT!”, “they kept schools closed!”, etc. about the operations of the District, teachings of our faculty, and work of the School Board.

  • Are talking about banning books from our school libraries.

  • Have not participated in any of the multiple opportunities provided by organizations for school board candidate training.

  • Have been largely absent from the 19 in person school board meetings held since June.

  • Have not provided any blueprint for an educational vision or how to achieve it.

So it’s important to ask, why are they running?

These articles below will shed some light on that.

Know what’s at stake for Radnor students, our schools and community before you vote on November 2nd.

Tea party 2.0? Conservatives get organized in school battles.

“A loose network of conservative groups with ties to major Republican donors and party-aligned think tanks is quietly lending firepower to local activists engaged in culture war fights in schools across the country.”

Energizing Conservative Voters, One School Board Election at a Time.

“Johnson’s rapid transformation into a sought-after activist illustrates how Republicans are using fears of critical race theory to drive school board recalls and energize conservatives, hoping to lay groundwork for the 2022 midterm elections.”

What it's like to be on the front lines of the school board culture war.

“All over the country, local school board members, who are typically volunteers or serve for small stipends, have indeed been placed on the front line of a national culture war.”

How is following the national GOP playbook removing politics?

There’s never been a local campaign more funded and directed by national GOP politics.

Schools around the region opened in person this fall. But across Pennsylvania, hundreds of Conservative Republican candidates are now running for school board seats backed by Paul Martino.

“A self-described “hardcore Republican,” Martino has given thousands to GOP candidates over the past decade, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Senate hopefuls David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia. He gave $5,800, the maximum allowed, to Kathy Barnette and Jeff Bartos, both Montgomery County Republicans running for Senate.”

What happens when conservative school boards gain power at districts around the country.

“They ran against ‘critical race theory’. But once they got on the school board, these conservatives started rolling back efforts to include students.”