Chambana Sun

State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) is urging voters to support conservative school board and municipal candidates in the spring election season. 

Halbrook said he talks to people who are running for school board. Apart from being upset with mask mandates, he said people are also alarmed of "the far left curriculum being taught in schools and they are getting involved in record numbers.”

“Parents have become much more aware of what is happening in their kids’ schools and they are stepping up to get more involved and I believe this is a good thing,” Halbrook told Chambana Sun. “We need more people to get involved and to make sure parental rights are protected in our schools.” 

The 2023 elections include a Consolidated Primary on Feb. 28 if required and a Consolidated election on April 4. Updates and other information for Champaign County are shared by the Champaign County clerk on their website.

State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) has urged conservatives run for local school boards. “The conservatives have sat around here and said, ‘well, these school board elections are nonpartisan.’ So we kind of stayed out, out of a political presence in school board races, But the Democrats haven’t,” Caulkins, who represents District 101, told the Macon Reporter. “The Democrats haven't. They've supported their candidates and we end up with, you know, liberal, progressive socialists, school board members who then allow or promote that to the superintendents.” 

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) said the state has been usurping power by passing mandates for curriculum in schools. "Speaking for myself, I believe the state places far too many costly, unfunded and burdensome mandates on our educators; not to mention the heavy hand of Illinois politicians and state bureaucrats making new mandates on curriculum,” McCombie told Prairie State Wire. “I believe in local control of schools, that school boards and administrators with input from parents are best equipped to make decisions regarding curriculum and classroom priorities for our kids’ education.” 

She also emphasized that "local school board members live in our community and are accountable to us, the voters." She said it is unfortunate that "with the state passing new mandates into law, local school districts across Illinois have no choice other than to comply," McCombie added. "We need to begin to return control of curriculum to local school boards and administrators while always giving parents a voice in their child’s education.”