Conservative School-Board Leaders ‘Thrilled’ with Progress Despite Mixed Election-Night Results

When Tom Payne decided to run for a seat on the school board in Berrien County, Mich., his primary goal was to ensure that the local schools were focused above all else on providing every student in the district with a top-notch education.

Like many conservatives, Payne had grown frustrated that schools across the country were increasingly in the thrall of left-wing social-justice activists who used classrooms to push divisive dogma. Payne wasn’t sure that critical race theory and radical gender ideology had made their way inside the local Brandywine schools, but he wanted to make sure they never did.

About the Author

Ryan Mills

Ryan Mills was an enterprise and media reporter at National Review. He previously worked for 14 years as a breaking news reporter, investigative reporter, and editor at newspapers in Florida. Originally from Minnesota, Ryan lives in the Fort Myers area with his wife and two sons.

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When Tom Payne decided to run for a seat on the school board in Berrien County, Mich., his primary goal was to ensure that the local schools were focused above all else on providing every student in the district with a top-notch education.

Like many conservatives, Payne had grown frustrated that schools across the country were increasingly in the thrall of left-wing social-justice activists who used classrooms to push divisive dogma. Payne wasn’t sure that critical race theory and radical gender ideology had made their way inside the local Brandywine schools, but he wanted to make sure they never did.

About the Author

Ryan Mills

Ryan Mills was an enterprise and media reporter at National Review. He previously worked for 14 years as a breaking news reporter, investigative reporter, and editor at newspapers in Florida. Originally from Minnesota, Ryan lives in the Fort Myers area with his wife and two sons.