Check out our coverage of competitive school board races in Milwaukee and suburbs, plus what to know about school referendums

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to vote on high-profile races for Wisconsin Supreme Court and state superintendent of public instruction, as well as a statewide referendum on voter ID.

But they will also be faced with decisions about local school board races and referendums.

While these are smaller races affecting smaller numbers of voters locally, school board races still are tremendously important, as board members make many decisions about how schools are actually run. They determine any number of issues, including how money is allocated, policy, what kids should study and who should be hired to work hands-on in classrooms on a daily basis. They also hire administrators who oversee things on a bigger scale.

Most school board members work for little or no money on a job that takes hours each month.

We’ve been covering a handful of suburban school board races and referendums since January.

Local races get underway with candidate filings

Jan. 8, 2025: In the Milwaukee area, who can you expect to see on the ballot for school board this spring?

Jan. 9, 2025: New look coming to MPS board, as three incumbents decide not to run again, and new faces take their places

School districts statewide will once again put referendums on the ballot

Jan. 23, 2025: Arrowhead District heads back to voters right away with slimmed down $136.2 million referendum

Feb. 14, 2025: Dozens of Wisconsin schools again turn to referendums for help financing operations and building projects

March 6, 2025: See which Milwaukee area school districts have referendums on the April ballot

March 6, 2025: Amid shooting fears, Wisconsin K-12 districts spend millions of property tax dollars on security

March 6, 2025: Here’s what to know about the use of referendums for K-12 security upgrades in Wisconsin

March 20, 2025: A lawsuit alleges that Arrowhead Union High School is misrepresenting the costs associated with a $136M referendum

High interest in three area districts, where primaries narrowed the field

Jan. 29, 2025: Five candidates running for two seats on Oak Creek-Franklin School Board

Jan. 30, 2025: Seven candidates running for three seats on the Hartland-Lakeside School Board

Jan. 30, 2025: High interest in Cedarburg School Board, as eight candidates seek just three seats on the board

Feb. 18, 2025: Primary narrows field for Cedarburg, Hartland-Lakeside, Oak Creek-Franklin school boards

Heading into the general election

March 12, 2025: Partisan support divided among six candidates for Cedarburg School Board

March 12, 2025: Like last year, two blocs of Waukesha School Board candidates square off before April 1 election

March 13, 2025: Four candidates running for two seats on Oak Creek-Franklin School Board April 1

March 17, 2025: Transparency, transportation among issues Hartland-Lakeside School Board candidates want addressed

March 19, 2025: Wauwatosa School Board will have a new look after April 1, with four seats up for grabs on the seven-seat board

March 26, 2025: Email surfaces of Wauwatosa school board candidate describing student as a ‘hooker’

March 28, 2025: MPS school board candidates answer questions on policing, test scores, district finances

March 28 , 2025: Lone competitive MPS school board race draws donors from mayor, city council members, teachers union

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.

Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit jsonline.com/rfa.