In order to have a public education system that caters to the cultural, policy, and pedagogical preferences of communities, more citizens need to participate in local school board elections. This report discusses why school board elections should be moved on cycle (i.e., held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an even year). Off-cycle school board elections deeply depress voter turnout and minimize genuine "local control" in public education. When school board elections are held on cycle, school board members become more likely to hold the political and policy beliefs of their constituents. Allowing school board candidates to display partisan affiliation would equip voters to make an informed choice in an era of increasingly diverging values and priorities for schools.