For decades, conservatives have allowed teachers unions to monopolize school board elections. But when the pandemic came along, parents discovered the high price of remaining on the sidelines. Conceding school board races to unions suddenly had visible costs for their kids. Union-backed boards presided over longer school closures. At the same time, remote "learning" gave many parents their first-ever look at controversial curricula and instruction.

Yet Progressives in the education establishment persisted.

One union leader told unhappy parents in Maine to simply leave the school district. And the nation’s largest teachers’ union recently declared that "Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive." Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos offered a subtle corrective: "You misspelled parents," she replied.