PORTLAND, Maine — After dozens of book challenges in Maine school districts throughout 2022, the 2023 school board elections took the issue to the polls.
For Charity Boedeker, a Standish resident, her campaign for MSAD 6 school board pressed on several issues including reducing the school budget to lower taxes and allowing parents to further limit the literature children have access to in schools.
Boedeker was outspoken in several school board meetings throughout last year against several books including Gender Queer: A Memoir.
"I just don't think they should be available in our public school library," Boedeker said in September.
Boedeker lost on Tuesday night to incumbent John Sargent, who voted multiple times to keep challenged books in the school libraries.
Sargent, who was interviewed prior to the election, said the district has other issues to deal with under an already constrained budget.
"A lot of aging buildings in our older schools, they need a lot of maintenance and a lot of upgrades. They weren't designed for your current form of teaching," Sargent said.
Boedeker did not respond in time for NEWS CENTER Maine's request to comment.
Another MSAD 6 candidate that ran partly on a parental rights standpoint, Denise Turner, lost Tuesday evening.
However, at RSU 40, which covers Waldoboro, Union, Friendship, and Warren, two candidates that ran on the parental rights standpoint won.
Joshua Blackman's fliers state he stands for parents' rights and being a voice for students.
In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, he claimed victory.
"Through the strength of Jesus Christ we can begin to make a difference in this district," he said.
Blackman did not reply to a Facebook comment requesting comment.
Nichole Taylor ran in RSU 40 and won as well. She also ran on a parental rights agenda.
"Parents, we will be heard! Please don't hesitate to talk with me about any of your concerns," Taylor wrote in a Facebook post.
All the candidates mentioned were also named in ads supporting their election.
In a mailer that stated it was paid for by the Maine First Project, a right-wing nonprofit based in Brewer, it said the challengers for the parental rights candidates supported porn in the schools.
"She [Nichole Taylor] will push back against porn and pronouns, and against any attempt to drive a wedge between parents and their children," the flier said.
Heather Perkinson, the president of the Maine Association of School Libraries, said book ban debates have been exhausting for Mainers and many other educators.
"We are concerned about our students and them feeling they are attacked because of the books that reflect their identities and are being singled out and censored," Perkinson said. She also said ongoing attacks against the book ban efforts Maine saw throughout 2022 harmed school staff and students.
Most of the books challenged by community members were books featuring LGBTQ+ relationships.
"I don't think we can discount these efforts, I think they will continue," Perkinson said.
And despite the six candidates mentioned above only winning two seats, Perkinson said it was a sign that the effort to ban books is a slim majority.
"I think voters recognize they were not speaking for their rights, they were speaking for the rights of just a few parents," Perkinson said.
Sargent, who won his re-election in MSAD 6, said diversity in ideas in a school board is a good thing as there's always a common goal.
"We're all faced with some of the same problems, we have too many things that need to be done and not quite enough money to do them all, and we want to make sure every dollar is well spent," Sargent said.