Nov. 5, 2023 5:30 am ET

PLUMSTEAD TOWNSHIP, Pa.—Sexually explicit pamphlets, mysterious lawn signs with barbed slogans and accusations of lying have punctuated a partisan school board race in this Philadelphia suburb. Campaigning ends Tuesday, when voters will either keep the Republican majority or give Democrats the reins.

At stake is control of the Central Bucks School District, Pennsylvania’s third-largest with more than 17,000 students. Hundreds of districts across the country will hold local school board elections Nov. 7, ahead of a 2024 presidential campaign that is expected to see education play a bigger role than in the past.

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