As much as I appreciate national political campaigns and grassroots movements, too little attention is focused on the importance of local leadership. This is especially true in school systems across the country, as elections for these boards are often written off as “apolitical” or “nonpartisan.” That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Just look within and you’ll find that you and everyone you know possesses an ideology — be it political or social — and these sets of closely held beliefs and even morals influence how we vote. But an awareness of ideology is critical not only for filling seats in Congress or electing a president but in appointing and voting in local officials.

The phrase “all politics are local” rings true, as we see local school districts and city councils in red states fight to ward off progressive ideologies that have now infiltrated their towns. While local voters were cozy in their beds, assured that their communities would be just fine, transplants from failed liberal cities moved in overnight, bringing with them concepts like Critical Race Theory — which originated from elite law schools and was passed down to the qualified educators who attended said universities. These teachers are now carrying their expensive ideologies to a classroom near you.

This is how Drag Queen Library Time even happened. This abomination started in the quiet public libraries in blue states like New York and California, and is now taking root in local communities.

Spencer Lindquist, intern at The Federalist and a senior at Pepperdine University, spoke with Patrick Leahy about Drag Queen Story Hour and its chapters in 29 states and four continents with a mission to read to children about “white privilege” and “gender expression,” among other polarizing and inappropriate topics.

During the interview, Lindquist stated that a large family foundation gave Radar Productions — the managing organization for Drag Queen Story Hour — over $100,000 to launch the initiative. The question is, who then funded the managing agency?

Unfortunately, these armies of nonprofits masquerading as incubators and think tanks are moving full speed ahead. It wasn’t until our school system here in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was exposed for disseminating white privilege training to educators that local families were aware that such a divisive scheme was taking place. The very superintendent who endorsed said training is now stepping down in August. My only fear is the person who will replace him.

The only way to stop this brigade is to elect local leaders, hire local leaders, and retain local leaders that possess all of these qualities:

• A love for America and its founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and respect for personal accountability, freedom, and God above all else.

• An understanding of local culture and a desire to preserve the values that have allowed our humble community to thrive until now.

• An appreciation and enforcement of parental choice. A sound candidate must acknowledge the parents as the final authority in a child’s life and not the government or any other social collective that may emerge.

As long as we continue to import leaders from outside of our communities, we will continue to fail our children, effectively destroying our way of life and hope for a stronger future ahead.