July 28, 2026 — A seismic shift for Ithaca's school board after years in the making

Listen and subscribe to Backstory on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Amazon Music, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

If you don’t have kids, you may not think about the school board — or its internal politics — very often. But the school board’s impact goes way beyond the classroom.

In Ithaca, the school board has more influence on a property tax bill — and by extension, housing costs — than any other elected body. Take a look at a property tax bill of a homeowner in the Ithaca City School District, and it’s clear the district’s taxes rate are significantly higher than those of either Tompkins County or the City of Ithaca.

The Ithaca City School District’s Board of Education just started their new term. And already, it’s looking like there’s a major shift in the balance of power.

Editor's note: The cover art uses a photo depicting the 2025-2026 Ithaca City School District's Board of Education, not the current board.

Access a time-stamped transcript by clicking the button with three lines on the embedded player. For a full page transcript, click here. The transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.

Original air date: July 28, 2026

Produced and reported by Megan Zerez

Hosted by Jimmy Jordan

Cover photo by Fernando Figueroa