The Rowan-Salisbury School Board can’t seem to leave good enough alone in 2016.

Most notably, it tried to allow pepper spray and disposable razors in schools. At the time, one board member said pepper spray might be useful if transgender students walk into the bathroom — a statement that should have been avoided. A proposal to close a number of rural schools could have been handled better, too. Now, there’s a new idea — a partisan school board race.

It’s an inappropriate proposition for a our school board, but it’s a creative way for Republicans to, perhaps, gain a larger majority on the board. They currently hold four of the seven seats.

In races where partisan affiliation is on the ballot, the GOP usually wins in Rowan. Local Republicans also typically turnout at higher rates than local Democrats in most elections.

Creating an advantage for a particular party, however, shouldn’t be a reason to play politics with local schools.

First, partisan affiliation doesn’t necessarily mean the candidate has better ideas about improving our public schools.

With legislators and congressmen, a GOP affiliation generally comes with a series of consistent policy positions — small government, for example. The Democratic Party platform includes, debt-free college and raising the minimum wage. Those items aren’t relevant or helpful in a school board race. They are in other contests.

Republicans, for example, generally favor school choice. That policy position isn’t beneficial for a person who is elected to improve a public school system.

Second, unaffiliated candidates with good ideas about improving the school system would face a steep climb to elected office. During a general election, many candidates would simply bubble in the circle of a candidate with an “R” or a “D” by their name instead of worrying about which person has the best ideas about improving education.

Sure, local political parties already promote preferred candidates, but that’s monumentally different from overtly listing party affiliations. Board member Dean Hunter said he could give vivid examples of why politics matter on the school board. Before a shift to a partisan race gets approved, we’d like to hear some of them.

Instead of worrying about politics, the board should focus on improving schools. The school board shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that a major portion of the Rowan-Salisbury system received a “D” or an “F” grade in September.

Board member Jean Kennedy put it best during discussion on Monday: “Just once, I would like the majority of this board to focus on our main purpose for existence: our students.”