School board elections in New York and around the country were closely watched this year, as candidates and incumbents faced polarizing issues like disputes over pandemic policies as well as controversies over curricula in classrooms. 

And yet the majority of successful candidates didn't focus on those issues, an analysis released this week by the New York State School Boards Association found. With the elections now in the rear view mirror for school boards, officials are going to be dealing with a host of challenges for the new year, said Bob Schneider, the group's executive director. 

"A key area is school safety," Schneider said in a Capital Tonight interview. "As we've seen not only in schools, we've seen it in public places, our school boards have to make sure that those safety plans that have been developed over time are in place and there has been focus on it."

Schneider pointed to the need for officials to review their safety plans in the wake of shootings around the country, including an elementary school in Texas this past spring. 

"Looking at those plans, it's important to look at them and update them," he said. 

At the same time, school boards are going to have to contend with the ongoing challenge of aiding students who have fallen behind after the pandemic moved learning out of the classroom and into virtual settings. Many students had struggled with remote learning, and the situation highlighted disparities for students.

With many students still struggling, students will need to implement programs, including providing "high-dosage" tutoring, Schneider said. 

"We have to make sure these students have enough support to become effective learners again, to get up to speed and get up to the grade level they have to get to," he said.