Listening for the Community’s Voice

At the upcoming meeting on June 6 the school board will vote on a resolution to initiate a strategic redesign process.  Central to this resolution is involvement of community members and other stakeholders in redesign of our district.  A concern I have is that we hear our community’s voice.

One of the greatest challenges of any school board is listening for their community’s voice.  It is not that individual members aren’t interested or don’t try to listen.  Rather the problem is being certain that the right voices are heard.  Unlike other elected officials, school board members aren’t representatives elected to champion their particular cause or agenda.  Rather they act as a watchdog that sets policy for the district and holds administrators and teachers accountable for improving school performance.  During challenging times when fees need to be raised, programs cut, services reduced, class size increased or other structural changes made, hearing enough perspectives to make good decisions is difficult work.

Quieting a Vocal Minority – During the past few months as a proposal to collocate with Friendly Hills Middle School was discussed, there was a very vocal group who spoke out in opposition to the plan.  One parent spoke with me privately in a side conversation that she lived within walking distance of Friendly Hills and welcomed the thought of her young children being able to walk to school for 9 years.  Yet she admitted she was afraid to voice her support openly because her view was clearly a minority opinion.

Speaking for the Silent – At the May 16^th work session we discussed plans for a levy question this November.  The question would ask voters to approve increasing property taxes in support of our local schools.  Fellow board member Pat Barnum presented data contrasting the economic realities between the haves and have-nots within our district.  She presented data showing home foreclosures in some parts of our community have increased over 2009.  While $10/month might not seem like much to some, she argued to those struggling to keep their home it is huge.  Without her speaking up, how would a board hear that perspective?

Their Future, Not Our Past – Generational differences can provide useful perspectives on an issue.  But a board typically hears most from parents, seldom from the elderly and only occasionally from students.  Some boards include a student representative position on their board.  Our district does not.  Students from the have spoken at the past 3 board meetings.  This is atypical but welcomed input.

Advocacy Spokesperson – At almost every board meeting, a representative from the West St. Paul Federation of Teachers Local 1148 makes comments addressing some topic of particular interest to our teachers.  While I appreciate these comments, the official position of the teacher’s union isn’t always consistent with private conversations I as a board member might have with a specific teacher.  This known disconnect creates questions I would like to better understand.  However, there are many barriers preventing the board and teachers from engaging in direct dialog with each other.

Regardless the outcome of the strategic redesign process resolution vote on June 6, the school district board needs to adopt a model and process to gather stakeholder input.  Do you have public relations, voice of the customer or similar expertise?  I welcome your input as we try to continually improve how we listen for our community’s voice.

This blog is the sole responsibility of Dewayne Dill.  It does not represent any official opinions, statement of facts or positions of the ISD 197 School Board or School District. Its purpose is to contemplate the broader context of issues the board considers.