“… the community…”. We hear these words spoken, often as either preamble to or closing of a strong statement. “The community is frustrated/concerned/angry about …”. We also hear, “The community is proud of …”. There are operative words in these statements, the most important being “community”. Who is the community being referenced? Who is the speaker in relationship to the community? What should we know?
Listening carefully is the first step in all communications. We need to listen to and note the words spoken. Better yet, if they are in writing, read them carefully. Showing respect to the speaker is the second step. No matter if we agree or disagree with the words, there never is a reason for not showing respect to a person who communicates with school leaders. There must be something behind the words to overcome the usual inertia of status quo and cause a speaker/writer to act.
The third step is understanding the meaning of the word “community”. This single word is used and abused in communication from persons in the school district to school leaders. Sometimes with purpose and most often not. Who is the community referenced? Most often, a reference to community” is used to inform the board “I am not alone in this.” Or, it is used to imply a consensus of opinion. Or, it is used to imply a very large number of people. There are implications when people refer to the weight of community.
What should we know about community?
I draw virtual concentric circles around the schoolhouse to illustrate the meaning of this word.
The largest circle is the community at-large. They are all the adults who reside in the school district. There are 8,000-plus souls living in our rural school district. We reside in seven villages or towns or townships. Each is a distinct geographic, political, and economic area of the district. The adult population is 81% of the full population; 19% being 19 years or younger. Focus on the number 6,480 when thinking about the entire community. 6,480 approximates the number of adults in the community.
100% of the adult population are local taxpayers and potential voters in school elections. Less than 35% of the taxpayers and electors have had any personal connection to the school. The majority are spectators of the school, if they think of the school at all.
More than 70% of the voters in school referendum elections vote in favor of proposals that increase their local property tax. Voter turnout for school elections usually is 65-70% of the registered voters, or 70% of the 70% of adults who vote cast a positive vote on school issues. Voters with and without personal or familial connection to the school readily provide favorable support to the school.
The second circle is the community of adults whose grown children attended our school as children/students. These are older community adults. Less than 35% of the adult population had their children attend our school when their children were school-aged, or, more than 65% of the adult population has not had a “parent of a student” relationship with the school.
The third largest circle is the community of adults who attended the school as students. Our community retains many of our high school graduates. This is a good place to live and raise a family, if an adult can find and sustain employment in a predominantly tourist industry. Less than 25% of the adult population attended our school when they were school students, or, more than 75% of the population did not have an “I attended this school” relationship with the district.
The fourth circle is the community of adults who have children attending our school currently. Less than 15% of the adult population has a school-age child attending our school, or, more than 85% of the adult population does not have a child attending our school.
The smallest circles, and there are several inside the fourth ring, are the communities of parents whose children participate in the various school programs. Small circles are elementary or middle school or high school parents. Small circles are parents of children in sports or theater or music or forensics or other specific school programs. The smallest inner circles are the parents of children in a specific program, such as football or band or students receiving special or gifted education or in a single grade level. Most small, inner circle communities contain fewer than .005% of the community at-large.
The governance of the school board is transactional. Although the powers of the board are limited by state statute, the decisions of the board are influenced by the community of its constituents. Board members vote on recommendations and proposals based upon what they perceive is best for educating the children of the community. Their votes also are influenced by the wants and desires of the adults within the communities. Conversely, those adults rely upon the votes of board members to develop “best” practices for educating all children and to obtain wanted programs for their children.
The first intersection of board members and community occurs when board members are elected to their office and when the community votes on school referenda. Our board is non-partisan. Board members describe their experience, values, and the focus they will give to their board work in anticipation of election and the electorate chooses board members that best match the electorates values and focus. That is the theory.
Most board/community intersections are informal and casual. These are the comments and questions that are shared at the grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, hardware store, restaurant, church, and anywhere a board member and other communities of adults come into daily contact. It is natural and non-confrontational, and usually just conversational in nature. Most of the time, these casual exchanges allow board members an opportunity to inform and clarify understandings about the life of the school. They also give a board member a measuring stick of issues. If few are talking about the same issue, the measure is different than if many talking about the same issue.
The next intersection occurs at board meetings when members of the community attend a board business meeting in-person to voice their wants and needs, concerns and frustrations, and sometimes anger. There seldom is a turn out of community at a board meeting to applaud or commend board actions. In the Time of COVID, this intersection is via Zoom. Interestingly, fewer that five persons attended most business meetings before COVID. Now, 50-60 persons are in the virtual audience. There are more virtual audience members for controversial issues.
An in-person intersection is the most telling and compelling transaction between a school board and the school communities. The circles really tighten and the power of “perceived community” is distorted. A small group of vocal adults, for example ten (10), representing one tenth of one percent of the adults in the community, who personally confront the board have a power disproportionate to the number of community adults they represent. In a small room where the board meets, ten vocal adults have more power than fifty adults who make isolated phone calls to a board member or who send an individual e-mail to the school board. Ten in-person adults are perceived as a critical number; it feels much bigger and awesome than it is.
There are issues of equity and equality in which one (1) adult making a righteous request or demand of the school board should expect a favorable outcome. The power of a person speaking for equity and equality should garner board member attention and action. These issues arise, but not often.
The majority of times when adults address the board in-person are not about equity or equality, but about wants for self- or group-interest and advantage. Create this program. Allow this event that current policy prevents. Hire a preferred person for this new position. Change a policy or create a new policy. And, more commonly, redirect or countermand an action by an administrator or teacher. Most in-person intersections are not macro issues but micro issues. And, almost all such in-person intersections have unknown and unanticipated consequences.
These are moments when board members face the issue of their office. Is the board elected to provide the community with what the community wants when the community wants it? Or, is the board elected to create policies under the state statutes and rules and recognize that some community wants are not appropriate under those policies, statutes, and rules? Saying “yes” or “no” to ten in-person community adults defines a board’s understanding of its legal functions relative to various community groups and the relative value of each community. These events also define the board’s balance between macro and micro governing the school district.
Board members live and work and prosper within their community at-large and, given their personal and familial interests, populate many of the smaller circles of the community. These also are realities.
Regarding community, listen, show respect, understand the present use of the word community, and act as an elected school board member. Easy peasy. Or, given the community, not.