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School board meeting April 2023 when the Board proposed cuts to music and sports Photo by Tanner Phillips |
By Maris Abelson
Now that the distrust and acrimony from last spring’s school district budget negotiations have died down, it would be great to make some positive changes going forward:
1) Convene a year-round budget advisory committee.
Many school districts have these financial committees, made up of stakeholders from the district. Budget advisory committees (or financial advisory committees) foster collaboration, mutual respect, trust, and problem-solving.
When such a committee meets regularly, there are more eyes on the district’s finances and fewer surprises when the next year’s budget is created.
The Northshore School District’s Financial Advisory Committee, for example, has open meetings and minutes, and discusses upcoming budget concerns well in advance of budget negotiations.
2) Offer real back-and-forth interactions with the community.
Many members of the current school board ran years ago on offering more communication with the community. Unfortunately, there have been no regular coffees, forums, or town halls with the community during the year.
Last spring, a series of town halls were held regarding the budget cuts. It would be great to continue that practice, with general-topic town halls throughout the year, so board members could engage with community members.
This form of communication, rather than the brief, unanswered comment period provided at Board meetings, and emails to the Board (which often don’t result in a response), would enhance the rapport with constituents, and help to resolve problems as they arise.
Regular, anonymous, multilingual surveys of the student body and their families could really provide insight into the needs of constituents. Having a general comment section on surveys would also bring unexpected concerns to light.
Aggregating the responses and sharing them with the public would help create a feedback loop to keep families engaged. The Edmonds School District offers regular online surveys to students and the community throughout the year, which helps inform Board policymaking.
3) Exit surveys of families who unenroll would help to understand the main causes of attrition.
Demographic data is very useful, but giving families the opportunity to provide reasons for unenrolling their children is valuable because it is direct feedback from constituents. This should be provided as an option for families who leave our district.
In conclusion, a strong community is one where there is space for dialogue and public input. There is so much good will and energy in the Shoreline District. Let’s put it to good use by providing opportunities for more community engagement.
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