EducationNews.org

By Peyton Wolcott - Copyright 2007 www.peytonwolcott.com
EdNews.org

A light bulb went off recently when an astute friend remarked, "You know, most grassroots parents and taxpayers aren't good at PR."

This comment took me off guard, but he was right. Many of our best volunteers are rational people, engineers and accountants and the like, who are used to an environment in which facts reign.

It takes us a very long while to understand that our public schools are essentially socialist models and their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills.  Further, our superintendents attend conferences and meetings where they learn how to develop their PR skills, and they hire well-paid PR guys and gals who are skilled in the art of public relations. This is the arena into which we step.

Also, by the time most of us get to the point that we are interested in seeing how our district spends its money, there have been precipitating incidents. As another friend put it, "I just wanted to slug someone at that board meeting." This man is a genuinely decent human being and the comment surprised me--but it's not the first time I've heard this from a parent.

It wasn't always that way. Generally we start out assuming our dealings with our school districts will be a rational exercise. Most of us are volunteers and in addition to our taxes give generously to our children's schools. Then when we spend a lot of time there, we notice things. Years ago I myself felt sure that if I showed my local supe and board where money was being wasted in some areas and not adequately safeguarded in others that they would welcome this information with open arms and changes would be made on the spot. Hah!  Imagine my surprise when they reacted as though to a personal attack when I was just trying to help.

At this point we often start gathering hard data on our schools because we assume--also incorrectly, as it turns out--that "someone" higher up is watching out. But the "someone" turns out to be us. We learn that our local schools have next to no real oversight; as just one example witness the two dozen state, federal and local governmental bodies and elected officials two moms in Texas contacted in their effort to bring their local superintendent to justice:  www.peytonwolcott.com/BremondPublicRecords.html

Besides, to focus on spread sheets and flow charts to take to "someone in charge" is to focus on the wake of the wave and not the boat and the pilot.

This is why I have come to the conclusion after years in the grassroot trenches that the best and most effective single step we can take to help our districts reign in costs and improve our vendor-driven curriculums in order to better educate our kids is to persuade our schools to post their check registers online.

When we approach our districts, we have found there are some things we can do which are more effective than others.  Like I tell my kids, go and make new mistakes--don't replicate mine. To make it easier for you to successfully ask your local district to put its check register online, I've just posted two new pages (see links below); the first walks you through the process, and the second is a flyer you can print as is, or you can copy and paste* the report section in the grey box on the left.

I've done this successfully, and wouldn't recommend that you undertake something I haven't already done myself.  If I can do it, you can, too.

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Highlights:

Emphasize the positive:

(1) Putting its check register online is your district's opportunity to show its commitment to transparency.

(2) Putting its check register online is your district's opportunity to show its commitment to open government.

(3) By posting its check register online now, ahead of everyone else, your district gains valuable PR in your community for its willingness to be transparent and to make a commitment to open government.

Avoid:

(A) References to "accountability," "taxpayers' rights" and "public scrutiny."

(B) Telling your board how you plan to file open records requests based on information provided in the online check register.

(C) Any indication that this is a "Gotcha."

(D) Talking about anything else, including your junior high schooler's problem with his/her math teacher, discussions about how your district is wasting money, recruitment ads for your new group, etc.

Worth remembering:

(a) Our public schools are essentially socialist models and their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills.

(b) You can be angry or you can be effective but you can't be both.

www.peytonwolcott.com/NationalSchoolDistrictHonorRoll_AskingYourDistrict.html

* Attribution information here: www.peytonwolcott.com/NationalSchoolDistrictHonorRoll_PresentationToDistrict.html