I am currently attending the Network for Public Education conference in Columbus, Ohio. Here are some notes of interest from the sessions I attended this morning.

I. Strategies for School Board Elections.

Avoid an ‘us versus them’ mentality. Approach voters and community members with something like “Can we agree that strong public schools benefit our community, city, and district?” Emphasize that regardless of the choice of school a parent makes, the anchor that public schools provide to their communities is essential to the stability and wellbeing of their communities.

Fundraising is difficult. One panelist said that she would handout lists of 20 addresses to people who supported her but couldn’t make a donation. She would ask them to write a message, spring for the stamp, and send the cards. Elections are expensive with the costs of advertising and mailers.

Once a candidate declares they are running, they will be met with an onslaught of lies and deception about who they are. Unless countered, people will believe these messages. One panelist said she sat at her kitchen table and made a video for online sharing about who she really was: a parent, head of the PTO, and community member. “Do I seem like the person the opposition groups are making me out to be?” Another went out door-knocking every time a new mailer was dropped so people would realize she wasn’t the crazed fanatic she was made out to be. In both cases, they won their elections.

It takes time to win elections. If someone wants to run, start early to have time to organize and build a campaign, especially with acquiring staff. Finding skilled campaign staff can be difficult.

II. School Closures.

The playbook we’ve seen in Duval County is the same as the playbook being used all over the country. The panel began by asking us how many have heard of declining enrollment and budget shortfalls. Everyone raised their hand. Then, how many of us have had schools closed in the last two years. Everyone raised their hand. Finally, how many of us have planned closures coming in the next two years? Almost all of us raised our hands.

They outlined the strategy:

1. The school district raises the issue of declining enrollment and budget concerns.
2. A consultant is hired (from a limited group that operate nationally and make this their specialty) to develop a plan.
3. The consultant creates a list of schools to close.
4. The public finds out about the consultant and the plan, but has a short time to organize and fight the plan. (This one really resonated with me because I went back through school board minutes and workshop agendas to find out when the Duval consultant was hired. I couldn’t find the meeting where a contract was approved. The panel talked about how most of work done by district staff is done in secret.)
5. The school board votes to close schools.

Often, budget presentations are made without detailed, supporting data or context, but with a presumption that closing schools will save money. Many times, that presumption is not verified through analysis.

One audience member pointed out that school systems who have lost their enrollment (e.g., Columbus, Ohio had 110,000 students in 1971 but currently has 46,000 students) combined with the accompanying budget shortfalls cannot sustain the number of schools that they once needed.

This, of course, is true of Duval, one of the reasons I have not written or worked in this area. Closing schools is an emotional wrench for the parents and communities. I will not have the hubris to think that I know which ones should close and which ones should stay open. But this session has opened my mind to looking at the problem in other ways.

School property is valuable property. Developers push the failing narrative to get their hands on it. Even now, a bill is in the legislature to force Florida districts with schools that do not meet an enrollment threshhold (I believe it’s 50%) to turn those schools into senior residential living, community centers, or charter schools. These options would require renovation and that gets private developers in the door.

The panel proposed a change in the mentality–districts should stop managing decline and focus on growth with a community school concept in mind. I heard mention of Cincinnati, which utilizes portions of their school buildings for community needs like dental clinics and meeting space for community organizations. I haven’t had time to research this as I mention it in passing.

Boards, superintendent, parents and community members need to organize and work together to accomplish the following:

1. Pause school closures
2. Engage the entire community
3. Develop a plan for growth that matches the growth of the area
4. Keep, not sell, school buildings.

Choose targets wisely, that is, those with decision-making power. Use the media to change the narrative. Shape popular decisions.

That’s it for now. Afternoon sessions are starting. I’ll report what I learned later tonight.