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Health & Fitness

Trying to Get More People Involved in Local Schools

Trying to get more participation and involvement at school board and PTA meetings.

In my quest to get the word out about the lack of participation from our community in school board issues, I decided to attend my daughter's high school Parent Teach Student Association meeting last week. I've gone to these meetings before, not on a regular basis, but from time to time to be brought up-to-date on what's going on. As someone who works full-time, I often feel out of the loop in regard to school activities. When my daughter went to grade school, the PTA meetings were held on weekday mornings, not too convenient for someone who has to be at work at 8:30 a.m. The high school meetings are in the evening, so I've been able to attend these more frequently. I've also chaired committees for the various PTAs, taking on tasks that could be done on my own time at home.

This past week's PTSA meeting focused on the upcoming school budget vote. With such an important issue at hand, I thought for sure that more people would be in attendance. But I was wrong. The PTSA board was there, the principal, some committee chair people and a few parents. I tried to let people know that I've been to a couple of school board meetings and was shocked to see that among our five district high schools barely anyone attends. I told them that this was an opportunity to ask questions and to witness firsthand the decisions that are being made about our children's education. I asked the outgoing superintendent to maybe promote these meetings a little better. My pleas weren't met with too much enthusiasm. The general consensus is that it is what it is and that this is how things are.

The dispersion of information from our school board and the PTSA is very passive - a post in the local paper, a listing in the calendar, an automated phone call, et cetera. Both the school board and the PTSA needs to think "outside the box." They have to educate people about what goes on and make it enticing for them to attend, listen and be heard. They need to run a good old-fashioned marketing campaign. Get people interested and excited. Give them a reason to go.

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If things stay the same, it will always be the same people running the show. For me right now a crusade to bring back a specific program to our district is a very lonely one. But I have to move forward and hope that as I get the word out more people like me might come to the surface. Maybe I'll suggest this as a new committee at the next PTSA meeting.

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