SOUND FAMILIAR?
Every community and every school district is different, but in many ways, the challenges they face and the solutions they turn to are similar. In this mini-mag, you’ll find problems that you may have come up against when engaging your community members, and what others have done to fix them.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, only 20 percent of American homes are married couples with children under age 18. (American Planning Association, 2012)
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Challenge: We need to involve non-parents too.
The school is the center of the community, and in the Village of Oregon, Wis., it plays a bigger role than just educating children. The online conversation about continuing education brought more community members to the table, allowing school leaders to get broad input on other subjects while they were at it.
4,000
residents or community members visited site
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Solution: Oregon Schools broached the subject of adult education with community members.
Regional population growth in the South and West was at least 10 percent faster than the Northeast and Midwest between 2000 and 2010
(U.S. Census, 2011)
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Challenge: My community is growing and changing.
Iowa City school officials had already collaborated with the community on everything from school lunches to classroom technology, so they asked parents point blank what they thought of a tentative plan to redraw district lines. More than 1,500 online comments led to a revised plan and more community buy-in.
“The community must be engaged in the activities of the school district to ensure that the schools continue to provide high quality education that meets the needs and expectations of the community.” – CHASE RAMSEY, IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
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Solution: As the population shifts in Iowa City, the school district is getting input on new school boundaries.
“It is vital to have good standing relationships with powerful civic groups and key business owners within a community if you want your bond to be passed.” - DERRI CK MEADOR, EDUCATION EXPERT
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Challenge: We want people to be a part of the funding process.
After a bond issued failed to pass the first time, Bennet-Palmyra school leaders went back to the drawing board, and they took community members with them. They created a new proposal with the feedback they received online, directly incorporating changes that the community requested to make the bond more attractive.
1,000
residents visited the online conversation
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Solution: Bennet-Palmyra Schools made its second shot at a failed bond issue count.
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