Progress?

 

Last night, I attended my first board meeting in person since January. (The whole broken leg thing has been a real downer.) I’ve been watching them on FB (thanks, Stacy), but it was good to be there and be able to hear and see better. It was great to see the board functioning as it’s supposed to.

The event was a workshop to examine ways to update the school, a process that has been planned for some time now. A citizen committee has looked into the possibilities. Community members were canvassed as to which updates they thought were most important. A firm was hired to look the campus over and make recommendations. Now the board is hearing from those entities, and they will decide what we must have, what we should have, and (maybe) what we’d like to have. The recommendations will be made public soon, so the taxpayers are informed. It’s the way school business goes. Always has.

What was great to me was seeing our board members interacting with each other in a civil manner. They made comments and suggestions. They listened to and benefited from each other’s viewpoints and expertise. Sometimes they smiled. Members who were at each other’s throats a few months ago nodded and said, “I agree,” or “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” as they discussed possibilities.

Why was this meeting so amicable? Largely, it's because the needs of a building are understandable and quantifiable. While we might debate how to fix the heating system or revamp the parking lot, we agree that those things are necessary.

Another reason is that for the most part, the board listened to the experts. Of course they listened cautiously, since their job is to spend taxpayer money wisely, but the architects and engineers know the law, the process, and the most efficient method to get a job done. There will be debate over the fine points (like whether trees, boulders, or something else should be used to designate traffic patterns through the parking lot), but overall, the board listened to the people who are trained to make things work. After hearing input from the community, they accepted that the experts they hired will do what it takes to maintain standards and get the best outcome.

Imagine if at some point last night a board member had said, “My house has an electric furnace, so I insist that our school get one just like it.” Or, “I heard somewhere that walls make some students feel scared, so I demand that we do away with walls.” Not helpful. Not informed. Not likely to lead to consensus.

Overall, it was a pleasant evening. I hope to see that civility continue when we get back to discussing policy instead of parking.