[Winona Online Democracy] Steve,
I served on Site Teams at both the elementary and high school levels as a Parent Representative for years. The idea is to bring together all the stakeholders (administration, teachers, parents, students, staff, and community) to handle decisions which affect the school. Sometimes it works well - sometimes it doesn't - depending on the issue. A few issues that might be considered are: What if a decision needs to be made quickly (to meet a deadline or take advantage of extraordinary opportunities that present themselves)? Issues are often "talked to death" but no action is taken because there is no consensus. Who should have the final say? Does the principal have the tie-breaking vote? Should he/she? Who has the greatest stake? Teachers? Students? Parents? How do you balance the number of reps so that all the parties can truly have equal or fair representation? All parents don't agree on issues. Those parents present may represent a minority view on any particular issue? Same is true of students and other reps too. Going back to the constituency for a vote isn't always possible! It's difficult to find working community members who can take off a couple hours to meet during the day. Business owners, etc. find that their time is too valuable to spend it discussing the "nuts and bolts" issues that don't matter a lot to the larger community. Where is the division between what issues can be decided by the professionals (who have training and experience for it) and those that should be decided by all the stakeholders? The agenda often is bogged down by petty issues. I'm sure there are other issues too. Brenda Terpstra _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
