[Winona Online Democracy]Dwayne recently posted the following:
About a dozen people have contacted me and thanked me for bringing the High School remodeling proposal to their attention. They said they had no idea what was really being proposed.While I appreciate the feedback, I think it would be even more helpful if people would also contact the School Board members. A few of them subscribe to this listserve but most of them do not. If you have thoughts, opinions, or suggestions regarding the plan to move the roughly 20 administrative office staff smack dab in the middle of the High School, please consider contacting the School Board members.
While good advice, this is incomplete and very unlikely to have any effect except to get more people angry. Having been around this block a few times myself, from both sides of the podium, I have a few additions which can both help keep tensions in check and maybe even help solve the problem.
1) Before you contact any school board members, do your homework first. Actually read any proposals thoroughly and be sure you understand both the details and the cost analyses. Make a strong effort to understand both the budgetting processes and the decison-making processes which the board uses, and how your suggestions fit into these.
2) When you contact board members, be very specific about exactly what it is you would like them to do. Simply expressing your dislike of (or support for) a proposal is not only useless in getting things changed, but it is poor citizenship. Our school district already has a lifetime supply of negativity.
3) Don't tell them what you don't want them to do - that accomplishes nothing except to get people angry and frustrated. Tell them what you do want them to do. That is, don't tell them the problem, tell them your solution. For example: if you don't think moving adminstrative offices to the high school at all is a good idea, tell them exactly where you think these offices should go instead AND be sure you include the costs of your suggestions. If you think it's a good idea to move them to the high school but not into the concourse, explain where in the building you think they should go instead and include the costs of remodelling and relocation. If you are unwilling or unable to do that, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Ed Thompson
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