Last night after leaving the joint public meeting on school district consolidation in Exeter, I got to thinking about how much news is coming out of the Friend area right now and what to share in my column with you.
The news breaking in Friend is BIG.
The hospital’s designation.
Childcare.
An academic school district consolidation, not be confused with the sports co-op that is in place.
It’s not a little bit. It is a lot.
In the Feb. 21 edition of the Friend Sentinel, I shared with you an article about the complex childcare challenge in Friend and how a task force has been created to help identify a long term sustainable solution with collaboration and feedback.
The committee is seeking input from many different perspectives and created a five- to seven-minute online survey that closes on March 20. The survey is compatible with mobile devices and is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FL7C8J5.
The survey is not just for parents of children ages 0-10, but for all residents of Friend, Exeter, Milligan, Cordova, Beaver Crossing and Dorchester. My hope is that you take the time to speak up.
As I continued my drive home, I kept wondering with such a huge vote happening at the April board of education meetings in Friend and Exeter-Milligan, why a similar survey has not been opened on the topic of school district consolidation.
I am very much aware that consolidation is not a new conversation in the area. But I also recognize very few people attend school board meetings. A small margin of people read their agendas and minutes, so while it feels familiar to the board members and school staff, to the community an academic school district consolidation might really feel like breaking news.
And my guess is an avenue to discuss it would be appreciated to truly identify where the majority lies.
Yes, public comment has been available at the Feb. 27 and Mar. 3 meetings, but due to open meeting laws, board of education members and administration cannot respond to the comments. Consider if someone’s viewpoint was not aligned with the presentation, speaking out publicly or reaching out to a BOE member are the only options to share an opposing viewpoint.
If you ask me, that is limiting.
Here is my thinking. The school system is the one of the primary employers in the area and it is clear the student population is low. If a staff member or parent said something in opposition, the trade-off could impact that person, a business relationship or their child.
I recall very strong opinions in my son’s graduating class about the sports co-op that caused a riff for some peers for a period of time before they could talk through their viewpoints. That is the honest-to-goodness reality of a decision of this magnitude in a small town and smaller classroom.
To let you know where I stand, I am for the kids. I want what makes the most sense for the best student outcomes because they are the future that will allow these towns to continue to thrive in the years to come. But I want other people to say what they think too without fear of repercussions.
So, I have decided to create my own survey. It is a google form in which readers can share with me their opinions, good and bad. Your name and contact information will remain anonymous to everyone but me, but I am asking for it so in the event I have a follow up question to make sure I understand the view point I can give the respondent the respect of a personal phone call.
My intent is to use a participant's feedback to ask deeper questions while covering the journey to the consolidation vote and share the answers to questions in news articles because I believe it identifies the communities’ perspective of needs and ensures transparency.
Please click this link to complete the survey on a K-12 consolidation:
