Four things the new school board can do to get off to a good start

Dear Ben, Julie, Ernestine, Stan and Ron,

Welcome to the Wichita school board, a part-time job that involves analyzing important public-education issues, monitoring the work of a 7,000-employee district, celebrating the successes of 51,000 students and finding solutions when there are failures.

But hey, at least you don’t get paid to do all that.

I know you’re looking forward to your first meeting Monday. Actually, Stan’s the old pro here, having been on the job since his October appointment. He’ll be able to show you where the water fountain and office supplies are located.

You join the board at an important time. You will sit alongside returning members Mike Rodee and Sheril Logan and create the least-experienced board in almost 40 years.

But let’s be honest, a lack of experience could be a wonderful thing.

The last board had its problems. After The Eagle wrote last fall about candidates’ views of transparency and public-engagement problems, one board member took the extraordinary step of writing a letter to the editor saying, basically, “Yep, they’re right.” That led to a public feud between three members.

None of them are back, and while the work all three did was admirable and appreciated, it’s best to move on without them. The new board has a clean slate.

Even better, this clean slate begins with a superintendent, Alicia Thompson, in her first full year. If there has ever been a time for a fresh start or new approaches with the school board, Monday night is the starting line.

Let me offer some quick suggestions for the more open and transparent board that many of you wished for during last fall’s campaign.

Monday meetings should be televised live. You have a school district channel (Cox Ch. 20) that replays meetings during the week. Why can’t these be shown live so that parents who are busy putting dinner on the table can tune in? Or on nights when there are agenda items so important or controversial that the North High lecture hall is full?

This seems to be a no-brainer and worth the expense if you’re committed to open government. (Showing meetings live on Facebook Live or YouTube would be great for those without Cox cable.)

Stop dancing around open meetings laws. All of you have the power to propose a change to your procedural rules and require a public agenda review before each meeting.

Right now, board members gather in small groups – small enough to stay within the Kansas Open Meetings Act – with district administrators to go over agenda items for upcoming meetings. These are private, unannounced to the public, and often where debate occurs and decisions are made – far away from the public spotlight. The meetings may technically be legal, but they certainly violate the spirit of the Open Meetings Act.

This just has to stop, and there’s never been a better time. You new members get to decide if you’ll proceed the way it’s always been done or step into the sun and let the public watch decisions being made.

The City Council and Sedgwick County Commission review their agendas publicly. You, as overseers of the state’s largest public-school district, have an obligation to do the same. (And don’t let anyone tell you private meetings are because it’s more convenient for your part-time, no-compensation role. That’s a lame excuse.)

Listen to your constituents. Joy Eakins served one term on the board. Her lasting legacy may be the quarterly meetings she held with leaders of parent groups from her District 2 schools. (Full disclosure: I was a PTO dad and represented my daughter’s school at her gatherings.)

However you do it, make time to listen to the concerns of students and parents. Don’t let three-minute speeches at board meetings be the only time you hear from the public.

All votes don’t have to be 7-0. Too many board decisions have been made in private, and unanimity was too often negotiated. Bring your thoughts to the board table, make them heard, then vote your conscience.

Those are enough to start. You’ll have many other passionate, concerned parents and residents in your ears. You share their passion for public education and want what’s best for Wichita’s future.

One more thing.

Thank you for serving Wichita’s students. I hope you hear that more over the next four years.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Four things the new school board can do to get off to a good start."