The following message was delivered to the Board of Education in person with a 3-minute comment, and via email.

Below the letter, I’ve added some additional notes.

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Dear Board Members,

As you know, many parents are concerned about policies in our district that affect their children. I am one of those parents.

Today I’d like to address a specific concern, which is the way that our district leaders, in particular, the previous school board: consistently, intentionally, and systematically worked to impede communication by their own citizens.

I’d like to take a forward-looking approach to this concern and propose four simple asks from this board:

1) Please listen when we speak in board meetings.
For the past few years, I’ve seen meeting after meeting where citizens making comments were ignored, disrespected, or otherwise belittled. Today I'm asking: please consider listening to your constituents in a way that is meaningful.

2) When you can, please respond.
I realize board meetings are not collaborative with a back-and-forth conversation. I hope you can respond within a week or two, or a month at the most. This could mean a short email to whoever made the comment. Or you could respond in a short agenda item in a future meeting. I can't think of an easier way to build rapport with the citizens you serve than to acknowledge that you've heard them.

3) Please include all verbal and written comments in the official record.
This is the policy of the board of commissioners, and of many boards where public interaction is encouraged. I strongly urge you to bring this idea up for consideration. It's yet another, very simple way, to acknowledge those who take the time to express their concerns.

4) Please do not hold meetings in spaces that are too small for our community to participate.
There are many safe and available venues in our county where meetings could be held that would not force your constituents to remain outside of what should be a public hearing.

I believe that these four actions can have a profound effect on the way your constituents feel about this board, and about each of your leadership in our district.

I appreciate your consideration and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

David Ogden

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In the past, the school board has treated citizens who oppose their decisions as an enemy.  In almost every sense of the word “enemy”, I can think of ways the board has treated citizens disrespectfully and with contempt.

Some of the fires that were started by this treatment are still burning. The previous School Board persuaded the Board of Commissioners to carry water for their battle against the “enemy” by asking them to pass a “Picketing Ordinance”. This ordinance, thinly veiled in the false pretense of “protecting children”, was clearly designed to stifle speech and action by citizens in our district who oppose School Board policies.

I get a strong sense that this new board, even though it is a majority of the same officials, will treat citizens, even ones they disagree with… with respect.

I believe in our system of government. I don’t expect elected officials to do what I ask because I make a lot of fuss. I expect them to do what they believe is right. But I also expect them to treat me, and any other citizen who might challenge their decisions and actions, with respect and fairness.

As I wrote in open letters in June, I am giving this board the benefit of the doubt.

Our community needs a board that all citizens can work with.

While there are some agendas that have been put in place by previous boards that I feel are harmful to our students and our community, there is a lot of other good that happens in our schools.

One example that came up in the board meeting this week, was the work our OCS transportation specialists do to ensure every student gets to school. This logistical challenge is solved by decisions, funding, and hardworking people in our community who care deeply about the children they serve.

Another heartfelt example was a specialist in our schools who works miracles at school for children with hearing loss. There is no doubt that our schools, and our school system, have a great depth of talent, passion, and integrity. 

I hope this new board will give citizens, even ones they might disagree with, a chance to contribute good ideas and goals to our district.

There are places we have common ground. Let’s start there, and treat each other, not as “the other”, but as “another” who cares equally about the children in our community.

If we can find a way to start down that road, I think we can go far in achieving things we all want for our community.