Front Page: Information is the Key
By Theresa Kelly Gegen
Journal | January/February 2022
We live in an age of information — for better or worse. It comes at us from all directions.
However, what happens when it’s not good information? Misinformation is sharing of false information without knowing that it is false, and without the intent to harm. Disinformation is intentionally sharing false information with the intent to harm. There are also honest mistakes, changes over time, simple misunderstandings, and — something I am guilty of — wishful thinking.
A vital element to the work of a board of education is discerning what information is true, relevant, and important to your local school district and the community it serves. As a school board member, you are responsible to both. Of course, this includes another vital element — listening to your constituents. The Open Meetings Act and School Code require school board meetings to include public participation.
In 2021, the cloverleaf of information overload, public response, school board meetings, and media attention became more heavily trafficked than ever before, as the challenges facing the world arrived at the public education doorstep.
Coming to Order: A Guide to Successful School Board Meetings, offers guidance and information to board members on positively getting through and dealing with difficult conversations. As stated in Coming to Order, “School boards deal with people’s most treasured possessions — their money and their children. Sometimes, that means that people become fearful and emotional.” The book goes on to remind readers that “Most people do not have access to all the information available to board members, so they are not as well informed about what schools are doing and why.”
Information — there it is again — is key.
IASB’s new Online Learning Center course, “Managing Difficult Public Comment: How to KEEP CALM” uses that KEEP CALM acronym and answers the question “how do we do that?” Using scenarios, the new course offers guidance to boards of education experiencing difficult public comment portions of meetings. Presented by IASB Assistant General Counsels Debra Jacobson and Maryam Brotine, the guidance includes some practical advice for establishing and adhering to meeting rules and avoiding exchanges during public comment periods.
IASB hopes to keep its members informed and uses many methods. As mentioned, the Association’s publications and courses are available to you to address a range of aspects of your board service. In this Journal we take data from ISBE and update the Administrator Salaries series. We also look back at the 2021 Joint Annual Conference, where we hope attendees discovered a positive flow of information for themselves and their districts.
The Journal appreciates conversation, sharing information to and from our readers. Board members are welcome to submit stories and commentaries for publication, on all topics of interest in the public education sphere.
Theresa Kelly Gegen is Editor of the Illinois School Board Journal and can be reached at [email protected].