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Editorial: Communication Done Right |
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by Dan Veaner
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Friday, 02 February 2007 |
The time has come to vote. By Tuesday night we'll know whether the school capital project is to be constructed or not. The process has been a good one. It involved community members and kept the community informed. While there has been controversy along the way the project seems reasonable, addressing current program needs, maintaining the buildings and taking care of safety issues.
It has been particularly striking how communicative district officials have been during this process. A Community Awareness committee was part of the process from day one. As the project was developed by the Facilities Committee the Community Awareness group worked on informing the community at large and getting input that the Facilities Committee could use in its deliberations.
Over the past month the school district has gone to great lengths to explain the project to the community, and to answer questions as they arise. Two public hearings, a number of additional presentations in the community, multiple mailings including a glossy brochure, advertisements, press releases and articles, radio appearances, and a constantly updated Web page. The full report of the committee's deliberations and conclusions has been made available for the asking. That document even includes dissenting opinions. There is no excuse for voters to not know about the project.
The School Board even extended the hours for the vote to make sure residents can weigh in before or after work, during the day or in the evening. Voting will be open from 7am to 9pm at the Middle School auditorium lobby. They even say the back door will be opened to make parking easier for voters.
This level of communication is appropriate to a project that will cost the community more than $20 million. But you don't see it happening every day. Whichever way the vote goes, the school district should be commended for making the process open and available, and for letting us know what we'll get for the money, and why we need it.
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