Going Beyond Internship: School Board Meetings

Earlier I stated that one of my goals for the year was to attend an average of a school board meeting a month. To make it more realistic, I count attendance as staying for at least an hour of the meeting. Today I wanted to take some time exploring why I chose that specifically as a goal.

Let's be real, school board meetings are fairly long and may not be incredibly exciting. Most of the time, there is a lot of discussion on different policies and expectations for the district. Within District 81, they also include a time devoted to highlighting something positive. This is the "Good News" section of the evening and usually my favorite piece. Beyond that there is "Old Items" and "New Items" and lots of discussion. Sometimes this discussion is valuable and sometimes it is simply too much information to process at one point.

For me, I attend primarily because I am trying to understand the system in which I am currently interning and may work in my future. Through these meetings, if nothing else, I have developed a better understanding of those individuals who are intensely dedicated to the success of the district. However, I've also learned about an  incredible number of programs and supports that the district has access to and often uses. For instance, at the last meeting I attended the Good News piece honored the district's community partners and acknowledged their role in the increase of the district's graduation rate.

Moral of my story: yes school board meetings are long, but the public has a right to be there and you never know what you will learn. You might as well attend one, or at least check the agenda for the meetings to see if it could be interesting!