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<DIV><FONT size=4>Keely, Jack, et al,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Jack's post below is an apt jump off for a comment
about your response to my suggestion yesterday in which you wrote
in part:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>"Now you say we haven't been out there enough soliciting ideas; in the
middle, I guess, is the media association in Boise's award to the facilities
committee last year for statewide excellence in public policy openness.
The fact is, during the two years I was on the committee, we had numerous
forums, hearings, workshops, weekly meetings open to the public, a survey, and a
flurry of printed material, much of which I wrote."</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly enough. I do not
believe that it is nearly enough just to have general public meetings just to
get ideas or pretend to get ideas.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The purpose for neighborhood meetings is not just to get
ideas, but to build relationships and to create a climate where people with
various views will learn and work together toward compromise solutions, and to
create a climate where those people will enthusiastically support and work for
the compromise crafted come bond election time. This is a long process and
one which takes considerable patience and effort.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff size=5>The idea of small continuing
neighborhood meetings is that more people will feel at home and more willing to
express themselves and to listen/learn from others in a conversational setting
than in the formal "them" v. "us" organization and tone of general meetings
where there is a physical as well as a psychological barrier between the board
committee(s) and the public. People will feel much more inclined to
become actively and meaningfully involved in informal, friendly get-togethers
with people they know.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The idea behind neighborhood meetings is that they are
<STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>not conducted</FONT></STRONG> by a board member but
by a volunteer and are free wheeling conversations not constrained by meeting
rules and procedures. If a board member chooses to attend such meetings,
it would be without the status or the stigma of being a board member,
but as just another peer participant willing to contribute and to learn.
The whole idea behind such a concept is that if people are provided with
a process where they are meaningfully encouraged to participate and in
which they <STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff>feel comfortable participating
in</FONT></STRONG>, they are more likely to endorse and to actively support the
outcome of that process.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Quite frankly, many of us are getting tired of the holier than
thou attitude of some of the remarks of some of the board members and school
administration toward education supporters. Pretending to listen is not
the same as really listening. Pretending to listen only alienates
supporters as echoed in Jack's post below. Working hard is not the same as
working smart.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It is clear from the remarks of not only Dan, Joan, Saundra,
Debi, and Jack but also recently from Sunil and Joe that the board has a huge,
complex task before it. It is clear that the board needs to build a lot
more public support in order to achieve their general goals, almost all of which
a vast majority of the public supports.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT color=#0000ff size=5><STRONG>It is also very clear that
whatever effort</STRONG></FONT> (and no one doubts that it has been enormous and
sincere in intention) <STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff size=5>made so far has<FONT
color=#ff0000 size=6> not</FONT> been successful.</FONT></STRONG> It
is time to try something a little different like the neighborhood
meetings/alliance concept instead of spinning wheels in the same old ruts.
If the board and administration is unwilling to try something a
little different, then it is less probable that anything they propose will
have a chance at success. It is also probable that they will continue to
alienate more potential supporters.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Keely, perhaps you will be kind enough to pass all the V 2020
posts of the last week on the subject of the bond issue on to your board
colleagues and the school administration for their perusal, comment, and
action.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><BR>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<BR><A
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message -----
<DIV>From: "Jack Porter" <<A
href="mailto:jporter@moscow.com">jporter@moscow.com</A>></DIV>
<DIV>To: <<A
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A>></DIV>
<DIV>Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 8:54 AM</DIV>
<DIV>Subject: [Vision2020] Insulted</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=3>> Joan and Keely, you weren't here
at the time, but I was serving on the <BR>> school board back when Gerald
Ford was President. Three decades later, I <BR>> was part of the group
that started CQE and organized the campaign that <BR>> passed the 2002
emergency operating levy, after the district's first <BR>> attempt had failed
miserably.<BR>> <BR>> You're not the only ones who care about kids.
People should be able to <BR>> disagree with you about building priorities,
or the wisdom or political <BR>> viability of a particular plan, without
having their motives attacked.<BR>> <BR>> If you hope to reach a 2/3 vote
in a levy election, it doesn't help for you <BR>> to go around insulting
potential allies.<BR>> <BR>> Jack</FONT><BR></FONT><FONT
size=4>ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<BR></FONT></BODY></HTML>