Marion Hoyda recently retired as superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 146, which includes parts of Tinley Park, Orland Park and Oak Forest.
I n February 2011, Governor Pat Quinn’s budget address suggested the consolidation of school districts as a means to save $100 million. His statements, coupled with those of Representative Robert Rita (D-Blue Island), who sponsored HB 1886, quickly caught the attention of school board members and administrators.
Representative Rita’s bill evoked considerable concern among school board and community members of Community Consolidated School District 146 in Tinley Park as they read in the bill’s text: “On July 1, 2012, all school districts in this state are dissolved … .” The bill further stated that suburban Cook County districts would be absorbed into one district.
The steps that the District 146 board, superintendent, PTA leaders and community members took to voice their concerns might serve as a model for community engagement in other school districts.
Where we started
As superintendent, I discussed the legislation with then-board president Dean Casper. We both felt a sense of urgency about HB 1886. When communicating with the board, administration and community, I emphasized that I did not have sufficient information to make an informed opinion about school consolidation in Illinois.
But the terms of HB 1886, which included transferring all powers, duties, assets, property and employees from school boards to the newly created county school board within less than two years, did raise my concerns.
First we needed to raise awareness of the issue. President Casper and I conferred and called our area legislators to become better informed about HB 1886. State Sen. M. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Park) and State Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) responded. Calls to Rep. Rita ultimately resulted in a very respectful conversation.
Senator Crotty also made herself available through a conference call, at a subsequent parent leader meeting, to assure parents that she was making note of their concerns.
Creating awareness
The next step was to invite parent leaders to a meeting to make them aware of the legislation. During the meeting, parents voiced their alarm about the speed at which HB 1886 could dissolve their school district and replace it with a countywide board. They acknowledged that their small community schools, as they knew them, were at risk.
The parent leaders decided to make community members aware of the legislation by developing and circulating a petition against HB 1886. They did so quickly after I recommended that they check their PTA by-laws to ensure their actions were within those by-laws. Parent leaders also recommended that I send a letter to all parents of District 146 students summarizing the legislation. The letter included names and phone numbers of our legislators and Rep. Rita.
In addition to communicating with parents, I informed all administrators, staff and municipal leaders of the legislation. Board president Casper led as a key communicator with board members, parent leaders and members of the media. He was also a key communicator with Jeff Cohn, our IASB field services director.
Many superintendents in the area belong to the South Cook division of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). I kept their president, Margaret Longo, informed of the steps our district had exercised. She, in turn, passed the communications on to area superintendents.
The level of concern escalated as additional consolidation bills surfaced from Springfield. Research studies on the topic were circulated and various professional groups tried to ascertain which piece of proposed legislation might become reality.
Word spread about HB 1886 and increasing numbers of people joined a Facebook page founded and monitored by one of the District 146 parent leaders. Citizens throughout the state began calling their representatives about HB 1886.
Clips on YouTube appeared as some legislators explained their position on the proposed legislation. Given the increased publicity and heightened concerns, board President Casper determined that our district would host a town hall meeting.
Town hall meeting
In preparation for the meeting, local officials, parents and staff were invited, and the board president made a point of inviting people outside District 146. He sent a voice message to all staff and parents urging them to attend, and we sent out a press release to the media. The governor, the state superintendent of schools and key legislators were invited but they did not attend, probably because the meeting took place when legislators were in session.
IASB’s Cohn helped us clarify the agenda for the meeting. During the planning session, we decided to invite area superintendents and their board presidents to a pre-meeting before the official start of the town hall meeting. The objective was to share information about the proposed consolidation legislation and the steps District 146 had taken to heighten community awareness. It also served as a forum for comments, questions and answers. Joining me as key presenters were Dean Casper and Deanna Sullivan, IASB director/governmental relations.
The town hall meeting was attended by approximately 500 people. President Casper outlined a number of issues in a PowerPoint presentation. He played a video of several staff members and a student who described the reasons District 146 was so special to them. Sullivan explained legislative terms and gave her perspective of the several proposed consolidation bills.
A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to audience member comments and questions. Some welcomed the prospect of consolidation as a way to make government more efficient and save taxpayer dollars. Some cited the need for more articulation between and among feeder and receiving districts.
On the other hand, others commented that larger districts would diminish the close-knit school communities they have known. They also pointed to the loss of tax dollar efficiencies as the size of the districts increased.
While there were pros and cons, audience members demonstrated civility toward each other throughout the meeting.
As the meeting closed, many participants wanted to know what to do next. We assured them that they would be informed of proposed legislation as we learned of it, and we also encouraged them to call their legislators with opinions and concerns.
New to us was online coverage of the town hall meeting provided by one of the local media outlets; the coverage was not disruptive and it was available to viewers beyond that date. We knew of the media plan in advance and made certain their technology would work in the gym. Other members of the press attended and as the attendees lingered after the meeting, reporters interviewed some of them.
Helpful suggestions
A number of communication take-aways may be helpful for other districts that may have the desire to engage their communities in responding to legislation:
• Provide all key stakeholder groups with current information. Authenticate the information before communicating it.
• Keep board members informed and, as superintendent, understand that they play a major role in any type of response to legislation affecting schools.
• Be concise about particular concerns.
• Determine who will serve as the main communicator with parent leaders, staff, board members, press representatives, area administrators/boards, students and legislators.
• Check with the board attorney to make sure board actions are in compliance with board policy.
• Provide parents with information so they can determine how to act on it.
• Access the support and knowledge of professional education organizations, such as IASB and IASA.
• Communicate with legislators and encourage other people to do so.
• Understand that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion and respect it.
• Use multiple ways to communicate with multiple constituencies, including social media.
I am confident that many of our parents and community members have become more knowledgeable about proposed consolidation legislation. They also have become more confident about their ability to influence the legislative process in a manner that serves our democratic principles.
While the final outcome of mandatory consolidation is unknown, I am proud of the strategies District 146 used to engage its communities on this very important topic.