November 3: What now?

Remember what we said about November 3rd? Win or lose the task is the same for both you and me. Today we roll up our sleeves and get to work. This is our day. Yesterday was about who represents us. Today is about getting the job done regardless of who represents us. It’s time to get to work.

Before we start, I need to thank Chrissy Hannemann for her example and service for the past eight years. I never saw myself running against Chrissy. I always saw our campaign as simply saying to the Alpine School District “open up and encourage more participation and accountability”.

Anyone who knows Chrissy knows she has been one of the most consistent, hard-working members of the school board. Our real differences were few. We differed on how we would prioritize the goals, but not much about the goals themselves. Our approaches to achieving the goals are as individual as we are, but the end goal is the same. I have enjoyed getting to know Chrissy better through this process and I hope to continue an association with her as we go forward.

But as we have said through the campaign, this really is not about who is sitting on the school board. I am not naïve in thinking this. I understand the importance the school board plays in affecting education across the district. But I have more faith in the individual families that make up the district than I have in the district government itself. We get the level of government we deserve. Our being informed and involved sets the level of government we receive. Let’s not complain about “them”. Let’s stay involved and informed. It will improve the system.

The real work is done by the students, the families, teachers and principals. They are only supported by the district, school community councils, and PTA. I need to support you. It is your job to actually do the hard work. You can count on my support. Let’s start today.

The fact you are reading this, tells me you appreciate the importance of being involved in the process. I want us both to remember the greatest good comes from people like you being involved in their local schools. That means you need to participate on your local school community council and find ways to volunteer for your local school. Send me an email (wendy@wendyhart2010.com) and let me put you on our email list for participating in attending one or two (more if you like) school board meetings every year and giving the rest of the volunteers a synopsis.

I will continue this blog, the Facebook page and continue to share this conversation. I invite you to join me on this journey. Hold my feet to the fire. Support me when you think I am correct and challenge me when you do not agree. You will notice both the blog and Facebook offer the option of giving comments. I encourage you to take advantage of this feature. I hate lectures, but enjoy conversations and debates. Right now, this is a lecture and only you can make it a conversation.

One more thing to ask…we need more people like you. Get at least one other person involved in school community council, volunteering, and participating in being informed on the issues. More of you and your involvement is what will make this good district the best it can be.

We have a meeting tonight at my house at 7pm. I would love for you to be there. Ensuring we have the best district possible will require work. Many hands make light work. I only ask for one hour. It is November 3rd. It is our day to not just make our voices heard, but our presence felt.

The Media...Again

Several days ago, I was contacted by a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune. I was asked to outline why I was running and my top three issues. A few days later, as an after-thought, I was contacted again to get my take on the district's mission statement. The article, instead, is about the mission statement and yet again, turns this issue into a semantics game. I had hoped that the article would be about the candidates and their positions, and would not misrepresent the 'democracy' issue. It seems that the media can't get enough of this idea, and everything else must pale in comparison. That's too bad.

For those of you reading this blog, you already are familiar with my priorities and issues, so I won't go into them here other than to point out that 'associations' is number five of six. The mission statement debate falls into my fifth issue because the statement has connections to ASD's association with John Goodlad and his organizations. I believe all our education associations should be made with organizations that are academics-centered and void of political agendas. Despite email responses, a website, and a blog, the only information presented about me in the Tribune article is that I am endorsed by a particular group. No information about me or my views was communicated. That is why I have this blog, to clarify who I am and allow you to decide if I accurately represent you.

Let me start by asking, why do you educate your children? I have a list of reasons why I think education is important for my kids and for myself. But, how about you? You want your children educated because.....? Before you continue on, take a minute and come up with a reason or two. Okay, got your list? If not, stop and give it some real thought.

My guess is that my reasons are not the same as yours. Sure, we will find some commonalities. But what really drives me is not the same thing as what motivates your family. I think we do our families a disservice when government (in this case the district) tries to imply WHY kids are being sent to school. Each family is going to have different goals and reasons for their children's education. We want to help children reach their highest potential in all areas of their lives. School is there to provide educational opportunities that meet a baseline. What they do with that education is their own business. Certainly society has a vested interest in a well-educated, productive, freedom-loving populace. But we step into dangerous territory when we allow the government to say that what motivates me...should motivate you. Like all motivation, it is an individual thing. Setting a one-size-fits-all policy doesn't motivate people very well. There is no single 'end goal' to education.

In the early days of our country, one of the main reasons for education was to enable children to read the Bible. Today, that goal is deemed unconstitutional. "Educating all students to ensure Bible Literacy." OOPS! That wouldn't be a good mission statement. For some, a formal education is sought to attain a particular skill, trade or income level. "Educating all students to ensure a lucrative income or a professional career." Some people would like that statement, but many would think that was the wrong approach. Sometimes, education is to fulfill a personal goal. "Educating all students to ensure their future college attendance." Sounds nice, but not everyone may want or need to go to college. None of these reasons is The Reason for education. It is entirely individual. What most agree on is the "what"...that everyone should be given the opportunity for a certain level of education. The "why" will be difficult to find consensus on. The "why" should be left to families and individuals and not the government.

The district states the goal of education is democracy, and since they claim the majority are okay with the mission statement, we should probably keep it or tweak it slightly. I think it is presumptive for the district to put "to ensure _______" into the mission statement, no matter what fills in that blank. To know what individual families' goals are for educating their kids requires a crystal ball. To tell them what that motivation should be is government at its worst. We, as the people, need to make sure that our government is steadfast in precisely executing the tasks we set for it. In this case, it is public education. Would you expect everyone else to have the same reasons for educating their kids as you have for yours? I don't think you're that heavy-handed. Neither should the district be. In a public education system, I think the mission statement should be something all parents can agree on. Would you have a problem with a mission statement that said, "Assisting students to achieve an excellent education"? The point is the district needs to leave the WHY off, and let families fill in the blank.

UDOT doesn't need a "Building roads to ensure the future of our democracy" statement. Just build the roads with our tax dollars and we will decide how to use them. Likewise, focus on getting children educated and let the families and individuals work out what to do with that education.

The role of the School Board is to represent the families in this community to the School District. It is not to be the outreach arm of the district. If there is a group of people in the district who are concerned by the mission statement, and there is another mission statement that is acceptable to all, why wouldn't we change it? We need more input from the community to the district. We need to focus on the things that are most important. On one hand, we are told continuing in this debate takes away from the more important educational issues. I agree. So, let's change the mission statement and leave the 'why' off.

While I think it's wrong to determine the 'end goal' for the mission statement, let me address the 'semantics' issue from the article. The parents concerned by the word 'democracy' are okay with 'republic'. Do you have a complaint against 'republic'? What the reporters fail to realize about this debate is that words mean things. Democracy means majority rule. On that we all agree. In addition, it has become watered-down over the years, but it is used, sometimes incorrectly, in many different contexts. Both Lenin and Reagan used 'democracy' and I doubt their end goals were the same. Democracy has been described as two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner. In our republic, laws are designed to protect the inalienable rights of the minority from the majority. In our republic, the sheep would be constitutionally protected by law. This is an important distinction. Again, words mean things. Educators should be involved in teaching facts and maintaining word meanings. Variations on meanings should be a concern for all involved in this process. The district's premise that we need to educate children to ensure the future of our democracy is incorrect. It is factually incorrect; we are a constitutional republic and not a democracy. Further, the people expect the government to simply perform the tasks we tell them to do and leave the motivation up to us. We need to educate children. The Why is up to the individuals and their families.

I am disappointed that the information I gave to the reporter wasn't reflected in the article. The ASD mission statement has become a bigger issue than it deserves to be. The media and other groups have pushed the mission statement issue to the forefront. The school district's handling of the issue has contributed in a major way. What we need more of is an infusion of you and your neighbor into the district, not more of the district explaining what they meant or the media telling people they are being silly. More of you...that is number one on my list of six issues. More of your voice to the district would resolve the vast majority of these issues. The first step in doing this takes place on November 2. But what's more important is that you and your neighbors get involved and remain involved on November 3 and everyday thereafter.

Primary Thoughts

Thank YOU for your support. We will proceed to the general election. I have benefitted from your ideas and energy. The win is a result of what I would like to see for the Alpine School District: greater family involvement, transparency and communication.

The last week was a lot of fun and I wanted to share it with you. We had a great group of volunteers taking lawn signs out. We had people emailing us questions and many who just wanted to share their words of support.

The Daily Herald had an article on Sunday which mischaracterized who I am. They described me as a "home-schooling mother." While it is factually true that I have home schooled my children (and am proud of that fact), the article failed to mention I have two children enrolled in local district schools. The article left the false impression that my kids have only been home-schooled.

The reporter emailed us Friday afternoon, and we responded as soon as we saw the email Saturday. The article had already been written and the reporter reports he simply used the information available on our website. Of course, the first page of our website contains all the information about my experience in the PTA, founding a charter school, kids enrolled in district schools and yes...home schooling. Somehow only the charter school and home schooling experience got ink.

We designed our campaign as something of an example of how we would like to see the Alpine School District/Board communicate. You can usually tell a lot about a candidate by how they campaign.

We use a website to give quick access to the most important questions people might have about me. It quickly answers who I am, what I believe needs to be changed, and how do people contact me. It also gives people access to the blog and Facebook page.

This blog gives me the opportunity to go into detail about different things. It is an invaluable tool to get into greater depth on the most important issues.

Facebook is used as a dialogue with anyone who wants to join the conversation. Everyone is welcome to comment and read our responses.

Our marketing pieces (lawnsigns, direct mail, etc.) all point people to our website and welcome them to join the conversation. We are sharing our learning experiences, and asking for your help by participating in the process. I represent you. You are needed to make the district a better district.

That is exactly what the Alpine School District needs to do. Welcome the input of families, staff, and even people who may not agree with them. Participation makes an organization stronger. But it has to actually be encouraged. Currently, the school board does not operate with an open and welcoming attitude. Families do not have open access to the ideas and thinking of the board. Communication is carefully filtered through community councils and limited to a few minutes in board meetings. That's a shame. Our district would benefit from the great assets of the families, teachers and district employees.

But first, it must admit it is not as good as it could be. This election is a competition of ideas. The incumbent represents the status quo. We admit, the way things have been working is pretty good. Our point is that given the families, teachers and principles we have, there is no reason the Alpine School District shouldn't be great. To get to "great" requires full involvement from everyone. To actually get that involvement requires the administration to change the culture from being closed and defensive to being open and welcoming.

My opponent did not have a website during the campaign. My guess is within weeks you will see her launch her first website. That will be a positive change. I hope other board members who aren't running for re-election will also embrace open communication and transparency. Your voice was heard and your vote will have the attention of the board.

Going forward I will need your continued support. Your ideas really are the cornerstone of my campaign. Unseating an incumbent is never easy. In this case, she has the full support of the powers that have a vested interest in the status quo. Returning to core academics, opening up the board to the light of day, greater local site control are not popular ideas on the district level. They are popular ideas with families and teachers within the district. With your help, we will change the district so your ideas are as important as the administration's ideas.