Help!  I have a divided school board.  What can I do to maintain the community's trust in our system during politically unstable times? 

Every situation is unique, so there is not just one right way to respond to a divided board scenario. It is safe to say however, that the communications professional’s role in the midst of any board conflict is to continue to keep the communication lines open with staff, parents, students, opinion leaders and the media.  Be the person who reminds everyone to stay focused on students, service and the ongoing work and accomplishments of your schools.

Sit down with your superintendent and get his or her feedback on the situation (unless he or she is the reason for the split).  After the meeting, put together some strategies and key messages that the superintendent can use in interactions with the board, staff and community.  Remember, you are providing communications counsel to your superintendent, so be proactive and don’t wait for him or her to come to you.

Be trustworthy, confidential and don’t take sides. If you weigh- in on the issue by taking sides, particularly in the community or in a staff meeting, you risk your credibility and your job.

If the issue of conflict is legitimate (redistricting, for instance) encourage the board to engage the community in dialogue about the issue. Hear and share the varying perspectives openly.  Make sure the process the board is using to reach a decision is transparent.  Once a decision is made by the board, share the “whys” behind the decision and acknowledge the difficultly of reaching consensus.

It isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a board to be divided for a period of time regarding a major issue or decision, as long as the dialogue is constructive and there isn’t a lot of rumor and innuendo in the community as the decision is being hashed out. The “what” and “why” of the conflict are rarely as important as “how” the board members handle it.  Too often, things can get ugly in a hurry.

If the issue is no more than petty politics (a board member or members with a personal vendetta, a single-issue focus, or a monstrous ego), work with your superintendent and state school boards association to provide customized professional development opportunities for your board on the role of board members, teamwork, effective communication and conflict management. Often boards, when they know better, will self-regulate when a member is behaving badly.

Another idea is to conduct some quick research on your community’s perceptions of the school district. Poor board behavior often turns up in survey and focus group responses as a culprit when a school district’s reputation is suffering. Armed with research, you and your superintendent should be able to remind misbehaving board members of their role as district ambassadors and convince them that they are hurting the district’s reputation when they don’t get along.

By far the most challenging divided board scenario is when the superintendent is at the heart of the issue.  If a board is divided over whether a superintendent should stay or go, it is a good time to simply stay focused on your job as a communications professional.  If you align yourself publicly with the superintendent and he or she goes, chances are you will go as well.  Occasionally a superintendent is worth losing your job for and the ethics of the situation require you to be a public advocate for that person.  Obviously, that is a judgment call only you can make.

By Susan Hardy Brooks, APR