One of the terms that is being heavily emphasized in school board campaign rhetoric this cycle is the word “listening.” Considered as a portion of one’s governance, that is a good thing. Listening is an essential part of responsible leadership. As a school board member, I hear from members of our community on a regular basis: requests, concerns, thank you's, and even demands. Each person brings a different perspective, and often those perspectives help me understand problems or opportunities I might otherwise overlook.

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But after listening, then comes the vote. Listening, by itself, is not governance nor is it a platform. Listening is both a responsibility and a tool of elected officials. It is gathering information or opinions which enables more informed and accountable decision making. But elected officials must properly evaluate that information. Not all information received is equally reliable, in agreement, or actionable. Often, members of the public have competing interests, differing opinions, or different understanding of the facts at hand. Governance occurs when the information gathered is considered and a final decision is made. It is there that one’s character, principles of operation, and platform are so important.   

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Consider a situation I recently found myself in. The board had before it the recommendation that we rebuild our soccer stadium and field. I heard from many people, but let’s just take four of them for the purpose of this example. I will use fictitious names, but they represent actual individuals. Joyce was a democrat voter and adamantly opposed to taking on new debt. She believed the stadium was a bad decision. Deborah was a republican who believed the same. Tristan was a democrat who believed that the stadium was a good thing and the time appropriate. Scott was a republican who believed that so long as it was appropriately budgeted and didn’t raise taxes, it was a good thing. These are real people, and this was a real situation. I was given statements from or spoke directly with each of these people. (For clarity, I knew each of these people so I knew their political background, and I include that to simply show this was not democrats believed one thing and republicans another). 

What should a school board member do?

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Certainly, I should listen to all four. I should seek to understand their concerns, ask thoughtful questions, and consider information and reasoning they brought to my attention. But ultimately, the board had to make a decision and I, as an individual board member, had to cast a vote. No matter what I decided, someone was going to disagree with my final decision and that brings me to the crux of the matter.

Listening is consideration, not agreement or submission. (I ultimately voted against the stadium upgrade.)

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Listening does not obligate a leader to agree. It obligates a leader to consider and then to make the best, and most informed decision he can.

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This distinction is fundamental to understanding the responsibilities of an elected school board member and it is fundamental to representative government. A good board member may agree or disagree with what he hears. Disagreement does not on it's own invalidate his decision nor mean that he was not in fact listening.   

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Representative Government Requires More Than Relational Listening. It Requires Good Judgment

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We live in a representative system of government. Citizens elect individuals to represent their interests, study complex issues, exercise judgment, and make decisions on their behalf.
 

School boards must consider academic outcomes, financial constraints, state and federal law, employee responsibilities, student safety, long-term facilities needs, and the interests of an entire community. Decisions that benefit one group may create difficulties for another. Resources devoted to one priority are often resources unavailable for something else.
 

Even when community opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of a particular action, the board has a responsibility to determine whether that action is lawful, financially responsible, and consistent with the district's educational mission. Public opinion matters but it is not the only consideration.

The responsibility of an elected representative is not to agree with everyone. That would be impossible. It is to make informed decisions in the best interest of the school's mission to provide a excellent education to students that prepares them for life and work and the community it serves. That is at the core of governance and it is why principles of governance are so important when considering a candidate. A board member's job isn't just to ask questions, it is to hear and then know what to do with the answers. 

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Sometimes those answers justify approving a recommendation. Sometimes they reveal a need for additional information, a different approach, or a vote against the proposal. What matters is the reasoning behind the decision and that the public is granted access to the decision. In fact, I believe honest disagreement accompanied by a thoughtful explanation is far more respectful than offering vague assurances that everyone will be heard without ever explaining how competing interests will be reconciled.

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From Listening to Leadership

 

A school board should not exist merely to respond to recommendations, approve expenditures, and resolve disagreements as they arise. We should be asking larger questions. Are our students receiving the education they need to succeed? Are academic outcomes improving? Are we making responsible investments in our facilities? Are we using taxpayer resources wisely? Are our policies supporting the educational environment we want to create? And perhaps most importantly, where do we want our school system to be five or ten years from now? These questions require more than listening. They require vision, strategic planning, measurable objectives, and a willingness to evaluate whether our actions are producing the intended results. A school board can listen exceptionally well while accomplishing very little if it never translates what it learns into thoughtful policies, clear priorities, and effective oversight.

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Good governance begins with listening, continues through careful evaluation, and ultimately requires decisions grounded in evidence, principle, and a clear sense of responsibility. Listening is where responsible leadership begins. What we do with what we hear is where governance takes place.