NCAE News Bulletin
6
Put a Little Sugar on It!
Looking to Build a Relationship with Your School Board? Here’s How
Building relationships with groups that support public education can be beneficial for local affiliates, especially one with the school board. For the past year, the Forsyth County Association of Educators (FCAE) has successfully bonded with the WinstonSalem/Forsyth County School Board to meet the needs of the district’s students, educators and public schools.
The idea to reach out to the school board came up during one of FCAE’s Executive Committee meetings, said President Val Young. “The question was asked by a member, ‘I wonder will the board members come and talk with us?’ I called the board chair and she explained that no more than three board members could meet with us at a time or it would be considered a public meeting. So we decided to invite only two to each meeting.
FCAE Executive Committee meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month via Zoom. School board members can sign up to have conversations with members between 4:30-5:30 p.m. Meetings are not recorded and a confidentiality agreement has been set in place for all FCAE Executive Committee members to follow.
“The meetings work out well because we get to discuss specific issues occurring in the district with school board members and then incorporate what we gleaned into our regular FCAE business,” Young said. “One thing that helps keep meetings on track is we make sure everyone knows we can agree to disagree. We understand we’re not going to agree on everything, but we want to bridge the gap between the school board being its own entity and FCAE being its own entity. The goal is to have a conversation and leave knowing where each side lies on an issue.”
Young said the relationship between FCAE and the school
board is helpful in getting executive committee members who may not be as active involved in the conversation and it is helping to grow leadership. “The relationship between FCAE and the school board needs to continue after the president’s term is over. We are gaining insight into how they do business and they are gaining insight into how we do business. It’s important we let them know we are watching, that we’re concerned about what is happening in our school district, what we are willing to do to move our people forward, and what it is we expect from them.”
FCAE is a model of how a relationship between the school board and a local affiliate can work together. To ensure success, here are a few tips Young suggests:
•Extend an invitation to the school board chair letting him/her know your executive committee would like to have monthly conversations about moving the school system forward.
•The first meeting should be a meet-and-greet. Young refers to the process as “Putting a little sugar on it,” to make school board members feel comfortable with the concept.
•If any business is discussed during the first meeting, talk only about the students and goals to help them be successful.
•Ensure conversations will be confidential.
•Agree to disagree. Meetings should not be contentious.
•Share an agenda before each meeting of items to be discussed.
Young is happy to talk with local leaders on how to make connections with their school boards and can be reached at (336) 257-9261 or thefcaepresident@gmail.com.
2021 Virtual Fall NBC Support Seminars These seminars will consist of a deep dive into components 2, 3 and 4, body of knowledge and standards, MOC for renewals, and virtual support. NCAE NBCTs will lead candidates in each session.
The cost is $5 per session for NCAE members (excluding Introduction for Initial Candidates) and $20 per session for non-members (excluding Introduction for Initial Candidates). Click here to register. Confirmations will be sent out the evening prior to the event.
Introduction for Initial Candidates (FREE to all)
oNovember 6: 10-11:30 a.m.
Body of Knowledge & Standards
oDecember 4: 9-10 a.m.
Unpacking Component 2
oNovember 6: 10-11:30 a.m.
oDecember 4: 10-11:30 a.m.
Unpacking Component 3
oNovember 13: 9-10:30 a.m.
MOC (Renewals)
oNovember 6: 9-10:30 a.m.
oDecember 4: 9-10:30 a.m.
