Board of Education:
My Dear Friend,
I write to you to share the news that the Sacramento City Unified School District School Board held its annual reorganization meeting to select a new executive committee for the 2011-2012 year. Serving as your executive committee is Diana Rodriguez, President; Darrel Woo, First Vice-President; and Jeff Cuneo, Second Vice-President.
The board room was full of students, parents/families, community members, including Council Member Ken Cooley from Rancho Cordova. They were there to advocate on behalf of the proposals to either close, consolidate, or re-design their schools. What they heard instead was an empathetic, transparent, and committed response from the board and superintendent that they needed to re-think these decisions that were on the table.
The lesson in all of this was without meaningful public engagement, it’s tough to reach reasonable solutions. We must remember to keep communicating our needs to one another during one of the toughest times in our history. The school board cannot make the necessary budgetary cuts without the voice of people who receive our services. This is why it is vitally important for everyone to be engaged at our board meetings from today forward.
Here are the ways in which you can be involved in person, via internet, or over the phone:
1. Show up. Come to our regularly scheduled board meetings. For a listing of our board meetings and agendas see our website at: http://scusd.edu/
a. You may speak on any agenda item that is listed by submitting a yellow card to our Chief of Communications, Gabe Ross, before the item is heard. You will have a total of two (2) minutes to speak on the item, so you may want to prepare a brief summary or talking points to make sure your message is effectively delivered.
b. If your message to the board doesn’t fit within anyone of the listed agenda items, you can still address the board by using the item listed as “Public Comment”. You will still need to submit a yellow card to our Chief of Communications, Gabe Ross, before the item is heard. You will have a total of two (2) minutes to speak on the item, so you may want to prepare a brief summary or talking points to make sure your message is effectively delivered.
2. Email your area representative, or the whole board, including our Student Board Member. For a listing of email addresses, see our website at: http://scusd.edu/
3. Call your area representative, or other board members. For a listing of phone numbers call our Board Assistant’s office at: (916) 643-9314.
4. Facebook. Many of our Board of Education members have a Facebook page, including our Superintendent. Ask for friendship on these pages. You may find others on our board that have a Twitter account, subscribed to LinkedIn, or other types of social networking pages.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or pose solutions. At this time, many hands (and minds) will make the daunting task of closing a budget hole of over $25 Million dollars tolerable.
6. Call legislators. I say this with a qualification. Our local legislators are very education and community friendly. You will want to ask your local legislator for the ways in which you can help them. For example, there are a few legislators who are opposed to passing anything that will harm their “friends” that they hold up items that are necessary to help our economy grow. I know your local legislator will be able to tell you who these people are.
The bottom line we are striving for is to have an educated community of children for our future. We can no longer afford to have California be at the bottom of per pupil spending.
The time for civic engagement is now.
I look forward to serving as your Board President this coming year and seeing your faces at our board meetings beginning this December 14th and all through the upcoming year in 2012!
Lastly, I’d like to say, the board room is YOUR board room, we are there to hear your voice.
Sincerely,
Diana Rodriguez, Board President
Sacramento City Unified School District
