By Karen Smed, Guest Column

District 241 is a public school. We own it.

By &8220;we,&8221; I mean the voting public or district community. We are all shareholders and those of us with children in the district are also consumers. Our board of education is our board of directors and the administration represents our CEO, presidents, vice presidents, etc. The product we are supposed to be supplying is education. The tricky part in Albert Lea is deciding which entities are responsible for the quality of that education.

Our school board is elected from the district community, by the district community, to represent the district community. The school board does not directly represent our children; we parents will choose the best options for our own children. The school board does not directly represent the administration as they are fully covered by union representation. An excellently run district probably enjoys an 80 to 100 percent district employee approval rating, supporting the goals of the administration as well.

I am fully of the belief that if this referendum fails, it will set this district community back one decade in growth, health and prosperity. Staff and students choosing other options outside our district, causing a decrease in student population, families forced to move because of job cuts, an increase in homes for sale, increasing foreclosures if the market cannot support more homes on the market, a drop in property values when we cannot entice people to come here, a decrease in the chance that businesses will locate here without an excellent school district, etc. It would be foolish to ignore these possibilities.

The question needs to be raised if our school board and administration are doing all they can to keep and inspire the shareholder&8217;s support. I don&8217;t believe they are. We have operated under an administrative-led leadership for a long time and it is failing. Is it inconceivable to believe that our district leaders could serve us best by embracing a district community-led leadership?

I have identified six areas that could be addressed immediately with a plan of action.

1. Transparency. We own the district, there is no place for secrecy. One example: All district salaries and perks are public information. Publish them. Transparency creates trust.

2.

Setting priorities. Speak to the shareholders all the time, not only at referendum time. What is determined to be important by this district community? Find out! Do not expect that to happen at the school board meetings unless you plan to be more welcoming. District community-based priorities create community pride.

3.

Goal setting. When the district communities priority list is evaluated, goals should be publicly stated for each area of school business; buildings, education, athletics, music, art, etc. This will create a venue for people to decide when and how they can use their resources and talents to help contribute. Goals set and met create respect.

4.

Accountability. Take the state and federal standards seriously, they are the only yardsticks we are measured by. Political and personal problems with the set standards should be fought on your own time. Example: Do not tell a group of 11th-graders that a test does not matter. That is equivalent to informing teens you&8217;d like to waste two hours of their time, then blaming them for not performing.

5.

Policy. Policy is binding. Any area of school district business that does not have policy yet established must have policy written. Policy creates fairness and equity, it also protects against misinterpretation.

6.

Dialogue, positive and negative discussion needs to occur. Leaders cannot react to every critical comment with defensiveness and personal attack. Welcome dialogue. Seek it out. It is the cornerstone of growth. There is nothing more negative than a fear of dialogue or change, rotting in the status quo when it is failing. Dialogue creates a clear direction.

I am a believer in fostering community pride, in this case district community pride. This district community must embrace the fact that we own the school district, and decide if it is acceptable that the business we are running is failing. The school board and the administration must embrace the fact that shareholders and consumers have lost faith and it is their responsibility to possibly change entirely their leadership approach.

Once established, the power of district community pride can and will inspire all of us to want to be the best we can be. Ultimately, full district community support will minimize the flighty and irresponsible budget stances of our state and federal governments.

In conclusion, I guess each one of us is, in some capacity, responsible for the quality of our education.

What will you choose to do? I am voting yes! yes! and will continue to encourage change.

Karen Blumer Smed graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1977. After living in Europe, she moved back to Albert Lea in 1995. She is the mother of a freshman and a senior.