Met w/ FSUTA Pres

Met yesterday (Fri Nov. 9) informally with Nancy Dunn, pres. FSUTA (teachers union) at Subway near Travis and Texas, on my way home after substitute teaching.

My recollections/discussed:

• Need for community input on school issues, perhaps an easy-to-use mechanism for non-involved people or a larger pool of involved people?
• Need for informal get-togethers of varied involved people (such as ourselves), to build familiarity among us and hope that increased trust will follow
• Hope to meet again periodically (monthly?), even if no issues present themselves (meet next in January some time); I would be comfortable including more people (perhaps I’ll get the “calendar” function on this website active, so I can post ahead of time where to meet me)
• Agreed I need to follow the lead of more experienced board members as I learn the role
• Shared a view of my role with “constituents”/citizens who may approach me with concerns: As well as refer them to the super. (instead of taking on their concern), in all cases I would listen and hear what they are saying. In some cases I would explain how they could use their voice to propose changes (not through me) using existing mechanisms. In rare cases I would determine (privately) to develop or promote a new mechanism to accommodate similar concerns.
• Showed my interest in eventually being available as a guest speaker to either classrooms or community groups, with an informative slide show available.
• Agreed that a long-term shared interest is to build public confidence in local public schools, so there will be little need or pressure to explore privatization schemes.
• Need to find a way for available, motivated, energetic citizens who want to get involved to become informed and make contributions. We need to harness that potential energy instead of ignore it and have it possibly turn against us.
• Noted the gradual nature of real change