In the April 5, 2005 election 57% of Indian Prairie School District 204 voters from Aurora, Naperville and Bolingbrook voted against a school bond referendum to fund the construction of a new high school to accommodate expanding enrollment. According to the Beacon News it was the first time in the history of the school district that a bond didn’t pass. Analyzing the election, I said better communication would be key to future attempts by the district to fund its expanding population education needs. That was the conclusion that District 204 Superintendent Howie Crouse also came to, and soon after he told a meeting of the Oakhurst Community Association board, “The reality is there was not enough conversation with the public prior to April 5.”
Some people may have feared that what Superintendent Crouse said were mere words - but he and the school board deserve tremendous credit for not only identifying the problem - but acting on the knowledge in a new open, more participatory communication approach.
Since the election School District 204 has taken steps in preparation for a vote on a future bond issue to address overcrowding and growth concerns, including:
- Professionally polling residents to better understand why voters rejected the $130.5 million bond in April - the poll found that voters preferred to add to existing buildings instead of creating a new high school, that they find taxes too high and that voters preferred more mail communication among other results;
- Presenting information online about District 204 enrollment assumptions and then asking residents to take an online survey, where they can show which assumptions they disagree with - if any; and
- Holding a public meeting in the Indian Prairie School District 204 Education Center September 6 at 7 PM for residents to comment on the enrollment projections.
In a sign of better communication all-around, District 204 recently sent out an email poll on another potentially contentious issue, changing eighth grade graduation, to better understand what resident want - and they are encouraging all District 204 residents to join their email list 204 E-News which, according to the Beacon News now has over 12,000 subscribers.
Superintendent Howie Crouse was right on target when he recently told the Daily Herald,
“We’re fighting the battle of making sure that the public knows what the issues are and has an opportunity to understand the solutions. It’s then incumbent on us to find a solution that meets those criteria: it solves the problem, it’s affordable and it’s easily understood.”
Is there more to do? Absolutely - better communication is an ongoing process. But engaging voters on the issues and having them understand and decide the solutions is the right battle to fight. District 204 is smart enough to know that for our children to be winners in the education funding battle, you’ve got to learn how best to communicate with the adults.
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