One of Their Major Challenges

On November 21, 2014, Ohio’s public school superintendents kicked off a grassroots movement to give their citizens a stronger voice in shaping statewide education policy.  The Ohio Public School Advocacy Network has grown to include 140 school districts.  With the final days of the current school year coming to a close, now is a good time to address one of the major challenges facing the leaders of this movement.  That challenge is the tone of the conversations which will be occurring this coming year between Ohio’s citizens and their education policymakers in Columbus.  Face it.  We live in a hostile political environment in which some of our citizens are angry and disrespectfully lash out at their elected representatives.  As a result, an increasing number of our policymakers are leery of anyone who shows up and questions their thinking.  For citizens to have a stronger voice in shaping statewide education policy, it needs to be a voice of civility and reason.