This past Sunday's NY Times features an Op Ed titled, "Town Halls by Invitation," from James Fishkin, Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University. He bemoans the recent 'town hall meetings' over health care reform legislation, and their carnage for those of us seeking full engagement in participatory democracy. His proposal for deliberative polling represents an intriguing alternative for us to consider. The Stanford Center has been involved in a wide range of deliberative polling experiments over the years, with excellent results. Citizens participate in a much more informed, less polarized manner, and politicians get engaged input from a more representative sample of constituents.
In our recent Learning Community meeting, we wondered whether citizens might be engaged in the participatory process other than as crisis response; this approach may offer an important pathway towards such engagement.
-Harry
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Hello fellow public participators,
I am asking for your help. I have a school district that seems ripe for some effective public participation activity. There is an element of the community that has never felt a part of the district (this goes back to the 1960s when this community first joined the district). This spring the board decided to close the elementary school in this district (the reasons don't really matter at this point). In response, this community is working to detach from the district and is attempting to become part of a different district.
There are community and board members who still harbor feelings from the 1960s decision. And some think there was an agreement made that the community elementary school would never be closed (though no documentation of this decision can be found--seems to be one of those "gentlemen's agreements if it does indeed exist at all).
In addition, there has been high turnover in the superintendent over the few years. There has been four in the last five years.
I would like to help the board and district with this issue and would like to know what you all might suggest. I have no firm ideas at this point, but I do think some kind of community dialogue need to occur.
I am asking for your help. I have a school district that seems ripe for some effective public participation activity. There is an element of the community that has never felt a part of the district (this goes back to the 1960s when this community first joined the district). This spring the board decided to close the elementary school in this district (the reasons don't really matter at this point). In response, this community is working to detach from the district and is attempting to become part of a different district.
There are community and board members who still harbor feelings from the 1960s decision. And some think there was an agreement made that the community elementary school would never be closed (though no documentation of this decision can be found--seems to be one of those "gentlemen's agreements if it does indeed exist at all).
In addition, there has been high turnover in the superintendent over the few years. There has been four in the last five years.
I would like to help the board and district with this issue and would like to know what you all might suggest. I have no firm ideas at this point, but I do think some kind of community dialogue need to occur.
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