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Revised (Dec 15 2009)
When not to involve the community
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Questions to consider:
- What are the local concerns and priorities in our district? How do we know?
- Do board members take advantage of opportunities to speak to community groups and service clubs about public education issues?
- What other ways can we involve the community in discussions about and greater understanding of issues and successes in our schools?
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Despite the many benefits, community involvement is not appropriate in all situations. Involve the public too little and your decisions and initiatives may be challenged or shut down altogether. Over-involve and you may overburden people and impose unnecessary costs on an already-strained system.
More specifically, don’t involve the community if the decision has already been made, it must be made immediately, or it involves a small or routine matter.
Whatever level of involvement is chosen, it is important to be clear and open about the degree of influence the community will have.
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Six reasons to incorporate community engagement into your decision-making 
