I’m currently working in a school district where the community is split about building a new high school. Their exiting two high schools are over 40 years old and are both in dire need of repair. They have been haphazardly added on to over the years that they are now circulation messes. Exacerbating the situation, student enrollment is declining making it too costly to maintain two high schools. The community needs to make a decision.
From the beginning it seemed this project was doomed. At every public meeting, several citizens were outspoken and vehemently opposed to consolidating the schools, even after the district showed that it would save them in operating costs and would get them out of a deficit situation. The local media would amplify this negative vibe making things worse. The community didn’t trust the school board.
About midway through the project a small group of supporters started to emerge and organize. They began coming to meetings and started speaking in support for the project. More people began to join their group and then all of a sudden, the public meetings were full of positivity and support for the project. It seemed like the negative voices just crawled back into their holes. It also was clear that the negative voices were a minority; however, they wrecked havoc and divided the community.
What did I learn from this? The loudest voices do not necessarily represent the majority. Also, people (especially the media) tend to tune out positivity and focus more on negativity. The majority of people in a community are on the fence and really don’t care too much about what is going on with their schools. They’re too busy with their jobs and families, and only rely on the vibe they get from the community. If the negative voice is strongest, then that sways their decision when it comes time to vote. My advice: it’s extremely important for districts to get strong supporters early in the process to counter any negativity.
