Parent power pays

Building Operating Management, Nov 1998

When funds fell short for a project to network the Eau Claire, Wis., school district's 26 buildings, the district found an enthusiastic pool of free labor that allowed it to move forward -- parents.

A local state legislator mobilized about 50 volunteers to pull wire and cables throughout one elementary school on the project list. They showed up one early spring morning at the school and finished the job in two days with the help of the facility staff.

The district had added a new twist to outsourcing, says Robert Scidmore, staff development specialist, Eau Claire School District.

"It was outsourcing that we didn't have to pay for," Scidmore says. "The concept worked so well that many of the other buildings have opted to do the same thing." And Net Days were born.

"We have been running Net Days throughout the district," Scidmore says. "We've really been fortunate here with the turnout and the work that gets done."

Net Days also have been excellent ways to get the community involved with building issues and become familiar with the networking project in particular, he says.

Still smarting from a failed bond attempt last year, Scidmore says that parents' involvement could be important. With programs like Net Day, parents are beginning to understand facility issues and costs, he says.

The district is also reacting. "They asked a lot of tough questions that they didn't think we had good enough answers to," he says. "Over the last year, we've spent a lot of time answering those questions."

The district is finding other ways to involve parents. It has created teams, which include parents, that would develop a building and technology plan for each school. Each school's plan will be merged into a master plan.

The possibility of another bond referendum soon - where technology and other facility issues are included - presents a test of sorts for the district.