This letter was submitted by Andy Boland, Franklin Area School Board vice-president.
The recent discussions over the vacancy in the Franklin Area School District music department put a spotlight on the opportunity for stronger communication between the community and the school.
My role as an elected board member is to represent the public. But, in the last two years, I've had less than a dozen people reach out with topics for discussion. Why?
I try to be accessible. My email address is on the school website. I have a Messenger account. The school district has a system in place to answer questions or offer feedback on an idea, so the [school district] office could be contacted. If a parent, taxpayer, or stakeholder has a big idea or something they don't feel comfortable presenting to a group, then get ahold of me. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I can share it with the school board or get you the contact info for our superintendent.
Come to the source. We are here to listen, discuss, help.
Social media... What a mess. It has put a negative twist on information sharing by eliminating the step of verifying accuracy. This month a story with negative information spread at the speed of light on Facebook, yet not one call came to the administrative office or a board member. The facts on the situation were later posted on Eight & 322, but the speculations remained.
My role as an elected board member is to represent the public. But, in the last two years, I've had less than a dozen people reach out with topics for discussion. Why?
I try to be accessible. My email address is on the school website. I have a Messenger account. The school district has a system in place to answer questions or offer feedback on an idea, so the [school district] office could be contacted. If a parent, taxpayer, or stakeholder has a big idea or something they don't feel comfortable presenting to a group, then get ahold of me. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I can share it with the school board or get you the contact info for our superintendent.
Come to the source. We are here to listen, discuss, help.
Social media... What a mess. It has put a negative twist on information sharing by eliminating the step of verifying accuracy. This month a story with negative information spread at the speed of light on Facebook, yet not one call came to the administrative office or a board member. The facts on the situation were later posted on Eight & 322, but the speculations remained.
On the bright side, our May 16 board meeting was well attended by people who gave the board valuable advice on how to look at things moving forward. This is two months in a row we've had misinformation sharing as the reason our meeting was well attended. Typically, there is no one in the audience.
Recently the communication between the administrators and board members has improved dramatically. This was done through face-to-face conversations and open sharing of information. How can we do this between parents and the school?
The hiring of a new superintendent brings with it hope that things will improve in that area as well.
Come to the meetings. Send an email. Give feedback. Ask questions.
Don’t wait for the panic of social media misinformation to push you to get involved.
Let’s all get back to talking and having open communication lines.
Recently the communication between the administrators and board members has improved dramatically. This was done through face-to-face conversations and open sharing of information. How can we do this between parents and the school?
The hiring of a new superintendent brings with it hope that things will improve in that area as well.
Come to the meetings. Send an email. Give feedback. Ask questions.
Don’t wait for the panic of social media misinformation to push you to get involved.
Let’s all get back to talking and having open communication lines.
NOTE: All the board email address are public knowledge and can be found on their website here.
Sabrina Backer, President - Sabrina.s.backer@gmail.com
Andy Boland, Vice-President - andyboland@hotmail.com
Erin Leccia - erinleccia.fasd@gmail.com
Tracey Leyda - leydat@students.fasd.k12.pa.us
Misty Nalepa - mnalepa3@hotmail.com
Donald Judy - judyd@fasd.k12.pa.us
Ronald Richburg - rrichburg0679@gmail.com
Alesha Hartsfield - hartsfielda@fasd.k12.pa.us
Ben Andrews - andrewsb@fasd.k12.pa.us
Jennifer Gornall, Solicitor, Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. - jgornall@kmgslaw.com
Ms. Kimberly Eaton, Board Secretary/Business Manager -eatonk@fasd.k12.pa.us
Andy Boland, Vice-President - andyboland@hotmail.com
Erin Leccia - erinleccia.fasd@gmail.com
Tracey Leyda - leydat@students.fasd.k12.pa.us
Misty Nalepa - mnalepa3@hotmail.com
Donald Judy - judyd@fasd.k12.pa.us
Ronald Richburg - rrichburg0679@gmail.com
Alesha Hartsfield - hartsfielda@fasd.k12.pa.us
Ben Andrews - andrewsb@fasd.k12.pa.us
Jennifer Gornall, Solicitor, Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C. - jgornall@kmgslaw.com
Ms. Kimberly Eaton, Board Secretary/Business Manager -eatonk@fasd.k12.pa.us
Editor's note: All elected officials are working for us and therefor able to be reached and most are willing to engage in conversation. The point of this letter is it is ok to reach out to those in these positions with your concerns or questions.
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