Running head: ANALYSIS PAPER

Analysis Paper
Julie K. Marsh
College of William and Mary

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Analysis Paper

Context of the School Board Meeting

I attended a full school board meeting for Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) on
May 28, 2015. I had attended some school board meetings in the past when I was a classroom
teacher, but never for the full meeting. I was unaware of the sheer volume of business conducted
at a full school board meeting, and I had never looked at the meeting through the lens of public
relations. The following gives an overview of the primary issues discussed, the community
relations implications stemming from those issues, the statements for or against the issues, a
reflection on community involvement and engagement, and recommendations for future actions.
Overview of the Primary Issues on the Agenda
A significant portion of the meeting at the beginning was dedicated to opening the forum
with the Pledge of Allegiance and a school performance as well as many ways of recognizing
educators throughout the county. After the meeting agenda was voted on, everyone said the
Pledge of Allegiance that was led by students from Glen Lea Elementary School. Following the
opening of the meeting, students from the Godwin High School choral ensemble performed a
selection of songs for everyone in attendance. These were two wonderful ways community
members of HCPS were involved in the meeting.
There were a number of awards and recognitions, for instance the Above and Beyond the
Call of Duty (ABCD) award was given to three HCPS employees: two from the technology
department and another a nurse from an elementary school. Volunteers in the county were also
recognized with the Helping Hand award, which was awarded to a high school parent. The
nursing program in the county was recognized in two ways: through recognition of a national
school nurse day as well as nursing program graduates from the HCPS licensed nursing program.

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Students were recognized for their leadership and community service with a number of awards
and recognition, including an 8th grader recognized for community service with the Prudential
Spirit of Community Award and a brand new Eagle Scout recognized with the Scouting Award.
Once the awards and recognitions were finished, the meeting moved into a public forum
where any Henrico citizen could speak on any topic of his or her choosing. Three citizens spoke,
including a representative from the McShin Foundation and two parents on separate issues. The
representative from the McShin Foundation was continuing a conversation previously started
with the School Board about the perceived drug problem at HCPS schools. He wanted to create
an opportunity to train students as peer leaders as well as begin recovery clubs in schools. The
foundation was prepared to give a $10,000 matching award in order to get the program off the
ground.
The two parents shared issues at their local schools. The first parent spoke highly about
her move to HCPS with her younger daughter, but she gave evidence of issues when her older
daughter moved in with her and started at Highland Springs High School. She explained they
did not feel welcome and were treated very poorly. She also said she was given misinformation
and still had yet to receive any word from the School Board over her continuing complaints. The
second parent was concerned over the language in the upcoming financial section about the
laptop insurance that would now be called laptop support; she wanted to make sure her sons
laptop would still be insured for the fees she would pay. Her other issue was regarding the
Advanced Placement (AP) testing fees rising from $88 to $91 if students were still going to be
required to test in a hot gymnasium and work with teachers who were not qualified to teach the
AP subjects.

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Proponent and Opponent Position Statements and Supporting Rationales

The meeting followed a lighting system to allow citizens to speak. Each person started
with a green light and was given four minutes to state his or her issue, they would then be given
a yellow light with one minute left to speak, and a red light would be given when their time was
up. The Board explained each person would provide his or her contact information, and the
Board would follow up with each speaker at a later date. So while citizens were given the
chance to speak, and it did keep the meeting running smoothly, there was no discussion on any
single topic; therefore, audience observers such as myself only heard one side of any issue.
Major Community Relations Implications
Two-thirds of the meeting was focused on awards, recognition, and participation. The
atmosphere in the meeting was happy and welcoming, and it was wonderful to see how many
people were recognized for doing a job well in the county, from a local janitor to a school leader.
There was no hierarchy of appreciation; everyone was appreciated equally. In light of
community relations, this was a wonderful way of building, supporting, and sustaining a
community of learning and involvement.
Reflection on Community Involvement and Engagement
It was wonderful for all citizens to be welcomed to speak on any topic; however, due to
the lack of interaction with any Board member, it was difficult to ascertain if anything was being
done to address concerns shared by citizens. The lighting system helped maintain the order of
the meeting as well as helped the meeting run smoothly, and it was welcoming to everyone to
give them the time and space to speak, but I question how involved the community could truly be
if questions were being answered in privacy and isolation at a later date after the meeting. Yes,
community members were involved and clearly engaged, but how involved and engaged were

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the Board members? It was very difficult to determine their level of involvement and
engagement as an audience member. I would like to know how issues were resolved or
questions answered. I went back to the HCPS Board documents archived on their website, and I
was able to go back through the last few meetings to see if anything from the past was answered
at a later meeting, but to no avail. I find this concerning.
Recommendation for Future Actions
I believe the lighting system works in certain situations, especially if there is a highly
sensitive topic that needs to be addressed; however, it is unnecessary in all situations. There is
nothing wrong with having a discussion out in the open; in fact, I believe having a discussion in
the open is the best way to hear citizens of a community. The lighting system only protects the
School Board, but does very little for community members later on. I would recommend using
the lighting system during rare occasions, but otherwise not shying away from having
constructive and courageous conversations with citizens of the community and school district. I
also recommend, if the lighting system is to stay in place, that there be resolutions publicized to
all citizens in order for the members of the community to know how a question was answered or
issue resolved. Otherwise the conversation is only one-way and is not inclusive at all.