Summary: <p>Have you ever been to a school board meeting? Isn’t something about them kind of bizarre…almost like Kabuki Theater? A stylized dance where citizens stand and speak, board members listen (or not), papers get shuffled and then folks are thanked for their input and no real conversation takes place? </p> <p>In part one of a two-part special on citizen engagement with public bodies like school boards and city councils, Dan and Luke try to understand and de-mystify school board meetings with the help of parents and school board members. It turns out that there are some things that can increase both citizen access and the amount of conversation. We just have to be willing to drop the makeup and masks. </p>
