The superintendent of Coventry (Rhode Island) Schools explains how he converted annual town meetings from uncivil, interminable budget-slashing sessions to expressions of community support for student-centered reforms and a construction/renovation bond issue. The board grasped assessment difficulties by taking state-mandated tests for…

This speech traces the background of the passage of a bond issue in the Kansas City School District, Kansas, to aid other districts seeking to pass bond issues. The author sets out in chronological order the procedures that were taken to eliminate or neutralize opposition to the bond proposal. The author also notes that the board of education…

Following two-failed school bond issues in 1995 and 1998, one mid-sized rural school district organized an effort that led to two successful school bond elections in 2001 and 2003. The school district's strategic plan mirrored many of the recommendations for successful bond referendums published in School Bond Success: A Strategy for Building…

A school board member describes how the use of four elements helped the board win public support for a referendum that was strongly opposed by an organized, respected committee: (1) Use of the media; rather than inviting press coverage of arguments by holding large public meetings, the board held numerous small, informative meetings. In this…

Two major concerns related to large-scale capital outlay are convincing the community of the need for the expenditure and planning for the financing of the project. In an era when the public is resisting increased taxation, school districts must develop a plan of action for soliciting funds and must be able to conduct an effective fund campaign.…