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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > February > 17
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Editorial: Human touch can help build voter trust
Ohio’s tradition of local control of schools has deep roots. Community-school connections, to some degree, define many places.
When it comes to funding, schools depend on local voters more than do most other public services. It’s never easy to ask people for money, so schools have long relied on networks of key supporters to rally behind their levies.
But, over time, campaigns have become less personal and frequently more built around money. In 2010, school levy campaigns can’t follow that playbook. They need to find new ways to reconnect.
“The economy is different and the climate is different for the voters,” says Gary Davenport, a Northmont school board member active in past and present levy campaigns. “With that, the question becomes, is it time to change strategy?”
School districts are increasingly answering “yes,” and some of the new tactics have advantages for promoting public understanding of the issues. It’s a good trend.
Consider Miamisburg schools. For a levy campaign, a district like Miamisburg would usually need to build a significant war chest for a broad effort relying heavily on advertising and other paid media to get the message out.
School districts can’t not do those things. But money-intensive efforts don’t have to be the primary focus.
For its campaign in support of two levies on a Feb. 2 special election ballot, the Miamisburg school district made an unconventional decision that past levy leaders might have considered suicidal: the campaign didn’t buy a single yard sign.
Instead, Superintendent Dallas Jackson, board members and key levy supporters went to an unprecedented 80 citizen meetings — business organizations, governmental boards, service clubs, neighborhood groups and more.
“The goal was to do lots of talking to individuals, so people could get direct answers and accurate answers,” Mr. Jackson says.
Miamisburg’s levies earned a split decision from voters — a “substitute” 7.06-mill levy (a new kind of renewal levy) passed handily, while an additional 6.58-mill levy narrowly lost by 188 votes. Mr. Jackson says Miamisburg will try again for the additional levy in May and will primarily use the same approach.
Northmont’s campaign for a 9-mill replacement levy in May is just getting under way. Board member Davenport says preliminary plans call for a steering team designed to foster smaller groups to make wide-reaching community contacts.
“There’s been a lot of talk about copying what Barack Obama did in his campaign by reaching out to a lot of people,” he said.
Kettering Superintendent Jim Schoenlein, whose district also will ask for money on the May ballot, says the district learned from a 2007 renewal defeat that community connections cannot be neglected.
“People want you to work hard,” he says. “They want you to be out there selling it to them.”
Meanwhile, levy committees find fundraising tougher these days. In the suburbs, there isn’t usually a wealthy business community to foot the bill. In Kettering, for instance, levy campaigns traditionally rely heavily on contributions from district employees for levy campaign money.
Though cheaper, the people-to-people approach requires more work. Mr. Schoenlein says he’s already started his own one-man campaign.
“Just this morning I sat down with some folks — who said they live in Kettering — at Panera and had a conversation. The other day, I caught up with some people leaving the fitness center at Trent Arena. Folks are very receptive to that.”
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