After the forums, the Steering Committee again went to work to digest what had happened during the forums. With Harris and Dave's help, the Steering Committee wrote a report and Harris presented it to the school board at the end of January. Some Steering Committee members have told Harris and Dave they would like to see this process used in the school district for future decisions and problems. They said they appreciated the opportunity to hear each other, and like their new relationship with the school board. Asking the community members to do the work of framing, researching, writing, and rewriting was asking them to do some difficult and demanding work.
All communities have different strengths and weaknesses.
Some community resources are more important than others when it comes to solving problems together. Although this community had a divisive problem that it was trying to deal with, it also had a certain level of social capital in the form of trust that made a difference in how it could deal with the problem. Starting with examining shared values goes a long way toward building on whatever trust is already there.