Good community engagement isn’t just about creating opportunities to speak. It’s also about making it easier for decision-makers to listen.
During our recent Board discussion about the Central High School gym project, I shared thoughts on how we, as a school board, communicate, engage, and build relationships with our community.
I think we’re doing some things well.
• All of our board and committee meetings are livestreamed and recorded.
• Community members can subscribe to receive Board and committee agendas directly by email.
• Our Board and committee meetings now include two opportunities for public comment.
• Organize monthly Board Community Connection events
But there’s always room to improve.
Tonight, we’re hosting a community session on the Central High School construction projects. I hope anyone interested will attend, learn more, ask questions, and share their perspective.
I also recently went back and watched our previous public discussions about the project to refresh my own understanding of where we started, the conversations we’ve had, the decisions that have been made and how we’ve arrived at where we are today.
For anyone interested, I’ve gathered those conversations and presentations below. I’ve queued the recordings to begin with the CHS discussion, so you don’t have to search through hours of meetings to find them.
There’s a lot of information here, but I think making the history and context easier to access can help all of us have a more informed conversation tonight.
Community engagement works best when information is accessible, questions are welcomed, different perspectives are heard and people have meaningful opportunities to participate —and when those of us responsible for making decisions listen.
Tonight is another opportunity to do that.
Wednesday, Oct. 28
6:30 p.m.
Central High School Cafeteria
From TC Central High School:
“Join us on Wednesday, October 28, at 6:30 PM in the Central High School Cafeteria for an update on CHS construction projects! TCAPS administration, architects, and contractors will share details on the new competition gym, wrestling room, main office secure entry, and facility updates, as well as answer community questions.
Hope to see you there!”
ICYMI — some background on how we got here:
April 2025 Board discussion: https://bit.ly/4BAerRy
July 2025 Finance & Operations Committee discussion: https://bit.ly/4zgu9zC
July 2025 Board discussion: https://bit.ly/4huTsGj
July 2nd 2026 Finance & Operations Committee discussion: https://bit.ly/4yLtaX2
July 30th 2026 Finance & Operations Committee discussion: https://bit.ly/4jLoRHn
August 2026 Board discussion: https://bit.ly/4kl7r4v
Presentation slides:
April 2025: https://bit.ly/4zFqQlk
July 2025: https://bit.ly/4ze16MT
August 2026: https://bit.ly/4kjCT3c
Whether you’ve followed this project from the beginning or are just starting to learn about it, I hope you’ll take a look — and, more importantly, consider joining the conversation tonight.
One of my favorite photos I’ve taken at the CHS gym – my son, Carter, wrestling.
📸 One of my favorite photos I’ve taken at the CHS gym – my son, Carter, wrestling.
Leave a Reply