1. Communicating budget information and priorities to local communities requires developing a narrative to explain the numbers and a demonstration of how these pieces fit into the annual budget. Some suggestions include: “Budget Saturday”, email address for community budget input & questions, YouTube videos, Community Engagement and/or Fiscal Planning committees, Budget 101 community forums, a budget roadshow at PTA meetings. 
2. School budgets this year are expected to focus on social-emotional learning and support, closing the learning gap, supporting teachers and professional development. In addition, ARPA funds have been designated for these uses and many more (including capital projects focused on school ventilation), based on the recommendations of administrators. Board members are discussing the one-time versus ongoing nature of ARPA expenditures and looking to be sure that subsequent budgets can incorporate needed ongoing costs, 
3. Communicating DEI initiatives in school districts should be undertaken with an initial focus on establishing a common language and agreed upon definitions to consider what DEI looks like in each community. Instead of using the “DEI” acronym, districts are choosing to explicitly talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, or simply focusing on the need to ensure that all students are comfortable in the school environment and performing academically.  
4. Teacher professional development and education needs to happen prior to parent education about how DEI curricular work looks in the classroom to ensure a degree of consistency throughout the district. 
5. Board meetings are frequently not a good venue for a back-and-forth discussion about DEI initiatives. Board members do not want to accommodate detractors but do need to understand and hear parents who are concerned. Options for other communication venues include small group or individual meetings, a “world cafe” model with table discussions on various topics, virtual or in-person forums, one-to-one interviews.  
6. The timing of public comment is critical to ensuring both the effective functioning of the Board’s business meeting and creating the opportunity to hear from members of the public. Often boards will have limits on the total time of public comment periods. Early public comment sessions in some board meetings are typically limited to discussion of agenda items, and a second, later, comment session can be reserved for any topic. Public comment later in the meeting ensures that a negative tone is not set for the entire meeting and the superintendent or board members can discuss expected public issues prior to the comment period. A public comment period at the end of the meeting allows the board to hear all comments after the business meeting has taken place if it appears that the time limit will be insufficient. 
7. Best practice for handling public comment is to not respond immediately to questions or commentary. However, the Board and Superintendent do have some options for responding to questions or issues raised by members of the public, including correcting misinformation immediately, responding via email after the meeting, discussing key topics from public comments as a board at the next meeting, and including responses in the superintendent’s report at the next meeting. 
8. During contract negotiations, board member may not be at the bargaining table, but are integrally involved in setting parameters for the negotiations and deciding what to accept. Best practices involve ensuring lead time to discuss all key aspects of the contract and considering financial analysis of the impact of changes during and beyond the new contract period.  
9. Contract negotiations are not all about salaries! Benefits can have a significant financial impact on the district in the long run and operational changes in the district can be affected by contract terms. 
10. Districts can get involved in advocacy through WPSBA and the Lower Hudson Education Coalition. Individual districts can include board members and their local community through an informational webpage or a district advocacy committee to explain current issues and encourage the school community to participate in advocating for public education. 

• Board meetings 
• Curriculum 
• End of the pandemic 
• Board elections 
• Student speech 
• Superintendent hiring & contracts 
• Negotiation trends