When a team of people is charged with advancing the interests of a greater organization, colliding viewpoints and ideas are typically the norm rather than the exception, particularly as each individual member of that team brings his or her own respective areas of expertise and a lifetime of experience to the table. When those differing viewpoints and ideas meet head-on, the ensuing debate often brings stronger and better solutions.

Who prevails in light of this spirited debate? If the team in question is the Lakewood City Schools Board of Education, the entire district and community does. The Lakewood Board of Education has been hard at work this summer to find ways to utilize the energy and experience of each board member in resolving the important issues faced by the district in the coming year.

The Board met in a workshop format on Tuesday, August 19, to discuss the ways in which it will move the Lakewood School district forward by working together as a cohesive group that can unanimously agree on matters when appropriate and one that can respectfully disagree when necessary.

“Some of the larger issues that confront the district (Phase Three of the Facilities Projects, the search for a new Superintendent, financial accountability, and student achievement) will require each member of the board to study and ask questions and find solutions,” board president Charles Geiger said. “When issues of this magnitude arise, we should have spirited debate in order for us to reach a reasonable and intelligent consensus.”

“Consensus is our goal in every decision,” said long-time Board member Linda Beebe, who has served on Lakewood's school board for the last twenty-five years. “And by that, I mean that the board can address issues, give our respective viewpoints, debate those views, make a decision we can all live with and move on. I enjoy the debate. and the fact that my fellow board members respect each other and want to find the best possible solutions to the issues before us.”

The school board wants to work together as a cohesive unit as they launch a new effort internally to plan for the long-term interests of the school district. The Board will be meeting with staff in September and will be discussing the process for community involvement in that planning effort. More and more, the focus for the five-member Board is the need to address long range planning issues. “The planning effort is designed to give the Board a guideline for accomplishing goals in the future,” said Matt Markling, who joined the board in January.

“We all know where we want to go in the future,” Markling added, “Will we all agree all the time on how to get there? Probably not. But the planning effort, when its completed, will help us to work together, to share view points and to make sure that future generations of Lakewood residents have the same pride in their community and their school district as there is today.” So when The Lakewood Board of Education makes a decision, consider the energy and effort that has gone into the debate. They're your representatives. And they speak for the varying interests in the community.

The Board is working to showcase the viewpoints and ideas of five different, but committed men and women who seek common ground as a goal in moving the district forward. The Board intends to meld their varying interests and their varied experiences and different approaches into a body which can continue to provide excellent service to the district and their community.