Sometimes the process of Democracy in America is kind of like the process for making sausage – the ingredients come from many places (some of which we might not like to hear about), they are mixed, and if it is done right we get a great sausage at the end of the line.

Tuesday’s school board meeting was ugly at times, and there’s no doubt that more than a few of the participants are now wishing that they could take back some of their words. Some of the speakers showed up simply hoping to be heard, others came to shout and vent, and a couple were there for the express purpose of disrupting the meeting and creating symbolic drama.

For those of us who worked so hard for change in our school system, it can be really hard to hear some of the hateful things that are said in these meetings. I try to remember that many people are simply afraid of change, and their natural reaction is anger and denial. I also try to remember that, not long ago, we were on the side of dissent, and we were the ones who vented our anger against the School Board. I’d like to think that we did it in a more mature way, and we certainly did not resort to race-baiting, but we were just as angry. Such is the nature of democracy; There will always be elements of dissent and we must always respect them as part of the “sausage making” process. An important point we should all remember is that we were always told that “just because the school board doesn’t do what you want, it doesn’t mean they aren’t listening to you.” I think this still applies.

But the people have spoken, and they have spoken in favor of community schools and choice.  Recent polls by the Triangle Business Journal and the News & Observer confirm strong support for community schools. Our county will not begin the healing process until we move the discussion from one about assignment to one about education. Tuesday night’s vote was a difficult but necessary step in that direction. Once the board completes the second reading of the directive, the assignment committee can go off and make sausage over the next six to eighteen months, and hopefully they will methodically complete this work with the involvement of all stakeholder groups.

We need to start moving to a discussion of education now. The debate over diversity will continue, but it is secondary to the priority of educating our children. Most people agree that parental support and quality teachers are the top two factors in student success. Guilford County has a very effective program called “Mission Possible” which provides incentives to individual teachers based on their willingness to teach in challenging environments and to deliver positive results. Similarly, Wake County has discussed the TAP program, which has been piloted in one school. I think these kinds of programs merit serious consideration for inclusion as part of our overall education strategy. Agree?