Sara Drappi
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QUESTION 2: Not every BOE decision is popular, even when it is the correct decision. What’s the most unpopular decision that you have faced and how did you handle it?
We are incredibly lucky to live in a close knit community comprised of well informed citizens who care deeply about the education their children receive. There are many opinions as to how our students should be educated and public engagement is key to developing policies that reflect the desires of the voters and the needs of the students. While my opinions may differ from some voters, and decisions I make may be unpopular, I welcome professional discourse. I encourage engagement and ask that if you disagree with me, to reach out to me. The conversation will always be professional and courteous as expected from any member of the Board of Education.
Engaging with the public on matters of education is something I have experience with. This is particularly true during the grassroots campaign to pass the full day kindergarten vote in 2018. Speaking directly with Verona citizens has provided me with multiple perspectives on this issue. I always engaged respectfully, cited research based evidence and peer reviewed data, but I recognized that for many people they cared less about the studies and more about how the changes would affect their taxes, their children and their family. I took the time to listen to both the Verona residents who were in support of full day kindergarten and those who were apprehensive about it. What I have found over the years, both as a teacher and as a parent is that unpopular opinions do not necessarily make them wrong.
Leadership in the face of criticism is a practice in patience and understanding. While the full day kindergarten initiative was a specific instance, I am faced with making unpopular decisions daily as a teacher. When I make decisions in the classrooms that parents do not agree with, I listen to parent perspectives and make decisions for each child based on compromise and teamwork.
I realize that I don’t always have all the answers, but when I make unpopular decisions based on data and research, it’s worth it to accept the criticism and continue to educate. On the other hand, understanding parent perspectives is essential to developing policies that reflect the desires of the town. Sometimes the decisions that are unpopular are reflective of a lack of understanding of how the other perspectives see the situation at hand. My experience working on teams with a variety of opinions, backgrounds and expertise has taught me how to listen better and more gracefully accept when my opinions and ideas are not popular.
