Connecting with Local Elected Officials and Planning for the Future

What’s our vision for the future and where do we go from here?  We ask other educators that all the time, but how about our local elected officials?  Our schools and districts are a big part of the community we live in and work in, but how much are we involved outside of education with those making the decisions for our community?

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with our local mayor, Jeff Hall.  It was interesting to discuss his vision and our community vision looking forward to 2028.  Our career-tech districts affect our local communities but our local communities also affect our local districts.  What does the future hold?  That’s what we really looked at and discussed.  Our city’s plan focuses on how are community will be shaped over the next ten years.  Through this plan, local community members and leaders are able to create and identify goals, build understanding, give ownership, and develop new leadership….all similar to what we do in education but on a larger scale.

By knowing where the city and community are moving, locally you are able to plan better for new programs, new initiatives within your school, and identify areas of opportunity.  If our goal is to train students for great careers, we need to know what careers are valuable to the communities we serve.  What new industries are coming to town?  What industries might be in jeopardy of closing?  And how can we help train our students for those growing needs?

The new 2028 plan that we discussed really gave me a new perspective.  As educators, we need to become deeply involved in this plan as stakeholders of the local communities we serve.  We need to help provide direction and support and solutions.  By reaching out to our local elected officials like our local mayors, we gain insight but can also provide insight.  In education and career-tech, we are the experts and we can share that knowledge with our local officials.  They want to hear from us and want to know how we can help meet the needs of their vision for the future.

As another school year comes to a close, it’s important to look to the future and how we can get more involved in our local communities this summer to prepare for the upcoming needs of the next school year.  What can you share with your local elected official to give them insight into the new career-tech model that prepares students for college and careers?  How can they help you prepare your students for the growing needs of the community?  The more we work together, the more we impact the students, families and communities we serve.

Carrie Scheiderer
Region I
Central Ohio Technical College
Newark, OH