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Matt Grogger Blue Valley, Kansas
Matt Grogger's involvement with the Blue Valley Board of Education in Kansas began with a bond issue that failed. When voters rejected the bond issue, the school district sent out a questionnaire to find out what went wrong. Grogger tried to fill out the questionnaire but realized he didn't know enough about the school district to answer the questions. That realization led him to talk to the board president, who worked at his company. The president suggested he serve on a newly formed citizens' committee to study new school facilities. Grogger's interest snowballed; he ran for and won a seat on the board in 1985.
As a long-time employee of Engineering and Information Systems, Grogger quickly developed an interest in school technology. It's an interest his community shares. Several communications companies have located their national and regional headquarters within the district, and parents tend to be interested and involved in the schools--as well as savvy about technology.
Community members interact with the board through several means, says Grogger. One is to serve on a citizens' advisory committee, of which there are several. Another is to speak during the open forum at the beginning of each school board meeting. Members of the audience may speak about any topic they want to bring up; they are not limited to agenda items.
Blue Valley offers an additional way for board members and parents to communicate: Each parent in the district has a voice mailbox where teachers and others may leave messages. School board members also have these mailboxes, as do teachers, administrators, and other staff members.
