Summit 303 attendance has dwindled

When the first in a series of community forums known as Summit 303 took place in the St. Charles school district last November, there was barely enough meeting space for the 500 parents, teachers and students who showed up.

Four months later, the so-called community engagement meetings continue to draw hundreds. But it appears enough skepticism has set in to cut the participation rate by roughly half.

Judging from regular e-mails to the Daily Herald, it seems many residents simply no longer believe the process is the let's-do-this-together planning strategy that administrators billed it as.

Rather, the fear is that it's merely a cheerleading campaign aimed at getting residents to raise their own taxes -- and experience all the joy of feeling they made the decision themselves.

Superintendent Don Schlomann, who led a similar campaign that resulted in a $65 million tax increase in his last district in Belvidere, said he is no stranger to the perception. But he maintains "this is far from cheerleading."

"In my view, this is democracy in action," he said.

The process works like this: Every month, residents are invited to essentially brainstorm solutions to district problems. The meetings are run by an appointed, resident-led panel. There's usually a presentation solely on the facts surrounding issues such as transportation, facilities and enrollment in the district. Resident feedback is compiled at the meeting and kept in a verbatim record.

The effort will likely conclude this fall with a list of recommendations for the school board. But will one of those recommendations be a proposed tax increase to build new schools here?

"It is possible we'll end up with a referendum -- I don't deny that," Schlomann said.

"It's also possible we may not. If we do end up going to referendum, I prefer it to be the community's decision as to what is included."

Success stories: St. Charles District 303 is paying public relations firm UNICOM• ARC of St. Louis $11,000 a month to put on the community sessions.

According to its Web site, the company has a long history with not only school districts, but other local governments, unions and corporations that are "anxious to get started on a big project, one that is vital to the organization." It also specializes in campaign consulting.

Involved?: No matter where you stand on any future referendum request, Schlomann says now is the time for St. Charles residents to stay active with Summit 303.

It's common, he said, for participation to wane as the process moves along -- usually to a core group of about 250. But, similar to voting, it's the sort of thing where you shouldn't complain if you choose to stay home.

"It's up to the people who show up as to what we get accomplished," he said.