By Rebekah Schilperoort

Parents at Salmon Bay convened for the fourth "Wisdom Council" earlier this month to renew the school's commitment to alternative education and focus on challenges that threaten its independence.

Eleven parents, most practically strangers who have children at the alternative kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school, holed up in a room for 10 hours over a recent weekend to explore what it means to be an alternative school in a public school system.

John Shaw, who helped organize prior Salmon Bay Wisdom Councils, said getting people in groups allows for an opportunity to delve into issues and learn how to share information, something particularly important for school systems.

"It's to give people an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns and hopes with enough time to really explore them," said Shaw. "Issues get raised and really explored."

Part of the goal was also to form a closer school community, which has often been separated from middle and elementary functions, said Robin Lofstrom, co-convener of the Salmon Bay Wisdom Council and member of the parent teacher association.

The middle and elementary school parent teacher associations are finally merging this year, said Lofstrom.

"We've sort of operated as two distinct schools," she said. "We're one school now. It's been a process of two independent schools coming together..."

Many of the parents came together over similar concerns, such as the effect of high stakes testing on alternative education and the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, which increased standards of accountability in public schools.

"We do, as institutions, get into ruts and I think that it's really helpful to put that away and just be open and just listen," Jodee Reed, principal of Salmon Bay, said last week at a community event to present the group's consensus statements.

Wisdom Councils happen all over the globe and are sponsored by the Center for Wise Democracy, an organization that aims to solve the "big issues of our society" like the decline of public education and racism through "collective governance."

One of the most common themes that emerge out of these groups is an overwhelming sense of disconnection from community, according to the group. People often feel powerless to affect public institutions and development, for instance.

Jim Rough, co-founder of the Center for Wise Democracy, said the idea is to create a "we the people" that functions with a common vision a sense of stewardship for community.

"We can't continue with a system, in my opinion, on automatic pilot with us serving it," said Rough, author of the book, "Society's Breakthrough! Releasing essential wisdom and virtue in all the people."

"This is a strategy for how to do that. This is an experiment."

From Wolfurt Austria to Oakland, Calif., about a dozen members of the community are randomly selected to meet for a few days to discuss issues important to their larger community. There's no agenda-participants are free discover and choose their own topics to discuss.

"Whatever's hot for that group of people," said DeAnna Martin, executive director of the Center for Wise Democracy.

Typically, the ideas, visions and statement created are then presented to the larger community. Last week, the Salmon Bay parents presented their ideas to a small group gathered in the school's lunchroom.

The parents decided that the heart of the school is its vision and mission statement, which should be used to guide decisions and shape relationships between students, parents and staff.

The alternative education mission of the school was viewed as a major strength, though one that is under constant pressure from district policies like "common curriculum without local input."

"Alternative education at Salmon Bay can be strengthened by recommitting to these principles and the concept of the three-legged stool (parents, staff and children)." the parents wrote. "This is a call to our community to be courageous and get involved."

Strengthening alternative education, parent involvement, communication among stakeholders and increasing class size are some of the things the parents feel "passionately" about.

Armin Barnett, a member of the council, said he wasn't too excited when he got the call to be a part of the council.

"But we really found the answers we were looking for," said Barnett.

Martha Breslauer, the parent of a second grader at Salmon Bay, was thankful for the opportunity to get to know more parents.

"The process was amazing," she said.

Marlene Coltin remembered it as a fun, and sometimes frustrating, educational experience that really ended up being all about one thing- "our children."

"The wisdom council brought about community among us who were there," she said.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be contacted at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com