Kitchen Table Activism

Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly project of the Rural Organizing Project. Often building on quarterly themes, short actions are described in each KTA. The theory is that basic steps and tasks can lead to powerful collective results as small groups of people gather to complete the same action throughout the state of Oregon.

ROP works to keep the basic tasks easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.

This Month’s KTA

KTA archive

Other ROP activities

ROP Home

March 2005 Activity

School Boards: Grassroots Electoral Politics

Why This Activity?

Our schools are trying to survive on less and less. This means Oregon's schools need board members who will advocate for fair funding and no more cuts. Schools Boards are also a great first step in holding public office ñ something that the Right has used to effectively develop new leadership and influence in public policy. Who do you know that might be willing to put in a term for school board candidate? (Maybe that person is you!). The filing deadline for school board candidates is approaching quickly - March 17th. The election is on May 17th. Every other year human dignity groups get involved to make sure that there are good candidates running for office and that our communities know where candidates stand on important issues.

What Is This Activity?

Human dignity groups have taken a lead role in recruiting folks to run for office and organizing interviews with school board candidates. Most groups do the process casually through phone conversations. The information from the interview is then shared so that voters can select candidates based on the pro-democratic values that they bring to public school leadership. The attached survey questions identify a candidate’s values for public schools. By sharing survey results, voters will have better tools to select pro-public school candidates. It also allows us to start building relationships with potential community leaders. It is critical that we improve our working relationships with people in leadership in the schools. Interviewing candidates is one step in that process.

Steps To Complete The Activity

• Consider running for the school board. Filing deadline is March 17th.
• Do you know people who would make good candidates? Talk to them about running.
• Download, review and interview questions. Feel free to add a question that is specific to your school district. Print-ready version (Word document).
  1. Choose one person who will get names of candidates for each school district in your area from the County Elections office after filing deadline.
  2. Divide up names to interview.
  3. Determine how you are going to introduce yourselves and your group and gather information. When do you want the interviews completed? When do you want to share the information that you gather? Keep in mind that the election will be on May 17. Each interview should take about 15 minutes.
  4. Set meeting date to review answers and plan how to share the information gathered.

Previous KTAs are now located in the KTA Archive.