In this last week of 2021, I am listing out New Year’s resolutions for conservatives to consider for 2022. Today, I’d like to talk about attending local board meetings. The nation was rocked this year as parents engaged with their local school boards like never before. The movement was so powerful that the left labeled these concerned parents “domestic terrorists” and called for the FBI to come after them.
All of that may sound scary to the uninitiated, but don’t let yourself be intimidated by the left. Growing in your knowledge of civic engagement is a matter of baby steps. For your first meeting, you don’t have to yell at anyone and call for any resignations. You don’t even have to testify if you are not comfortable with it. Just go to the appropriate website, find the time for the next meeting, and commit yourself to attending. Bring something to take notes on and learn everything you can about how the meetings work. If you can, go up to the board members afterward and introduce yourself.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to go to a school board meeting. Just about every county in America has more councils, boards, and commissions than you could possibly imagine. There’s the county council, the library board, the zoning board, the parks and recreation board, and the list goes on. Positions on these boards are often thankless jobs. You might be the first spectator to attend that board’s meeting in months. Merely attending a few of the meetings might make you the first person in line when a position on the board opens up.
Regardless of which meeting you choose to attend, understand that attending the meeting is only the starting point. Learn as much as you can, but plan to get more active. Testify, get placed on the board, or bring media attention to misconduct. The opportunities to get involved are endless, but it all starts with committing one evening out of your busy schedule to going to the first meeting. In 2022, resolve to attend a local board meeting and get engaged!
