By Kate Seegraves

As the expression goes, with age comes wisdom.

It’s a phrase to which the Dublin City School District adheres. For the past several years, the district has maintained a senior citizens advisory council, which meets regularly at the central offices. According to the council’s participants, the endeavor is a successful communication tool for both the district and the public.

District Superintendent David Axner says the point of the council is to stay in touch with residents who might otherwise be forgotten.

“I feel it’s a segment of the population we don’t tap into enough,” he says. “Some of these people have gone to school here, some graduated from here, some worked here or had kids or grandkids in the schools, but now we don’t tend to ask them for their opinion on what to do better. This gives us an opportunity to network with them.”

Axner brought the idea with him when he came to Dublin three years ago (he was previously the superintendent for the Chagrin Falls School District). The group meets four to five times a year. The district provides lunch, updates the council on things happening within the schools and gives presentations. These presentations have included a “tech update,” which demonstrated new technology used in the classrooms, or changes in the schools’ music programs. At the end, council members are encouraged to express their opinions or ask questions.

About 35 to 40 people are considered members of the council, although not all of them regularly attend the meetings. Many are also former educators, having worked as teachers, librarians or principals and more in Dublin or elsewhere, says council participant Ann Bohman, who currently is a consultant for the Ohio Department of Education.

“Most people came in with an interest in education to start with because of their past professions,” says Bohman, who joined the group at its inception after responding to a newspaper advertisement. “They were all very interested in the district.”

Regardless of how many people attend each meeting, Axner says they speak their minds, which can be extremely constructive.

“This isn’t a horse and pony show,” he says. “They listen and take good notes and share their experiences. The group will never be big enough to me. They have so much knowledge.”

What the seniors have to offer is an outside perspective, Axner says. For example, if they notice empty buses transporting few students, the council might recommend administrators find solutions to improve transportation efficiency. Other topics have included the district’s efforts to “go green” and tax levies.

“They take time to think about what they say, and it doesn’t fall on deaf ears,” Axner says. “I bring our administration team (to the meetings) just to listen.”

Council members also become ambassadors for things happening within the district, Bohman says, such as summer construction at the schools.

“As residents in the city, we see the trucks and things and don’t know exactly what is happening,” she says. “They told us details we normally wouldn’t know. We get inside information, and then when we run into our friends and they ask us what’s going on, we can explain.”

Bohman says creating the council was an extremely smart way to keep older voters invested in the district.

“In every community, there’s a large percentage of people that do not have children directly in the (school) system. But we vote. We’re a strong voting group,” she says. “By keeping us informed and asking for our input, you’re educating us and we’re educating others.”

In the next few years, Bohman says she can see the council evolving into something bigger than its current role.

“We want to be more involved,” she says. “These people want to do more, like volunteer in the schools. Some of the members could fulfill tutoring needs. We want to be helpful and would like to do other things between meetings to help any way we can.”

Kate Seegraves is editor of Dublin Life.