How the Opportunity Trust is reinventing school boards one fellow at a time.
To say that school boards today are divisive is an understatement. Recently, these hyper-local institutions have taken center stage in some of our most charged, national debates. What books should kids read? How should we teach American history? Who gets to decide?
The discourse is polarized, often hostile, and exhausting. But Jesse Dixon and Brittany Hogan, our partners at The Opportunity Trust (TOT), see untapped potential. Jesse and Brittany share an unwavering belief in good school governance. They are obsessed with the unfulfilled promise of school boards and won’t stop until boards make good on their obligation to serve all kids equitably. We could all learn from their persistent – even stubborn – hopefulness.
Last year, as part of TOT’s mission to increase access to high-quality public schools for all young people in St. Louis, Jesse and Brittany launched a 6-month School Board Fellowship (SBF) for 15 aspiring school board members and education advocates to learn the ins and outs of board governance, wrestle with political conflicts in their own backyards, and imagine a new paradigm for what boards could be. We collaborated with Jesse and Brittany to design and launch TOT’s inaugural SBF. The first year of the fellowship was a success: 85% of fellows committed to joining or running for a school board. Now the team is poised to launch the next cohort.
We sat down with Brittany and Jesse to understand why they see school boards as the next frontier and how their sense of outrage and optimism come together to fuel their drive to make schools better, more equitable places for everyone.
Yvonne: There is no shortage of problems in education. Why did you decide to commit your time and energy to reimagining school boards?
Jesse: I see school boards as a microcosm of democracy, a distinctly American idea: local communities shape their schools. Yet, we know that school boards are grossly underutilized. School systems are wildly under-delivering for the vast majority of kids – particularly historically marginalized students – and that is not seen as a dire problem by most school boards.
At TOT, we believe in our bones that all kids can learn at the highest possible level. Boards theoretically exist to ensure that we fulfill that promise, but they need to be dramatically rebuilt to fulfill that mission. Our goal is both to reimagine what boards do and to ensure that the right people have the opportunity to serve on boards.
Yvonne: You could have taken lots of different approaches to tackling this problem. Why did you decide to launch a fellowship to bring together prospective school board members?
Jesse: Typically, when we think of boards we think of executives or people who can fill a gala table. Excellent educators with expertise and parents who are fighting for their own kids don’t always feel like they have a seat at the table. If we want excellent governance, we need to bring in new and different kinds of voices to serve as board members. So, our first aim in creating a fellowship was to widen the tent and bring new people to the table.
Our second goal was to prepare people for how to serve on boards. It is astonishing that school board members, who are ultimately accountable for the learning outcomes of entire school systems, take on these roles without training about how any of it works.
Yvonne: It can be overwhelming to imagine reforming a system that is so old and entrenched. How do you help people stay motivated and committed to making change when the road is long and at times, grueling?
Brittany: As James Baldwin said: “For these are all our children, we will profit by or pay for whatever they become.” An investment in our children is an investment in our country and our future. That, alone, is enough of a reason to stay committed. I also think that when the work is hard, it’s so important to provide a space for people to be vulnerable and share their experiences in education — the good and bad. Creating this fellowship gave people community and helped us all feel like we’re in this together. We don’t do enough of that in education.
Jesse: When you actually look at state law on what a school board is required to do, there isn’t much detail. So the idea that it all can be wildly reimagined – that we can reinvent structures that are democratic, student-outcomes-based, and equitable – is really inspiring. When we share windows into innovative bright spots all around the country, people get excited about the possibilities in front of them. It’s not all doom and gloom.
"The idea that it all can be wildly reimagined – that we can reinvent structures that are democratic, student-outcomes-based, and equitable – is really inspiring."
Yvonne: You’re about to launch a second cohort of School Board Fellows. Why do you want to build a community of fellows? How does that help your cause?
Jesse: It's a game changer — having a network of trusted allies can be the difference between making the hard decision that leads to meaningful change and opting for the easy way out. When people have a strong support network, they gain the confidence to stand by their convictions, especially when they are the lone voice of dissent on a critical issue. This sense of emboldenment is essential for driving innovation and fostering a culture of accountability within boards.
Yvonne: One of the things that strikes me about both of you is how hopeful – even cheerful! – you are about your work in spite of the extraordinary challenges. Where do you find your hope to stay the course?
Jesse: I went to a private elementary school, a public middle school in Los Angeles, and then a private high school. I had friends in middle school who were smarter than me but had different life trajectories because they didn’t attend a college prep high school like I did. I knew my friends were capable of so much, but their potential was limited by the schools they attended. I know we can figure out how to provide a high-quality education for every student. It simply has to be possible.
Yvonne: What do you most hope for the school board fellows who participated in the fellowship this year?
Brittany: I'm hoping that they join a school board or run, but if they take away one thing, I want them to internalize that transformation doesn't mean taking on everything in a broken system. Transforming a system requires that you find your strengths and direct them to whichever part of the system you’re best poised to change. When we channel our strengths together, that’s when we see the whole system shift. We’re building that movement together.
