This case study was completed by Ayobami Emmanuel Omolusi and Ibukun David Babatunde as part of the assessment for the Political Science course in the Master's program at the School of Collective Intelligence in 2024

Problems and Purpose

The COVID-19 epidemic presented major issues for Central Falls, the densest and smallest city in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Health revealed that as of September 2021, there were 24,342 COVID-19 infections in the region per 100,000 persons. The city's educational environment was significantly impacted by this high incidence rate, which also increased health worries among locals. A parent delegate poignantly described the situation: “We have been keeping ourselves isolated in a way, but there is always a fear of getting sick. One never knows.” In Central Falls, the effects of the pandemic on education were extremely severe. The Learning, Equity & Accelerated Pathways Task Force Report states that Central Falls experienced an even larger drop of 3.4% in student enrollment for the 2020–2021 academic year, while Rhode Island witnessed a 3.1% decline. Students of color, multilingual learners, and students with impairments were disproportionately affected, as seen by their greater rates of chronic absenteeism. The critical need for focused educational support and intervention was highlighted by this concerning trend. 

The Central Falls School District was awarded roughly $23.6 million in federal funding under the CARES Act to address these issues, with $100,000 going toward the creative "Voces Con Poder Project." Initially implemented at Central Falls High School in 2019, this program represented an extension of the district's continuous dedication to participatory budgeting (PB). Originally, high school students had the chance to decide how $10,000 would be used to improve their schools. This strategy expanded to encompass the whole school community by 2021 by including parents and students from the entire district to democratically determine the distribution of $100,000 in COVID-19 relief monies. Amidst the persisting problems provided by the epidemic, it represented a substantial effort to enable equitable involvement and community action in designing a successful 2021–22 school year.  

Background History and Context

The Central Falls School District (CFSD), Rhode Island. with a population of 22,583 is an example of diversity and resiliency. About ten miles north of Providence, CFSD is an urban public school district committed to reshaping the educational environment for its thriving neighborhood. Comprising six schools that cater to the diverse needs of the community, CFSD's educational institutions include Central Falls High School (9-12), Calcutt Middle School (5-8), Ella Risk Elementary School (K-4), Veterans Memorial Elementary School (K-4), Raíces Dual Language Academy (PreK-6), and Captain Hunt Preschool (PreK-K). This comprehensive array of institutions reflects the district's commitment to providing education from early childhood through high school.  

Governed by a 7-member Board of Trustees, the CFSD is an embodiment of community representation and parental involvement. Nominated by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Commissioner and appointed by the RIDE Board of Regents, the Board of Trustees includes 4 members who must be residents of Central Falls and parents of current or former CFSD students. This structure ensures that the leadership reflects the diverse perspectives and needs of the community.  

The demographics of Central Falls further enrich the context. The community has diverse ethnicities, with Hispanic or Latino constituting 66.4%, White (non-Hispanic) at 19.8%, Black or African American (non-Hispanic) at 12.7%, and smaller percentages representing American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian populations. Within the educational landscape, CFSD serves a student population of over 2,800. A substantial fraction of students, 45%, classified as multilingual learners, highlighting the language diversity among the student population, 71% four-year graduation rate, and a median household income of $31,451. Furthermore, special education programs enroll 19% of children, highlighting the district's dedication to inclusive education.  

The Central Falls School District has ventured into participatory decision-making, first in 2019, where students were responsible for deciding the use of $10,000 for school upgrades. This was successful despite having different demographics, educational issues, and community government. The PB project highlights the district's commitment to empowering its students and involving its different stakeholders in determining the direction of education in Central Falls by presenting a bold and inclusive answer to the community's specific needs. The 2021 program used a wider viewpoint and built on the successful results of Central Falls High School's 2019 PB program. In addition to parents and a wide range of stakeholders, it broadened the definition of community involvement to include students. By including a larger spectrum of viewpoints in the decision-making process, this expansion seeks to ensure a more thorough representation of the community's opinions because the 2019 PB process was limited to students. 

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

The PB process was a cooperative endeavor backed by multiple influential organizations. The Central Falls School District was the main organizing body and was instrumental in involving the community and supervising the project's execution. The leadership of the district played a pivotal role in enabling the participatory budgeting process, guaranteeing transparency, and allocating essential resources to ensure its success. Significant funding for this initiative came from the federal government, specifically through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This act was instrumental in providing the Education Stabilization Fund, which allocated substantial financial resources to school districts across the country. Central Falls School District received about $23.6 million from this fund, part of which was dedicated to the participatory budgeting project.  

Also, the "Voces Con Poder Project", translated to "Voices with Power," was a pivotal component of this initiative. This project symbolized the district's commitment to empowering students and parents in decision-making processes and was a driving force in executing the PB program. Additional institutions that provided help were nearby community organizations and stakeholders, who were vital in energizing community involvement, furnishing logistical assistance, and guaranteeing comprehensive representation of Central Falls' heterogeneous populace. These partnerships between the Central Falls school system, federal funding sources, and neighborhood associations were essential to the initiative's effective execution and results. 

Participant Recruitment and Selection

In May and June of 2021, the Voces Con Poder initiative began shaping its steering committee with a diverse group of parents, students, and school administrators. The aim was to create a representative body to lead the Participatory Budgeting process. Recruiting the delegates for this initiative involved a multi-pronged strategy, employing both modern and traditional methods to ensure broad community engagement.  

Central Falls School District (CFSD) administrators leveraged “Kinvo”, a school communication app, to send out texts about upcoming information sessions. These sessions offered both virtually and in-person, informed parents about the commitment required and the support available for participation. This outreach was effective, with 50 parents expressing interest in the info sessions. Students were brought into the fold primarily via referrals from teachers. This word-of-mouth approach allowed teachers to personally encourage students who showed an interest or aptitude for civic engagement to take part. From these efforts, over 40 parents and students participated in the initial meetings. Ultimately, 33 delegates consistently attended the summer meetings—17 parents, which included 5 parent facilitators, and 16 students. This delegate group was predominantly female and Hispanic or Latino, reflecting the community's demographic and ensuring that the voices shaping decisions were representative of those impacted by them. 

Methods and Tools Used

1. Delegate Pre-Participation Survey: This survey was crucial in capturing the initial profile of the delegates involved in the PB process. It focused on understanding their motivations for participating, any past engagement in community activities, and their propensity for future civic involvement. This survey, conducted electronically and on paper, also measured delegates' baseline self-efficacy, trust in the school district, and their understanding of social and civic dynamics, thereby setting a benchmark to evaluate the impact of the PB process. 

2. Idea Collection Survey: With 240 responses, this survey reached out to a larger segment of the Central Falls community, including students, parents, and other residents. Its goal was to identify prevalent issues within the school district and gather suggestions for potential improvements. Besides problem identification, the survey also sought to gauge the community's overall sentiment towards the district, thus informing the delegates about the broader community perspective. 

3. Exit Surveys and Observations from Each Meeting: These surveys, conducted at the conclusion of each PB meeting, were instrumental in gathering immediate feedback from delegates. Questions focused on how they rated the meeting overall, their emotional response to the proceedings, and identification of the meeting's high and low points. This feedback helped in making timely adjustments to ensure the effectiveness and responsiveness of the ongoing PB process. 

4. Delegate Post-Participation Survey: Administered after the voting phase but before the announcement of results, this survey mirrored the pre-participation survey to measure the transformation in delegates' attitudes and perceptions. It evaluated the effect of their PB participation on their future civic engagement, trust in the school district, self-efficacy, and their understanding of political and social power structures. It also sought feedback on the PB process itself, aiming to refine future iterations of the process 

5. Voter Survey: This survey was targeted at the participants of the voting day, primarily students and parents. It aimed to understand their experiences of the voting process, how they were informed about the event, and their perceptions of how well the proposed projects aligned with the district's needs. Additionally, it collected demographic information from parents, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of voter demographics and preferences. 

6. Interviews with Delegates: In-depth interviews with the nine PB delegates were conducted after the voting day. These discussions, held over the phone in English or Spanish, lasted about 30 minutes each and provided a deeper insight into the delegates' experiences. The interviews explored their feelings about the PB process, the perceived impact of their participation on themselves and the wider community, and their thoughts on the potential and future of participatory budgeting in Central Falls. 

What Went On: Deliberation, Decisions and Public Interaction

Supporting the Delegates 

The PB was rooted in inclusivity. To accommodate the predominantly Spanish-speaking community, meetings were held primarily in Spanish, with English interpretation available. This ensured that language barriers did not impede participation. Visual aids, such as videos and infographics, were provided in both languages to aid understanding. The provision of a light dinner and childcare at meetings was crucial; many delegates cited childcare as an essential support that enabled their participation. Recognizing the bi-weekly time commitment, delegates were also offered a stipend, which over half regarded as very important to their participation. 

Orienting the Delegates 

In the foundational stages of the "Voces Con Poder" initiative, orienting the delegates was critical. The first meeting, on June 15th, was designed to inform and foster camaraderie among participants. Opening with icebreakers and nourishment, it established a convivial atmosphere. The session explained the Participatory Budgeting (PB) process through an engaging presentation, enhanced by videos and images, and detailed the Central Falls School District's budget, including the average expenditure of $18,000 per student from a total of $47 million per annum. City officials and the superintendent attended, affirming their support and readiness to clarify any queries, thereby reinforcing the delegates' roles in the decision-making process. The gathering revealed the district's financial dependency on the state since 1990, which set the stage for understanding budget constraints and areas lacking adequate funds. 

Crucially, the discussion pivoted to the concept of equity, facilitated by representatives from Parents Leading Educational Equity (PLEE) and the Equity Institute. Through these conversations, delegates examined the disparities between Central Falls and other districts, confronting the stark reality of unmet needs despite significant investment per student. This equity-focused orientation was vital, equipping delegates with a lens to critically evaluate and propose projects that would address the systemic imbalances within their educational ecosystem. 

The meetings followed a structured format to maximize efficiency and engagement among the committees. Each session began with a meal and a brief by a facilitator, who spent 15-20 minutes setting the stage with updates and community news. The core of the meeting involved group breakouts lasting around an hour, where delegates dove into their tasks—ranging from ranking ideas to in-depth discussions and poster creation. To capture feedback and measure the effectiveness of each meeting, participants completed an exit survey, rating the session, describing the committee in one word, and providing detailed responses to a specific question about the day's proceedings. 

Collecting Ideas 

To inform the deliberation process, the Central Falls School District undertook a community-wide effort to collect ideas on spending $100,000 to enhance local schools. Parents, teachers, students, and community members were invited to highlight issues and suggest improvements, with the highest response rate from parents. The outreach was multi-modal: delegates personally approached the community, distributed surveys via text to parents, and emails to teachers, who also involved students. Delegates practiced survey distribution, ensuring bilingual engagement in English and Spanish. The preference for paper surveys over digital means was noted and deemed more effective in engaging responses. By the end of the campaign, around 240 distinct ideas were submitted, revealing a consensus on the district's deficits, such as the need for more academic materials, teaching staff, better facilities, and enriched after-school programs. This input collection occurred in the last school week of June and played a crucial role in shaping the proposals to address the most pressing needs within Central Falls schools. 

Forming committees 

During the third gathering of the initiative on June 22nd, the delegates were segmented into six committees, each reflecting key themes from the community's idea collection survey. Delegates indicated their top three committee preferences via an exit survey, guiding their assignment to one of the following groups: Extracurriculars, Student Supports, Family Supports, Academic Enrichment, Health and Safety, and School Environment & Facilities. These committees were carefully composed to balance the number of participating parents and students, except for the Family Supports committee, which predominantly consisted of parents to directly address family-related concerns. Each committee was spearheaded by a lead facilitator, responsible for maintaining focus and ensuring progress on the set agenda. This structure was integral to channeling the community's diverse insights into actionable plans, setting the stage for a more targeted and effective participatory budgeting process. 

Developing Project Proposals  

Developing project proposals was a multistep endeavor anchored in community feedback. Initially, ideas from the collection survey were distributed to the six delegate groups, categorized to align with each committee's focus. Delegates then grouped these ideas into themes, applying an equity rubric to prioritize the most impactful projects for the district schools. Subsequently, the committees drafted proposals, seeking additional clarity and guidance through consultation with district experts, including program directors and school administrators. Experts' feedback varied, with some projects endorsed for implementation and others reconsidered for practicality.   

With expert insights, the committees refined their proposals, and encouraged to infuse creativity into their proposal names and details. They prepared comprehensive worksheets, estimating costs and detailing project specifics. Delegates crafted informative tri-fold posters, designed to communicate the project details to voters, culminating the meticulous process of proposal development in participatory budgeting.  

Voting 

The culmination of the participatory budgeting process unfolded in a vibrant voting event on August 14th at Calcutt Middle School's gymnasium. Designed as a community festival, the atmosphere buzzed with music from a live DJ, the aroma of a cookout, and the delight of an ice cream truck, all fostering a celebratory mood. Informational posters greeted voters at the entrance, detailing the projects poised for their consideration. Leveraging traditional voting mechanisms, complete with authentic ballots and machines supplied by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea’s office, the setup lent the event an air of officialdom and significance. 

To ensure diversity and inclusion, the event welcomed every parent and student in the Central Falls public schools to vote, regardless of their registration status or age, making it a first-time voting experience for many. Participants were empowered to select their top three projects. The voting was much like a traditional voting site, as voters cast their votes using authentic ballots and voting machines provided by the office of Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, with options like the introduction of new extracurricular programs—each school receiving $15,000 for after-school activities—and an innovative school safety app to facilitate communication on concerns such as bullying and many others, it turned out that extracurricular programs had 69 votes , building a school safety app that would allow the children , parents and staff to communicate about safety concerns had 62 votes, better environment and better learning with 56 votes. This democratic exercise was not just about allocating funds, but also about strengthening community ties and giving every stakeholder a voice in shaping the future of their educational spaces.

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

The influence of the PB can be categorized into three:  

Changes in Delegate Perceptions of Central Falls School District: The process had a notable impact on the perceptions and civic engagement of its delegates. There was a 3.36% increase in dissatisfaction with the state of the Central Falls School District among the delegates post-PB, with a nearly 20% decrease in satisfaction levels. However, most delegates maintained a neutral or somewhat satisfied stance towards the district. Interestingly, the percentage of delegates who were "very dissatisfied" decreased, indicating a shift towards more moderate views. This change suggests that the PB process provided delegates with deeper insights into the district's operations, fostering a desire for greater transparency and involvement.   

Evaluation of the PB Process and Changes in Civic Engagement Skills: The evaluation of the PB process itself revealed overwhelmingly positive experiences among the delegates. A significant majority expressed a desire for the continuation of PB in Central Falls, with nearly all delegates rating their PB experience highly. There was a noticeable increase in delegates' self-efficacy and comfort in civic engagement skills, such as public speaking and participating in group discussions. Furthermore, delegates reported feeling more empowered and believed their opinions were valued and taken seriously in their groups. This boost in confidence and skills proves the PB process's role in enhancing the community's civic engagement capabilities. 

Views on Future Participation and Community Building: Finally, the PB process influenced delegates' future community participation aspirations. There was a marked increase in interest in organizing and joining groups to address community issues. For example, a parent delegate said, “I think it should continue because it allows community members to have a say in what they want and they’re the ones that know what [the] community actually needs”. This shift aligns with a growing recognition of the influence of community groups, as delegates' perceptions of the power of these groups increased post-PB. The delegates' experiences suggest that the PB process not only impacted their views on community power dynamics but also motivated them to take a more active role in group-led community initiatives. This engagement points to the potential for sustained and impactful community-driven change in Central Falls, facilitated through continued participatory budgeting and collaborative efforts. 

Outcomes and Effects 

The Participatory Budgeting (PB) process in Central Falls significantly influenced community engagement and perceptions, particularly in four key areas: 

1. Empowerment and Voice in the School District:  

Following the PB process, there was a notable shift in how delegates perceived their ability to impact the community. Seventy percent felt capable of making positive changes, and 72% believed in their influence over school improvements. This sense of empowerment was further evidenced by the increased interest in joining community groups. However, there were challenges, especially in interactions with experts during proposal development, where some delegates felt their voices were not adequately heard or their ideas sufficiently considered. 

2. Understanding Educational Needs: 

The PB initiative successfully gathered extensive input from the community, with 240 surveys submitted, offering insights into the challenges and needs within the Central Falls School District. This process revealed that delegates, who generally exhibited lower satisfaction with the district, found meaningful opportunities to contribute through PB. This disparity in satisfaction levels between delegates and other participants (that submitted ideas and voted) highlighted the importance of the PB process in understanding and addressing diverse perspectives and needs within the educational system. 

3. Transparent and Equitable Funding Process: 

A significant outcome of the PB process was the enhanced understanding of the school district's budget among delegates, with 76% reporting increased knowledge post-participation. The initiative engaged a diverse group of stakeholders, including many low-income parents, who felt the proposed projects aligned with the district's needs. Despite these achievements, the process also revealed areas for growth, as some delegates reported lower satisfaction with the district and a lack of trust in the administration's decision-making post-PB, indicating the necessity for ongoing stakeholder engagement and transparent communication. 

4. Pathway to Increased Civic Engagement and Community Unity: 

The PB process markedly improved delegates' civic engagement skills and fostered new community relationships. Delegates reported enhanced abilities in public speaking and group participation, with many of them building new relationships and expressing interest in further community involvement. While most delegates had not previously engaged in community problem-solving, the PB experience ignited their interest in such activities, laying a foundation for increased community unity and long-term civic engagement. This aspect of the PB process holds promise for sustained community participation and involvement in Central Falls.

Analysis and Lessons Learned

To enhance the effectiveness of the Participatory Budgeting process in Central Falls, expanding and strengthening the role of committee facilitators is crucial. Despite 80% of delegates reporting effective collaboration within committees, some faced challenges in group dynamics and decision-making. Younger participants felt somewhat marginalized in discussions. To address this, experienced facilitators from previous Voces Con Poder initiatives should be extensively trained in managing group dynamics and decision-making processes. Their training should focus on amplifying youth voices and ensuring inclusive facilitation. Facilitators could also take on more substantial roles in organizing meeting agendas and ensuring active, equitable participation among all delegates. This approach would not only improve group functionality but also reduce the administrative burden on staff. 

Another key recommendation is to adjust the timeline. This adjustment includes extending the voting period over multiple days, like traditional early voting systems, and scheduling the PB process during the school year. This timing would facilitate greater participation from parents, students, and teachers. Additionally, elongating the process would allow more time for community members to submit ideas and for delegates to conduct thorough research and site visits, leading to more detailed and well-informed proposals. A longer timeframe would also ease the workload for district administrators.  

Strategic planning should also focus on delegate recruitment, aiming for consistent engagement throughout the process and equitable representation from all schools. The first iteration revealed underrepresentation from certain groups, like Captain Hunt Preschool parents, and some tension regarding charter school participation. Addressing these issues through careful planning and recruitment strategies is essential for a more balanced and representative participatory budgeting process.  

Finally, the involvement of technical experts should be optimized by prepping them with project details and providing delegate inquiries, alongside training for better community engagement. Delegates also need guidance on advocating for their ideas effectively. Enhancing communication is crucial, with a focus on regular project updates, efficient text messaging for community engagement, and direct channels between delegates and facilitators. Additionally, addressing language barriers is essential. This includes using interpretation headsets, appointing bilingual facilitators, and conducting team-building exercises to facilitate better multilingual communication. These steps aim to make the PB process more inclusive, effective, and aligned with the community's diverse needs. 

DEMOCRATIC GOODS 

The following framework, proposed by Graham Smith (2009), can be used to assess democratic innovations: Inclusion, Popular Control, Considered Judgment, Transparency, Efficiency, and Transferability. 

INCLUSION 

This was demonstrated by the wide range of participants, which included educators, parents, and children from different backgrounds. The process's design considered a varied community, acknowledging the value of diverse viewpoints in decision-making. To ensure that non-Spanish speakers could participate effectively, measures such as the use of bilingual materials and interpreters were essential. These are crucial in a diverse community like Central Falls, where language differences should not hinder the ability to contribute. 

However, there were notable gaps in representation. For instance, parents from Captain Hunt Preschool were underrepresented in the process. According to the report, this was because the PB process occurred over a short timeframe of about three months from June to August, while the most effective PB processes should take an average of 5-8 months (Source: PB Scoping Toolkit: A Guide for Officials and Staff Interested in Starting PB, Participatory Budgeting Project). Furthermore, despite the use of interpreters and bilingual materials, 30% of the delegates reported that a language barrier was still an issue. 

These gaps indicate that certain community members did not have an equal opportunity to engage and express their opinions. Such underrepresentation may lead to results that do not adequately reflect the needs or preferences of all community segments. For the PB process to remain valid and successful, these issues must be addressed. We recommend extending the PB process to about 6 months instead of the original 3 months to ensure that all stakeholders and participants are well informed. Additionally, to address language barriers, headsets can be used for translation, and participants should be informed in advance that the sessions will be conducted in multiple languages. 

POPULAR CONTROL 

This initiative granted residents, including parents, students, and teachers, direct authority over the allocation of a portion of the school district's budget. Such involvement is a fundamental expression of popular control, as it shifts decision-making power from traditional administrative bodies directly to the community members most affected by those decisions. This role entailed more than just providing feedback or suggestions; delegates actively participated in shaping and finalizing the projects that would be funded. Their involvement included identifying needs within the school district, deliberating on potential solutions, engaging with experts to refine their ideas, and ultimately deciding on the specific initiatives to be implemented. This approach strengthens their sense of accountability and ownership toward their community and its institutions, such as schools. 

However, this transfer of power also brings the challenge of ensuring that decisions are made inclusively and fairly. It is crucial that all voices, especially those from historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, are heard and considered. This requires careful planning and facilitation, and transparent processes to enable participants to make informed decisions. 

The report does not provide written evidence on whether the projects voted on by the participants have been implemented. However, we have contacted the authors to ask about the latest process updates, but we haven’t received any responses. 

CONSIDERED JUDGEMENT 

This aspect of the PB process is characterized by deliberate and informed decision-making, facilitated through various mechanisms. A crucial element in guaranteeing that the recommendations and choices were based on technical expertise and pragmatism was the participation of experts in the procedure. For example, in this PB process, Program Directors, Principals and Vice Principals, Dining Services and Operations & Safety Directors, and other members of the CFSD School Administration were available as experts to give guidance on crucial subjects that delegates could not resolve after drafting the proposals. These professionals offered insightful analysis of the project's cost, viability, and potential effects. Their input was crucial in helping delegates understand the complexities and constraints of implementing certain projects, particularly in terms of budget and resources. By integrating expert advice, the process aimed to ensure that the projects selected were not only reflective of community needs but also viable and sustainable. The idea-collection survey also played a significant role in fostering considered judgment. This tool enabled a broader section of the community to voice their opinions, concerns, and suggestions. The feedback gathered from this survey was instrumental in shaping the proposals, as it offered a direct line of insight into the community's needs and priorities. 

The orientation of the delegates was an important part that allowed the participants to make good judgments. It was stated in the report that during the first meeting with the delegates, there was a presentation about the PB processes that also outlined the steps. There were discussions about equity, which were necessary to frame discussions about district needs. This discussion helped the participants put equity at the center of the formulation of the project proposals. 

A major part of this phase was done during group breakouts, which lasted for about 1 hour where the delegates had to work on the tasks at hand; which could be prioritizing ideas, discussing with experts, engaging in deliberation, or creating posters containing the final idea proposals. 

The procedure did, however, also highlight several areas that needed improvement, mainly in the interactions between delegates and experts. Some delegates expressed frustration and a sense of being disempowered because they believed that the experts were not giving enough weight to their opinions and perspectives. This feedback emphasizes how interactions between delegates and experts need to be better facilitated. Ensuring that these encounters are more collaborative and respectful of the delegates' opinions is key. More could be done by facilitators to mediate these talks and make sure that experts offer helpful, enabling input instead of just rejecting proposals and that the opinions of the delegates are considered. 

According to the report, they recommended that the experts should be informed ahead of time about the background of the project ideas being developed as well as a list of questions about the proposed ideas. Also, delegates should be prepared ahead of time on how to advocate for the identified need and propose alternative solutions if they are told certain ideas are not feasible. 

TRANSPARENCY 

The process in Central Falls significantly advanced the transparency of the school district's operations and decision-making processes. This achievement was particularly evident in the way the PB process educated participants about the intricacies of the school district's budget. The PB effort deconstructed a generally opaque and difficult aspect of school governance by openly disclosing financial data and outlining the decision-making process for budgetary matters. 

In the report, no form of external transparency was expressly discussed. However, transparency can be increased by providing more open platforms for discussion and feedback, offering regular updates on how community opinion is being incorporated into policy decisions, and providing concise justifications for why some community recommendations might not be practical, which the report didn't clearly state if it was done. This will aid in building a stronger foundation of trust and collaboration.  

EFFICIENCY 

Efficiency is also an assessment of the demands placed on participants and the institutions involved in terms of administrative cost and the burden placed on the participants, which could be feasibility constraints on the process. 

Concerning the burden placed on participants, the report explained that the participants had to meet twice a week for six weeks to flesh out the proposals for the PB process. There was no evidence that this was a burdensome process. In terms of administrative cost, we could not find explicit evidence of any cost, but the report clearly states that each participant was paid stipends at the end of the process, although the amount wasn’t specified. Provisions were also made for participants with kids. Furthermore, the cost of the entire PB process was not specifically stated in the PB Process. 

TRANSFERABILITY 

The process provides a valuable model with significant potential for transferability to other contexts and school districts. This adaptability is a crucial aspect, as the insights gained from both the successes and challenges of the Central Falls case can guide other communities in implementing similar democratic innovations. 

The procedure's all-encompassing approach to community empowerment and involvement is one of its main strengths. The process showed how to encourage significant civic engagement by actively including community members in budgetary decisions. This feature can be especially helpful for other districts that want to increase community participation in decision-making, particularly in settings where community involvement has historically been low. 

The strategies employed to ensure inclusion and address language barriers in Central Falls are also noteworthy. The use of bilingual materials and interpreters is a best practice that can be replicated in other diverse communities to ensure equitable participation. Moreover, the challenges faced in terms of achieving full representation and effective communication with experts offer valuable lessons. Future implementations can benefit from these experiences by focusing more on targeted outreach and better facilitation of expert-community interactions. 

The feedback mechanisms and use of surveys in Central Falls are other transferable elements. These tools were effective in gathering community input and ensuring that the decision-making process was responsive to the community's needs. Adapting these mechanisms to suit local contexts can help other districts gather crucial insights and make informed decisions. 

Finally, the way Central Falls addressed transparency and trust issues can inform other districts facing similar challenges. The open sharing of financial information and the inclusive nature of the decision-making process are practices that can strengthen trust and transparency in any community. 

See Also

References

• Smith, G. (2009). Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation. Cambridge University Press.
• Collins, J., Jennings, P., Haire, J., Britton Miller, E., Moore-Fields, K., Lioe, M., Olander Echavarria, C., & Mernoff, G. (2021). VOCES CON ¡PODER! Participatory Budgeting in Central Falls School District Summer 2021 / First Iteration Report. Brown University.

External Links

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f0622a32fc85336b0183fe8/t/618d1c5e60f440244bbc6da2/1636637805345/VCP+REPORT+FINAL+V4+%281%29.pdf

Notes