It seems our community is taking one step forward and two steps back, yet again. In a forum designed to build public consensus on a plan to add another kindergarten through sixth-grade school to our district, state Rep. Phillip West, D-Natchez, chose to verbally attack the school board and administration members and their plan.

The problem is simply that the two sides in this matter — West, Alderman George &uot;Shake&uot; Harden and the Nicholses on one hand and school district officials on the other &160;– have yet to meet face-to-face in a constructive and resolution-oriented session.

And, until both sides can meet together and come to terms, progress will elude all of us.

To do that, the original plaintiffs in the 1989 court decision that still governs our district need to be open to discussing options and plans for improving the schools — and that openness can only be achieved by setting aside political agendas and power-struggle issues.

It won’t come from public protests and school board-bashing sessions.

And, the school officials need to recognize the importance of the plaintiffs’ role in this process. District officials should, as a popular leadership developer would say, seek first to understand, and then be understood.

The district leaders and school board need to cultivate a relationship with the plaintiffs, to develop a partnership and work with them on resolving the issues that face our district and our schools.

Natchez’s problems often seem to stem, in large part, from a lack of communication and a lack of understanding on both sides of the issue and are often complicated by turf battles. We have an opportunity to avoid repeating those mistakes now by putting aside political aspirations and egos and working toward a real resolution.

Who is up to the challenge?