In my first story about ordinary people making a difference, I wrote about Mark Walden, who decided to get involved in real estate but wanted to make ethical choices in updating his buildings and setting rent. In this profile of Curtis Johnson, you’ll learn about how you can get involved in politics to make a difference. Full disclosure: While I did not vote for Curtis (I don’t live in his school district), I did march in a parade to support him.
From volunteer to school board
Curtis Johnson is a computer programmer, a husband, a father of two teenagers, and an involved church member. He’s politically active on the local level, most recently as a member of his district’s school board.
Curtis didn’t do much more than vote until the past few years. In 2016, he said, “I was tired of the election ads and the untruths. My kids hate it when I yell at the TV. Since my wife and I raised them to either do something about a problem or stop complaining, I realized I needed to take my own advice.”
Curtis started showing up at debates. Impressed by one of the candidates running at the state level, he decided to volunteer for her campaign. In addition, he served as a delegate for the 2016 Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor convention. “Some years, everyone who raises their hand to participate gets in; other years there are more interested people than slots,” Curtis said. “In those cases, delegates are selected after they give short speeches about how they will vote.” Some of those delegates go on to participate in the national convention. Curtis didn’t pursue that. “You need to be able to take time off work and pay your own way,'” he said.
When the election was over, Curtis began looking for some other way to be politically active. He considered running for city council, but he felt that he didn’t have the resources to pursue that. Then he realized that running for school board would be a natural fit for his interests. He had been active in the PTA for a while. He’d been president of the PTA at his kids’ school and served on the Minnesota State PTA board. He’d also been on committees that helped plan updates to schools in the Roseville Area School District, co-chairing one committee.
Curtis’ experience volunteering for a political candidate made running for school board seem achievable. “Before that, I wouldn’t have knocked on doors. Once I’d done it for someone I believe in, I knew I could do it for myself,” he said. So he poured himself into the role of school board candidate, talking with everyone he could about the local schools. He’s now in his second year on the Roseville Area School Board.
What sort of commitment does it take to be on a school board?
As far as school board work goes, “You get out what you put in.” In Curtis’ district, the minimal time commitment would be attending two three-and-a-half to four hour meetings each month. Good board members put in a lot more time. In the Roseville Area School District, each board member adopts certain schools. Ideally, they attend events, meetings, and other activities to get the pulse of their schools, to answer questions, and to show that the board cares. This can add an additional five to ten hours per week to your time commitment. Some months that number can go higher. Curtis noted that he had ten concerts to attend over ten days in May. “And then there are the graduations and retirements.”
When he was running for school board, Curtis campaigned for at least five to six hours during the work week, plus at least an additional four to six hours over the weekend. He tried to keep Friday evenings free of campaigning activities. Of course, he had lots of help from people who knew him.
Potential candidates also should consider the cost of a campaign. Curtis noted that one of the biggest expenses is mailings. Door-knocking can cost as little as the gas it takes to get you to a neighborhood, although it’s helpful to have some literature to drop off. There are also expenses that may not occur to people who are new to politics, such as paying a graphic designer to create a logo for your campaign.
How does he do it?
“I don’t sleep,” Curtis said, probably only half-joking. He added, “I have to plan things. Before I pursued a seat on the school board, I was able to be more spontaneous. It helps to have support from my wife and to have children who are pretty much self-sufficient, other than needing rides to their activities.”
What does Curtis like about his political involvement?
Curtis likes how his political activities have forced him out of his bubble. When he was door knocking, he spent time listening and learning. He could see how people would arrive at certain conclusions, even if he disagreed with them. Curtis’ first priority is to understand the people he is talking to. When he talks to people who don’t believe in supporting public schools, he listens to their reasoning and validates how they feel. Then he may go on to explain how good schools can increase the value of a person’s home when they decide to sell it. “It takes the emotion out of the equation,” he said. “You can say, ‘Yes, you are paying a lot in taxes, but this still affects you.’ Most of the time people respond, ‘I hadn’t thought about that.'”
Does any of this make a difference?
Curtis hopes that his work on the school board is making a difference. As he said, “I’m only in my second year. I’ve spent a lot of that time learning what it’s like to be on the board. Making changes is like turning a cruise ship, but I hope that whenever I’m done, I will have affected things.”
What’s next?
Curtis doesn’t have any plans beyond his time on the school board right now, but, as he put it, “Five years ago if you’d asked me if I was planning to run for school board, I would have said, ‘No. You’ve got to be crazy!’ I’m enjoying the process of learning how things work and don’t work. I would need to learn a lot more in order to do legislative work. Right now I get to work with smart, connected people. I also stay connected with my friends at the capitol. They do a good job and help answer any questions I have.”
What advice does Curtis have for people who want to get involved in politics?
Curtis said that if you want to make a difference through politics, you should “find something that makes you smile and that you want to do, because sometimes you’re going to get up and not want to do it anymore. I’m motivated to do this for kids and their families, so that has helped me do the difficult things, like knocking on doors or speaking with people who aren’t nice about the ways they disagree with me. You need to have at least one thing worth fighting for. You should also surround yourself with friends who believe in the change you’re pursuing or who at least care enough to support you even if they disagree. I didn’t do this by myself. There are very few things that you can do by yourself.”
Post updated on 11/18/20 to reflect the new series title
2 replies on “Ordinary People Making a Difference: Curtis Johnson”
Great story and an inspiring example — “you need to have at least one thing worth fighting for”!
That statement from Curtis really resonated with me, too. 🙂