SchoolMatters Blog

Student may serve on School Board

11/10/06 * Daily Progress [full story]

The Albemarle County School Board on Thursday discussed having a high-school student sit on the board as a non-voting adviser in an effort to connect more directly to students’ perspectives.

A student representative from Western Albemarle High School presented the board with the pros and cons of having students attend board meetings versus having board members go to student council meetings. She supported having student council members rotate their attendance, stating that a student’s life can be hectic.

Superintendent Pamela Moran said the division is attempting to get students more involved in School Board decisions. “I believe every board member has said that we would like to see a greater level of student engagement in the work of the board and how they impact students,” Moran said.

School Board member Brian Wheeler said the option to have a student give input at each meeting is worth investigating.  He said there may be ways the board can accommodate students’ busy schedules.

Western students propose student member of school board

At the May 25, 2006 Albemarle County School Board meeting, I was very pleased to hear from a team of Western Albemarle High School seniors who came to present their policy proposal for adding a non-voting student member to the school board.

Here is a link to the handout that accompanied their presentation.

The students outlined the following benefits:

• Students would be more connected to the governance of the schools.  As a result, they would have a greater stake in their education and would feel added motivation.
• School Board would be more aware of the day-to-day problems facing students in Albemarle County Public Schools.

Some of the students on this team had been observing a school board meeting earlier this year and found themselves wishing they could contribute to the board's deliberations.  They also read my blog posting talking about my support for investigating a student member.  In that posting, I said:

"I am very interested in learning what our high school students think would be a good way to engage them more effectively in our work."

Now the students have done some research on the issue, identified legal issues and precedents in Virginia, identified some options for selecting the student, and surveyed their peers to assess their support for the idea.  This is outstanding feedback and will certainly help inform the Board's discussions as we head into a retreat this month and set goals and priorities for the next year.  I want to thank them for their work and for taking the initiative to advance this proposal.

Brian Wheeler

Teens serving on local boards becoming more common

The National School Boards Association blog drew my attention via this post to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Youth movement at city halls across the nation: More municipalities are creating government seats for teens" [full article].

"Policymaking is starting at puberty these days... cities are drawing teenagers into government in a bid to create politically active -- rather than apathetic -- adults."

"The city of Hampton, Va., recognized as a national leader in youth civic engagement, has gone a step further, employing two teenagers part time in its Planning Department since 1997. The teens conduct research about services that would be helpful to their peers and also report to a Youth Commission, whose 24 members are paid a stipend to attend bimonthly meetings. The program was created after the city nearly spent $100,000 for park renovations; it halted groundbreaking after learning that local children longed not for the latest jungle gym but for cheap mounds of dirt."

Having a student on the Albemarle County School Board in the future is something I have discussed here before and I just participated in a workshop on youth involvement on school boards earlier this month at the NSBA Annual Conference.  I am hoping we can start investigating the process in 2006 based on upcoming feedback from some of our high school students who have been exploring the possibility.

Brian Wheeler

Insights from Classroom to the Boardroom

The Washington Post has a nice article today about an Anne Arundel County student that serves as a full voting member of the School Board.

"Sitting on the dais of the Anne Arundel school board in her vaguely Gothic attire, Turkish evil eye earrings and beaded choker, Pallas Snider looks like some sort of Ivy League mystic."

"Snider has cast the fifth and decisive vote more than once on the eight-member panel. In the fall, she single-handedly wrote a policy revision that would eliminate the valedictorian and salutatorian titles at graduation, replacing them with a broader cum laude designation."

"'I wish I could go into a class and take pictures,' she said. 'First period, half the class is asleep. I think that if other board members could just be there and see it, they would change their minds.'"

Insights from the classroom to the boardroom.  I would support Albemarle County adding a student member in a non-voting capacity that excluded participation in closed meetings.  This has worked well in many other jurisdictions around Virginia and the rest of the Country. 

I brought this suggestion to the school board last year after hearing a panel discuss the merits of student participation at the National School Boards Association annual convention.  Our staff are working with our student leaders to explore the options for more student engagement and the School Board is about to start some roundtable discussions with focus groups at each of our high schools.  Brian Wheeler

Survey says student representation on School Board is positive

The National School Board Association's (NSBA) BoardBuzz blog features an item this week about the results of a NASBE survey which concludes student representation on school boards is a very valuable experience for the students and board members.  The NASBE press release states: "Strong student leadership on both the local and state board level is a fundamental part of students assuming responsibility for their own education."

When I returned from the NSBA National Conference this past April, I encouraged my colleagues on the Albemarle County School Board to consider improved engagement of our student council.  I also met separately with the student council and encouraged them to think about steps they might take to be more involved in school board business.  As we started putting together the goals and priorities for 2005-07, I was very pleased to see this particular item get support and specific attention by the School Board in GOAL 1, "Prepare all students to succeed as members of a global community and in a global economy."  The implementation strategy for that goal includes the following: "Involve county student council in sharing student feedback with the Board on topics of mutual interest such as student engagement, student representation on the Board, career preparation, and closing achievement gaps."

I look forward to these discussions during the next year and I am very interested in learning what our high school students think would be a good way to engage them more effectively in our work.

Brian Wheeler