Community Toolkit

Appointing Student Representatives to School & Municipal Boards or Panels

Giving young people the opportunity to serve on school and/or municipal boards is a key step in encouraging them to become more engaged in their communities. In a recent survey of 105 school districts by KIDS Consortium, almost 25% reported having youth members on their school boards.1 Although a survey of municipalities has not been conducted, several communities have created youth advisory councils. Through participation on school boards and municipal boards, young people learn the processes by which a community or school is governed and begin to understand the impact they can have on local public policy decisions. They also develop leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills through hands-on experiences and build confidence in themselves, while providing new perspectives to adult community members. Communities gain new ideas for addressing local problems and needs, and learn about issues important to young people.

Youth on School Boards
Youth Advisory Councils

Suggestions for Implementation

Resources

Appointing Student Representatives to School and Municipal Boards or Panels

I. Summary

II. Case Studies

Case Study: Youth on School Boards

There are a growing number of school districts in Maine that permit young people to act as liaisons between their schools and locally elected school boards. Although the Maine State Charter does not permit student votes to be counted, school districts have created a variety of approaches that allow student representatives to attend board meetings and add their voice to discussions and decision-making processes. CSD 10, which serves the towns of Manchester, Readfield, Mount Vernon, and Wayne, has had student representatives from Maranacook Community High School on the school board for more than ten years and in the last four has started sending one middle school representative as well.

The elected students are current members of the student senate. They give a brief speech about why they want the position, and then student senate members elect representatives during their first meeting of the school year. Students serve a one-year term and can be elected to multiple terms by running each year.

Students attend and give a student report at each board meeting. They take notes at each meeting and report back to the school senate. The student reports are also published and are available to the community.

Although students are not permitted to vote, they have nonetheless been effective advocates for the issues and opinions of their peers and have had a real impact on school board decisions. For example.

In the fall of 2002 the district was considering accepting a grant that would place a school resource officer (SRO) on the Maranacook campus. According to Pat Stanton, dean of students at Maranacook Community High School, students discussed this issue at length, brought it to the attention of the student senate, and in turn, the student school board representatives brought it to the attention of the school board. The student school board representatives worked with the other student senate members, who brought in feedback collected during the homeroom period, to make their case as to why an SRO should not be brought to the campus. Because of the overwhelming number of students who expressed that having an armed SRO on campus would make being on campus an uncomfortable experience, the grant was declined 15 to 1 by the school board.
During the 2004-05 school year, after the unexpected number of declared snow days in CSD10, the student representatives worked with the school board to determine how students could make up the lost time without pushing back graduation. Through extensive meetings and deliberation, the students and board agreed that if each student were to contribute 20 hours of community service before the end of the school year, they would not extend the academic year. This led to school-wide community service projects planned by the student senate and faculty to ensure each student could achieve the required goal of 20 hours of service.

While it may be easy to disregard the voice of young people because of voting regulations, it is apparent that they have a desire to express their opinions about what is taking place in their communities and want to participate in events that will affect their lives. Districts, like CSD10, are making great efforts to educate their young people about civic engagement through real life experiences. According to Pat Stanton, “kids need to practice democracy in school if we expect them to be able to be educated participants as adults.”

Case Study: Youth Advisory Councils

Maine’s communities are becoming more aware of the power held by their young people and are making the effort to include them in more engaging ways. The Lewiston Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is an advisory council to the Lewiston City Council in regards to community issues affecting youth. The council also enables youth to work towards goals that empower all of the community's youth and to undertake service projects that enhance the community.

The idea to create a youth council was brought to the community by former Lewiston Mayor, Keileigh A. Tara, with a goal of encouraging youth involvement. After discussion at a community forum and presentation before the Lewiston City Council, it was determined that a youth council should be formed.

Established in October of 2001, the Council’s membership may include up to 15 ninth-grade through twelfth-grade students; two co-advisors, Maggie Chisholm and Dottie Perham-Whittier; a Lewiston City Council member, currently Norm Rousseau; and others who help the council organize and support the community projects it plans. There are four officers of the council: chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer, all having specific duties outlined in the group’s extensive by-laws. The mayor, city administrator, and assistant city administrator also interact with the council.

Members are required to participate in an application and interview process in order to be appointed to the council. Dottie Perham-Whittier notes, “Following discussion at an initial community forum, we went with an application process versus election so that anyone could apply and selection wouldn't’t be based on popularity.” After their one-year term on the council, the members have the opportunity to reapply to serve another term.

Each year the council holds an orientation session for its members, both new and returning, to educate members about municipal government and also to update them as to what’s currently occurring at the city level. The orientation also incorporates teamwork activities designed to help members understand their own strengths and how they can positively impact what goes on around them.

During the academic year, according to the council's bylaws, the council meets a minimum of once a month (in actuality it tends to meet twice a month at City Hall). There is no regular day and time due to changing extracurricular schedules throughout the year. In between meetings, council members are in regular contact with their advisors through e-mail and phone. The Council also makes a monthly presentation to the Lewiston City Council.

The Lewiston Youth Advisory Council receives $300 a year from the city of Lewiston. Despite limited funding, the group has organized and participated in a number of outstanding community awareness and recognition campaigns and projects since its first meeting in 2002:

The group raised more than $25,000 for the multi-level sitting of an 1891 historic clock at City Hall, one of only a few historic timepieces on display in New England.
It participates in the mayor’s Citation of Excellence, whereby the council and the mayor of Lewiston choose a middle or high school student each month who has done something extraordinary. Together, LYAC representatives and the mayor present the citation in the award recipient’s classroom.
The group is currently taking the lead on nominating the city of Lewiston for a 2006 “All-America City Award” and will be visiting Worcester, Massachusetts, in the near future to talk to their application contacts (Worcester is a five-time winner).
It led an “Is Your Number Up” campaign in partnership with the Lewiston fire department to encourage businesses and homeowners to properly place their location numbers for prompt emergency responding.
In early 2003 the council completed a noise pollution awareness campaign in which it held community forums and reached out to the younger members for the community by holding a poster-making contest for elementary level students. It also ran an on-line community Web survey and developed a noise-awareness comic book for children.
Currently, the council is raising money to create two electronic community message boards (at both entrances of the high school), which will provide school, community, and LYAC information.

LYAC also works closely with Senator Peggy Rotundo on legislative issues that are relevant to youth interests. Members of the group have advocated for local control of electronic message board signs (which passed), and they sent a proposal to the state on the driving age for teens when it was up for debate.

These activities are just a few examples of what the council has accomplished in the last three years and are only the beginning of an ever-growing list of accomplishments. “The group has indeed done a wonderful job, and they’ve developed a positive reputation within the community,” says Dottie Perham-Whittier. Through their various projects, members of the council have developed experience in planning community service projects, community relations techniques, and a greater knowledge of how municipal governments work. For more information about the council, you can visit its Web site: http://www.ci.lewiston.me.us/lyac/

III. Ideas and Suggestions for Implementation:

Become an advocate for youth on your local school or municipal board. A key step in getting youth involved with school and municipal boards is voicing the need for it. Whether as a school board or city council member, student or active community member, make the idea heard. As seen in the case studies, formation of youth boards can start with one person’s idea and blossom. As an adult, go to the city council or school board. As a student, go to the student senate/council and recommend that the idea of starting a youth board should be brought to the attention of the community.

Make sure the community is involved in the decision. In both CSD10 and Lewiston, community members were included in deciding how representatives would be chosen, what kind of activities and events they would be involved in and at what level they would be permitted to participate.

Involve young people in the process. The goal of getting youth on board is to encourage them to be active community members, so it is most important to remember to include them in the planning process. Have school assemblies or homeroom presentations to gather student opinions and ideas.

Consider your options. After initial discussions with the school board, city council, or student senate, gather information on how other youth boards got started. Begin by researching some of the communities that have existing youth councils and/or student school board representatives. This can provide valuable contact information and a framework for how to start a new program. Think about the circumstances in your community or school and look at ways to create a program that will meet your needs. Important factors to consider include:

How will student representatives be selected?
How long will their term last?
What will they be required to do? For students serving on existing boards, will they be expected to do everything that is required of adult members? For stand-alone youth advisory boards, who will set their agenda? How will decisions be made about controversial ideas or projects?
How will the youth representatives communicate with other youth in the school or community?

IV. RESOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Maranacook Community School, http://169.244.33.66/~union_42/
Rich Abramson, Superintendent, 207-685-3336
Pat Stanton, Dean of Students, 207-685-4923

Lewiston Youth Advisory Council, http://www.ci.lewiston.me.us/lyac/
Dottie Perham-Whittier, 207-784-2951

At the Table, http://www.atthetable.org

Communities and Schools Promoting Health http://www.safehealthyschools.org/youth/student_representatives.htm

The Freechild Project, http://www.freechild.org/actions.htm

National Youth Rights Association, http://forums.youthrights.org/showthread.php?t=1388

Points of Light Foundation, http://www.pointsoflight.org

SoundOut, http://www.soundout.org/Guide.106.html

Youth On Board, http://www.youthonboard.org

Note : For more information on the KIDS Consortium survey visit http://www.mecitizenshiped.org/youth/student_representation.html