Board advances plan for student ex officio members; application, rubric and regulations to be finalized
Loading...
Summary
The board discussed a new policy to seat two ex officio student representatives (one each from East and West senior high schools) at the board table; the policy will use an application process for rising juniors and seniors and staff will finalize application materials and selection rubric.
The West Seneca Board of Education on April 8 reviewed a proposed policy to include student ex officio members at the board table. The policy would seat two nonvoting student representatives — one from East Senior and one from West Senior — plus alternates, to provide student perspective at board discussions.
District staff and the policy committee proposed an application-based process that will be open to rising juniors and seniors who have been enrolled at the high school for at least one year. The committee recommended setting clear application guidance (for example, suggested word counts for open-response items), a user-friendly reference form for staff or community references, and a rubric-based interview and scoring process. Building principals would be involved in candidate review and recommendations.
Superintendent Dr. Cervone and administrators said the policy would allow student representatives to participate in public discussion at board meetings but not in executive sessions; students would not have voting rights. The district plans to stagger appointments so alternates are familiar with board procedures and can step in when primaries are absent.
The policy committee revised the draft policy at its meeting earlier the same day and asked staff to prepare a regulation and a cover page for the application that lists expectations (attendance commitment, reporting responsibilities, eligibility rules). Staff will circulate the applicant materials and rubric to board members and the high school leadership after spring break with an anticipated application deadline of May 15 and a recommended start date for the student members on July 1 (which will make them available for the district’s organizational meeting in July).
