Board outlines lottery approach for citizen advisory committee after 36 applications
March 29, 2025 | Pleasant Valley SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The Pleasant Valley School District board discussed how to form a new citizens advisory committee after 36 community members submitted interest forms.
Board officials proposed grouping applicants by township to ensure geographic representation and using a random-selection process at a public meeting to fill the committee seats. Under the proposal discussed at the March 27 meeting, the district would allocate seats by township size (Chestnut Hill, Polk, Eldred and Ross were cited in the proposal). The administration said Chestnut Hill would receive five seats under the suggested allocation; Polk, Eldred and Ross would receive the remaining seats in proportions discussed by the board.
Board members discussed whether candidates who are also running for board seats should be allowed to serve on the advisory committee and agreed eligibility should not be a bar. Several board members asked staff to provide a public breakdown of the 36 applicants at the next meeting — specifically how many are current parents, graduates, business owners, retirees or employees — so the public can see whether the applicant pool reflects the community.
The president proposed running the selection publicly, assigning applicants an alphabetical number within each township and using a random number generator at a public meeting to select committee members. Board members suggested the chairperson of the new committee could run the actual randomization process during the public session.
Board members and community speakers also urged that the committee’s initial meeting determine topics the committee will address; several board members said topics should be informed by applicant submissions and by community priorities collected in the application process.
No formal vote to adopt the exact selection policy took place at the March 27 meeting. The board signaled acceptance of the random-selection approach and said the chairperson (or a designee) will proceed with the lottery at the next meeting and that staff will provide applicant-category breakdowns in advance.
Board officials proposed grouping applicants by township to ensure geographic representation and using a random-selection process at a public meeting to fill the committee seats. Under the proposal discussed at the March 27 meeting, the district would allocate seats by township size (Chestnut Hill, Polk, Eldred and Ross were cited in the proposal). The administration said Chestnut Hill would receive five seats under the suggested allocation; Polk, Eldred and Ross would receive the remaining seats in proportions discussed by the board.
Board members discussed whether candidates who are also running for board seats should be allowed to serve on the advisory committee and agreed eligibility should not be a bar. Several board members asked staff to provide a public breakdown of the 36 applicants at the next meeting — specifically how many are current parents, graduates, business owners, retirees or employees — so the public can see whether the applicant pool reflects the community.
The president proposed running the selection publicly, assigning applicants an alphabetical number within each township and using a random number generator at a public meeting to select committee members. Board members suggested the chairperson of the new committee could run the actual randomization process during the public session.
Board members and community speakers also urged that the committee’s initial meeting determine topics the committee will address; several board members said topics should be informed by applicant submissions and by community priorities collected in the application process.
No formal vote to adopt the exact selection policy took place at the March 27 meeting. The board signaled acceptance of the random-selection approach and said the chairperson (or a designee) will proceed with the lottery at the next meeting and that staff will provide applicant-category breakdowns in advance.
Don't Miss a Word: See the Full Meeting!
Go beyond summaries. Unlock every video, transcript, and key insight with a Founder Membership.
✓
Get instant access to full meeting videos
✓
Search and clip any phrase from complete transcripts
✓
Receive AI-powered summaries & custom alerts
✓
Enjoy lifetime, unrestricted access to government data
30-day money-back guarantee
