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Central Unified board adopts bylaw to add student board member after student petition
Summary
The board approved Board Bylaw BB 9150 to add at least one student board member following a petition validated by the district. Trustees debated term length, representation from traditional and alternative campuses and a future process to remove student trustees; the board approved the bylaw 7-0.
The Central Unified School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 28 approved Board Bylaw BB 9150 to create at least one student board member after administrators confirmed a validated petition from more than 500 students.
The adoption followed district staff confirmation that the petition met the threshold in state law. Superintendent Katie Davis told trustees the district “validated the petition” and “recommends that you approve the inclusion of at least 1 [student board member].”
Trustees spent most of the discussion settling procedural details: whether student trustees should serve semester or year-long terms, whether two student trustees should be required (one from a traditional campus, one from an alternative campus) and how the board would handle vacancies and any future decision to remove student trustees.
Trustee Carrillo and others said they favored ensuring student representation from both traditional and alternative sites to broaden voices. Trustee Carrillo proposed language to require one student trustee from a traditional campus and one from an alternative campus, and to remove the immediate specification of a six-month term so the board could return with a recommended term length after student input. Several trustees urged that the board solicit student feedback on term length, election method and accommodations for students with in‑season athletics or other commitments.
The bylaw as approved (BB 9150, revised language) requires the governing board to accept a valid petition from high school students to request appointment of at least one student board member, establishes definitions for “governing board” and “student board member,” and leaves selection details and term length to be finalized with further procedures and student input. The board specifically directed that the bylaw text use the term “board bylaw” (not “board policy”) and that the bylaw refer to “traditional” and “alternative” sites rather than “comprehensive” and “non‑comprehensive.”
Board President Singh called for the vote after discussion. The motion to adopt the bylaw passed unanimously, 7-0.
What happens next: Trustees asked administration to return with a timeline and a recommended process (including how to fill vacancies and whether terms should be semester- or year-long) and to solicit student input before the board finalizes elect/selection procedures.
