Bemidji board discusses boosting student voice; administration to meet with student council

Board members spent a large portion of the meeting discussing ways to expand and clarify student representation at district board meetings.

Superintendent Olsen outlined ideas learned at a Minnesota School Boards Association session about aligning student government with board representation and training student leaders. "One of the ideas was to have some type of alignment with student government," Olsen said, proposing informal meetings or education about what a school board does.

Student representative Mackenzie suggested a Google form on the high school website to collect broader student input and raised a separate concern that menstrual products have not been restocked frequently in some school bathrooms, citing a Minnesota statute and saying she had spoken with a staff member (Stonik) who indicated the high school issue would be addressed. "I talked to Stonik today and he said that the high school would be taken care of," Mackenzie said.

Board members proposed several next steps: meet with Mackenzie to review onboarding materials for student reps, contact student council advisers, consider lunch-hour office hours for student representatives, create an informational slideshow for incoming student reps, and explore recruiting more candidates from middle and elementary student councils. Several members emphasized ensuring opportunities are open to students who are not on student council and noted the student-rep role includes a scholarship.

Superintendent Olsen said he will meet with Mackenzie and the student council adviser to discuss logistics and report back to the board.