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Board members endorse exploring revival of Youth & Government program but staff cite cost, capacity limits
Summary
Trustees asked the city and district to consider reinstating the Youth & Government Day program; district staff said the longtime coordinator (Bob Bowen) retired and the slot was eliminated, and the city said it will explore feasibility but noted bandwidth and cost constraints while volunteers offered to help.
A trustee asked the city and district to consider reviving the long-running Youth & Government program that had students shadow elected officials and city/district leaders.
District staff said the program had ended after the longtime coordinator, Bob Bowen, retired and the position was eliminated. As the district put it: ‘‘The Youth and Government Day happened for a long time...the person who had been driving the program, Bob Bowen, for generations, he retired and the position was eliminated, and Youth and Government Day went with it.’’ Staff cautioned the program is not a small lift and requires prep, hosting capacity and debriefing time.
City staff said they are willing to explore feasibility and report back but flagged physical and staffing constraints and potential costs. Multiple trustees and attendees noted the program’s educational value, suggested exploring grants or volunteer-led pilots, and one attendee volunteered to help run mock hearings or classroom activities in a smaller format while agencies evaluate funding and capacity.
Next steps: Staff on both sides agreed to explore feasible options, look for possible grant funding or volunteer-led approaches, and return with recommendations for whether and how the program could resume in a future school year.
