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Students urge funding for cafeteria upgrades, parking transparency and employee healthcare at Student Government Day
Summary
Student speakers at Portsmouth's Student Government Day asked the City Council to fund a $750,000 cafeteria renovation, press for transparency on $36,000 in student parking revenue, and back proposals for $5 million in teacher healthcare support and $1 million for school lunches.
Several Portsmouth students used Student Government Day on March 19 to press the City Council on school spending and student services.
Stella Ko asked the council to approve $750,000 to partially renovate Portsmouth High School’s cafeteria, citing inefficient lunch lines and the need for more chairs and tables. "We would like to adjust the format of the lunch lines" and expand the food budget to provide healthier meals, she said.
Maddie Hoen said a student parking pass costs $150 and that the high school collects about $36,000 annually from parking fees. Students are asking for transparency on how that revenue is spent and to have a voice in allocating funds for student-led events, athletics and senior activities.
Julia Emory proposed two larger investments from city resources: $5 million to help cover school employees’ health-care costs to support staff retention, and $1 million to improve the school lunch program. Emory framed both proposals as investments in the community’s future, arguing that stable healthcare and quality meals are essential to retaining teachers and enabling student learning.
Council received the public comments during the public-comment portion of the meeting but did not take immediate action on the student spending requests; several items were referred to the school department for report-back at a future meeting.
