Boise School District students could soon have a bigger say in board decisions
The Boise School District plans to form a student advisory committee next school year in an effort to engage more students with the district’s school board.
The Boise school board on Monday recommended the creation and implementation of the committee, which is expected to include three trustees and representatives from each of the district’s five high schools. The recommendation came after students pushed to have more of a voice in the school district’s decisions.
The committee will provide students with regular collaboration with trustees, district administration and students from other schools. It will also give board members the opportunity to hear more student input, use that feedback when making policy decisions and “improve student learning and school culture,” according to a presentation on the committee.
Students on the committee will be able to better understand how decisions are made at a board level, and what roles trustees play in the district, the presentation said.
“I love it,” Trustee Beth Oppenheimer said during the board meeting Monday. “It gives us an opportunity to represent all five schools, who we know are all very different. … As we’re developing the structure around this, I think that we have a tremendous opportunity to really, really engage all voices from students within the school district.”
Boise High student applies for trustee role
The idea for the committee came after then-Boise High School senior Lizzy Duke-Moe — who has since graduated — applied last fall to serve on the board after a former trustee resigned from the role.
At the time, Duke-Moe said she felt the board was out of touch with students’ needs and what happens in the classroom.
Duke-Moe was not selected for the position. But over the next several months, she worked with board members to push for students to have more of a voice in the decision-making processes in the district.
Over the past several months, Duke-Moe researched student advisory committees across the country and looked at what could work in the Boise School District. She said the committee represents a long-term commitment to student engagement.
“Having youth voices from these very diverse schools and very diverse communities, with very different experiences and issues is the best option for furthering the mission and vision of the Boise public schools,” Duke-Moe told the Idaho Statesman last month.
She worked with Oppenheimer and trustee Andy Hawes to draft up proposals for what the committee would look like and what its role would be.
Hawes said Monday student advisory committees, when set up in the right way, can provide an authentic voice for students. He said the board will continue to get additional input from students to make sure it is set up for success.
Duke-Moe expects the committee to continue to evolve over the years, and could eventually include students from more schools in the district and turn into a voting position — if that’s what students want.
“(Students) will have the opportunity to collaborate and to learn together and to become civically engaged leaders of their communities,” Duke-Moe said. “That’s such an amazing opportunity that I wish I had. … I’m really glad that the generations after me will get the chance.”
Boise School District must develop committee bylaws
The next steps to create the committee include developing bylaws and practices, creating a selection process, and laying out the scope of the committee and its roles and responsibilities.
The district will also distribute information and application materials for the advisory committee to school personnel, according to the presentation. The goal is for the student advisory committee to have its first meeting in October.
During the meeting Monday, trustees talked about the important of listening to and engaging with students.
“Getting student input is an important part, I think, of helping students feel like they’re a part of their own education,” trustee Steve Schmidt said. “Having that input would help us make better decisions to help guide the district.
Trustees also said the advisory committee would help students from different schools to connect and bring new ideas back to each of their schools.
They acknowledged the committee would likely be changed and updated over the next several years.
“We realized maybe we weren’t listening as well as we could to some voices or … creating an additional space for that,” Board President Dave Wagers said. “I like the fact that the administration and trustees are willing to say ‘Hey, maybe we could be better.’”
