Every four years, the citizens of Fairfax County elect the members of the School Board. By contrast, the Student Advisory Council (SAC) elects a new representative to the School Board each year.
The one-year position doesn’t leave the high-school student much time to learn the ways of the board and become an effective voice for the students.
That could all change Thursday, July 24, when the School Board votes on proposed revisions to the policy governing the student representative, which includes an earlier election date and mandatory service on an advisory council before taking office. The recommendations were made by the Student Advisory Council as the School Board debates the role of the student representative.
"School Board members get four years and it is very difficult for a student rep to get goals accomplished in one year. Things get pushed off, sometimes a year," said Andrew Ramish, the current student representative. "The experience gained [by serving on the community advisory council] will help the student rep to achieve those goals."
SCHOOL BOARD member Stuart Gibson (Hunter Mill) had requested the student representative policy be subject to a work session, which was held July 8, to discuss revising the position to include term limits, ensure more diversity among the schools supplying representatives and clearly defining what materials are to be made available to the representative.
In a move that practically headed off debate, the SAC made its own recommendations, which has been absorbed into the proposed policy change. Among them is holding the election before Feb. 15 of each year, and having the representative-elect serve on the Superintendent's Community Advisory Council and attend the SAC monthly meetings from March until his or her term officially begins in July 1. In addition, the SAC decided to reduce its numbers from five members from each high school to four members and eliminated the cluster meetings for select members in favor of monthly meeting for all members.
"The way the SAC was restructured, with all the kids attending meetings, they thought it would get more students involved in this position [the student representative]. Our intent is that they will be more interested in running," Sara Shoob, the SAC coordinator said. As far as reducing its size, Shoob said the students felt a smaller council would be more manageable and would promote more discussion among all the members.
STILL UP FOR DEBATE among the School Board is whether the student representative should be limited to one term, a move supported by Gibson to ensure that no one school can dominate the representative position.
In fact, since the election of the first student representative in the early 1970s, nine high schools have not had a student elected to the position. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has provided the most representatives, having students serve eight terms, including both two-term representatives; and the most recent representatives, Matthew Wansley, who graduated in May, and Ramish. Robinson is next with four representatives followed by Langley, Herndon and Marshall with three representatives each.
"Part of the value of the position … is to bring forward the voice of the constituency we are serving," said School Board Jane Strauss (Dranesville). "That's why it is important to [ensure more diversity among the schools]. As it’s been pointed out, there are some parts of the county that have never sent a representative.
"I think it is important to share the role, share the voice."
OTHERS ON THE BOARD, including Ramish, said prohibiting a student representative from serving more than one term was counter to the democratic process.
"You need to keep it a free election," Ramish said. "All the students know what schools the candidates come from and if they wanted diversity, they can vote for someone from a different school."
Some School Board members pointed out that they would never vote to limit themselves to one term, therefore it was not fair to do the same to the student representative.
"It rarely happens [a two-term representative], but when it does happen it turns out the student was elected by his peers," said School Board member Ernestine Heastie (Providence). "I believe the students have been a great addition to the School Board."
THE CODE OF VIRGINIA allows for a jurisdiction's School Board to create a student representative position, however, it prevents the representative from being a member of the actual board. It also gives the board the discretion to define the student representative's role and term limits.
Locally, Loudoun County and the City of Alexandria have not created a policy establishing a student representative. Arlington County, while not having a student representative, does have a Student Advisory Council to the School Board, made up of one representative from each high school.
The School Board is expected to vote on the recommended changes during its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, beginning at 7:30 p.m., at Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road in Falls Church. Also scheduled for adoption is the FY 2003 final budget review, which includes funding to create 36 all-day kindergarten classes in eight schools and the adoption of a policy that would permit the installation of external surveillance cameras on school properties.