CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board is considering adding an eighth member to the team: a non-voting student board member.
For years now, the CMCSS School Board has managed its many school districts through its seven elected board members. But recently, the board has noticed a severe lack of student representation to speak on student problems.
On April 8, board member, Herb Nelson, brought this to the board, saying, “The objective of having this student on here is to give us the feedback directly from the students so we don’t just sit up here and operate in the vacuum. We get direct feedback from the students about what’s going on in the schools.”
Requirements to become student board member
On May 6, the board heard from CMCSS Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Schanda Doughty, who presented this pitch to the board for discussion. According to the presentation, students interested in becoming the student board member must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible:
- Student must be a current junior or senior enrolled in a CMCSS high school.
- Be an active member of the CMCSS High School Student Advisory Committee.
- Have a record of good standing with no significant disciplinary actions.
According to Doughty, the District High School Student Advisory Committee will nominate candidates for the position.
Each of the eight CMCSS high schools nominates four students to serve on the advisory committee for a total of 32 students, which are appointed each August. Doughty recommends that the 32 students (through a voting selection process) select two of their peers to represent them, one as the board member and one as an alternate to be presented to the CMCSS school board for final selection.
Since the advisory committee isn’t selected until August, the student board member would not formally start until October and would serve for one term to allow for broader student participation.
Additionally, the student representative will serve in a non-voting capacity and must adhere to all applicable policies regarding confidentiality and conduct.
Duties & Responsibilities of student board member
The initial presentation for the duties and responsibilities of the student board member included the following:
- Attend all formal, public meetings of the School Board.
- Meet with the Director of High Schools or designee prior to each meeting to review the agenda and discuss relevant topics.
- Communicate student concerns and perspectives to the School Board during the comments section of the agenda.
- Provide regular updates to the Student Advisory Committee regarding board discussions and decisions.
During the presentation from Doughty, board member Kent Griffy weighed in to say that he wanted to see more involvement in board discussions from the student board member and not just provide comments or input at the end of the meeting during the comments section.
“I see it (comments) as them having that opportunity, but I also would like to see them be able to engage in discussion we’re having on issues,” Griffy said. “Because if they are held silent until board comments, they may not be able to pass their message on about the discussion that we’re having about a subject that particular night.”
Similarly, Kacie Bryant expressed a desire to see a routine presence from the student board member at both the formal and study sessions. Doughty explained that many of the students have obligations toward other extracurriculars and a lot of them rely on their parents for transportation.
“We didn’t want requiring them to attend two meetings to be a hindrance to the students,” Doughty said. “We felt like one meeting was realistic for families and for these students. That opportunity (to attend study sessions) can definitely be there for them, but we didn’t want that to be a limiting factor.”
“So, they could come if they wanted to? Because I feel like a lot of it kind of rolls over from meeting to meeting,” Bryant responded. “I can imagine it’d be hard for them to keep up if they’re only getting half the conversation.”
Additionally, board member Aron Maberry suggested that there be a period of time at the end of the school year where the incumbent student board member could be shadowed by potential candidates for the next selection process.
The board will vote on this item during the next CMCSS School Board formal session on Tuesday, May 20.
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