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Adding non-voting student members to the board has many benefits. It improves two-way communication and understanding. It provides a transparent and direct avenue for students to inform Board discussions and participate in decision making. It also provides an additional avenue for students and other stakeholders to be informed of the Board’s work. Furthermore, serving as a non-voting student school board member is itself a rich learning experience for our students. Participating in the work of the Board will develop students’ ability to think critically, work as a team, and communicate clearly. It will help these students grow into well-informed, skillful, and active citizens.

Composition

In order to broaden student opportunity to participate, guarantee consistent student representation at meetings while not over-extending individual students, each high school shall select two students to serve as non-voting student members of the board. With four high schools, there will be a congress of eight student members.

Rotation

As state statute (189:1-c) allows districts having more than one public high school to rotate the student member representation as determined by the board, the student member representation at full board meetings will rotate among the student members such that only one student member participates in each full board meeting. In addition to the opportunity to attend at least two full board meetings, each student member shall be seated on one of three standing committees—Teaching and Learning, Finance and Facilities, or Policy. Student members may participate in the work of other committees by request and/or by invitation (while maintaining their exclusion form discussions and procedures involving subjects that are confidential).

Powers and Duties

A student board member shall:

• attend all school board meetings, as assigned according to the rotation

• serve without pay

• be excluded from discussions and procedures of the school board involving subjects which are confidential under RSA 91-A

• present to the school board in accordance with board procedures

• place proposals on the school board agenda in accordance with board procedures

• represent all public high school students within the district

• serve as a liaison between students and the principal, other faculty, student government advisors, and appropriate outside agencies

• keep public high school students informed of the business of the school board

Term

In accordance with RSA 194:23-f, a student board member shall serve for a term of one year. The term shall run from June 1st to May 31st. 

Elections

In accordance with RSA 194:23-f, It falls to the student government of each high school to establish procedures for

•  the nomination and election of candidates

•  filling any vacancy that may occur in this position

•  any student in the school to petition a student board member to present proposals and opinions to the school board.

State statute 194:23-f further specifies that

• student board members shall be chosen by a simple majority vote of their high school student body

• any student who will graduate during the term's duration is not eligible to be a candidate and is not eligible to vote. Any other student is eligible to be a candidate and to vote.

Student governments shall schedule elections in a manner that allows for the reporting of election results at the first full board meeting in May and for the timely seating of new student members to begin their term June 1st.

Additional Expectations

• Student members shall, at the end of their term, meet with their successors to discuss ongoing items and to share learnings to ensure continuity.

•  At the start of their term, student members shall meet with a member of the Board and an Advisor to establish rapport, expectations, and a written schedule. Student members are strongly encouraged to seek ELO credit for their board work. In addition to providing credit for graduation, the ELO structure will maximize the learning of each student and provide support for the group as a whole.

• All student members shall meet together either in person or remotely, at least once per month, to discuss the work of the Board.

• Student members shall set their own schedule and agenda for these meetings.

• Student members shall maintain two-way communication with the entire student body at their school to get broad feedback from all students on a variety of matters related to the work of the Board. Student governments shall aid and support student members in this endeavor.

Statutory References:

RSA 189:1-c

RSA 194:23-f

See also BOSC policy Students 114

NHSBA Code

First Reading Coordination: 9/15/2020

Second Reading and Approval BOSC: 9/28/2020