Mat-Su School Board upholds policy change to Student Advisory Rep role

On Wednesday evening, students, parents, young and old, turned out donning yellow in support of the Student Advisory Board as the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) school board met for their regularly scheduled meeting. They were there to support Ben Kolendo, the Student Advisory Board Representative (SABR) for the district, and voice opposition to Board Policy 9110, which would change the role of the SABR.

“True student representation at a district level is something that is valued by many students and benefits all. The ability to cast a preferential vote, be candid on issues that are voted on by our school board, and be listened to by people in control of our educational system is essential to the functioning of an organization whose largest stakeholders are students,” said SAB President Quin Schachle during public comments.

“The taking away of an outspoken student leadership position, and one that has been around for so long sets a precedent that student voices and leadership in our district is not valued by the people who have been elected to sit on the school board,” he told the board. He said the removal of student opinion from the school board dais not only removes the students’ voice, but would also be a disservice to the school board, essentially removing their credibility.

He also told the board that he holds them in high regard and believes that they are sincere in their efforts to do the best for the students.

A surprising voice that spoke in opposition of the policy change was Jackie Goforth, author and local activist who has regularly spoken out at school board meetings, challenging some of the books found in school libraries, saying:

“I’m mystified as to why this step is even being taken. I’ve been to these meetings, been to the ones in Anchorage, and even when my kids were in school, there’s always been a student representative up there. I’m mystified why we would take this step to remove them from a position where they actually have a voice on the school board. Whether it matters or not, what they say, surely the students have the right to say it, and have their representative say it.”

Vicki Hewitt, the current president of the Mat-Su Education Association, voiced her support for Kolendo and encouraged him to run for school board when he is eligible.

Kenni Psenak Linden offered a different perspective as someone who served as SABR and sat on the school board in 2006, when the policy was last reviewed.

“My last month of school was a blur, in large part because of the board. In spring of 2006, rather than being removed from the dais…I was told that if I didn’t stop asking questions or speaking up during meetings, the student position would be cut altogether,” Linden recalled.

She said that it was an agonizing responsibility to shoulder, but that it taught her two things, the first being that adults, institutions, and policymakers are not infallible; the second:

“The only way to remedy being silenced is to speak up loud and often. I’ve spent 17 years regretting that I didn’t speak up for students and publicly call out the hypocrisy of intimidating a student rep and I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

One student used silence to send her message to the board.

“I wanted to use the policy you implemented a couple years ago and give my moment of silence to the students and former students of this district,” Laura Liford told the board before taking one minute to remain silent as many in the audience waved signs of support.

“I am giving one minute of silence to the 20,000 students in the district can use their voices to oppose BP 9110.”

As the board began discussing the proposal, school board member Kathy McCollum said she would like to hear more voices instead of fewer.

“I really am impressed with all the students that came out tonight. I know you are working and have jobs to do as well. I read a lot of emails and the general theme was asking for more student voices, not less,” McCollum said, then added that she would like to hear opinions, concerns, and comments from a bigger variety of students. “I know that there are a lot of other groups in the district, such as FFA and Educators Rising, and I’d like to hear more discussion on how we could incorporate more voices, instead of fewer.”

School board member Ted Swanson inquired about the decision-making process to remove Kolendo from the dais prior to a vote on the proposed membership change, something that many were asking prior to the meeting itself, to which Deputy Superintendent Katie Gardner stated:

“It was determined through discussions that we would start the year and the routine, work through the policy revisions and not have the member on the dais, and then be removed from the dais, but instead start the current routine with the current seats you see.”

Swanson then said that it was his belief that the public would like to see the vote for the removal from the dais, regardless of how it was discussed during the retreat.

“I think it does a disservice to us. There wasn’t a lot of explanation to the public and the perception is that we have done a disservice to Mr. Kolendo.” Despite the audience support for such a vote, it did not occur.

Jacob Butcher offered an amendment that would have stricken the SABR and would have instead arranged for a representative from one of the district’s student leadership organizations to present a report on the leadership organization’s actions at each board meeting, that would have included but not limited to “high school student council and government, middle school student leadership teams, career and technical student organizations, SAB, and Alaska Association of Student Government (AASOG).” The amendment failed after the board took a 5 minute break to read over the item.

Following a second break to discuss another amendment, Kolendo finally was able to give his statement to the board.

“My comments today are not about personal removal, but the unjust deprivation of a vital responsibility from all present and future students in this school district,” Kolendo began, saying that it has been a privilege and an honor to serve the students, families, and communities within the district.

“Education, as many of you know, has long been a passion of mine, and I have witnessed firsthand the transformational power it holds for our youth. I’ve always sought to advocate for the best interests of our student, bringing forth concerns and ideas that I believe are essential for their well-being and success.”

Ultimately, the proposed change to BP 9110 passed with a 5-2 vote, an outcome that didn’t surprise many in the audience, including Kolendo, who said before the vote that seeing the support of his peers and community members

“After being on the board for 4 years and seeing it for 6, I’ve never seen anyone really change a vote from the school board. So it’s encouraging that people are on my side, but I don’t think public comment really matters.”

In a related note, during the Anchorage School Board meeting, the MSBSD proposed policy was discussed during their Student Advisory Representative report.

“I am very grateful for our school board who stands against this decision and finds this shocking like I have. In light of this, I have contacted the SABR at Mat-Su and we are planning to write a resolution where get to present and condemn the actions of that school board to our Student Advisory Boards and AASOG,” said Joshua Pak, the SAB Representative for the Anchorage School Board, from his seat on the dais.

ASB member Andy Holleman commented that having a SAB sit on the school board is about the board having voices that it can hear.

“There are not a lot of venues for students to speak to the board, other than the 3-minute testimony, and yet they are our primary concern and the single largest group of people that we impact. Having a place where you can ask questions as things are presented to us…makes this a better board.” He commented that he watched the previous school board meeting and was disappointed, and that he knows of no other district in the state that currently has student representation on the board, that has walked back from it.

The next regularly scheduled MSBSD school board meeting will be held on September 20 at the Houston High School.