Resolution to reinstitute Student Advisory Rep role goes to the State Senate next year

Following his removal from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) school board dais in September, Ben Kolendo, the Student Advisory Board Representative (SABR) for the Mat-Su Borough, has emerged with new legislation that will be taken to the Alaska State Senate next year for passage and adoption.

Kolendo recently brought forward a resolution to the SABR governing body, the Alaska Association of Student Governments (AASG) essentially would return the rights the SABR previously had before the MSBSD school board passed BP 9110, which removed nearly every responsibility that previous SABRs held.

The resolution states that school boards with an average daily membership exceeding 5,000 establish the position of a Student Board Member to represent the student body on the School Board.

Perhaps most notable in the resolution is that it calls for Student board members to hold the official title of "School Board Member," returning the SABR to the dais during board meetings, and reinstating the privileges the SABR had before.

In addition to having the right to attend all public school board meetings, the SABR would be recognized at meetings and given the opportunity to participate in questioning witnesses and discussing issues brought before the board, and receive all materials and documents presented to regular board members, with the exception of materials related to executive sessions.

SABRs would also be able to cast votes on items, except those discussed in executive session. However, a school board may decide to make the student board members vote preferential, meaning the vote must be cast prior to the official board vote and would not impact the final outcome of any vote and shall be recorded in the official minutes of the School Board meetings.

The resolution submitted by Kolendo with the support of Wasilla, Palmer, and Career and Technical High School Student Governments, was brought to the AASG during their Fall Conference, which was held at West Valley High School in Fairbanks last weekend.

“It was unanimously passed through a delegation of hundreds of student representatives from 34 school across the state,” Kolendo said, adding that there were minimal amendments needed.

“Very few resolutions pass unanimously. That says this resolution really matters.”

His resolution also earned the title “Resolution of the Conference.”

Kolendo said that with the unanimous passage, the will now move the resolution to the MSBSD and strongly advocate for its adoption. Concurrently, it will be introduced to the Alaska Senate during the 33rd Legislative Session. Kolendo will be able to choose any Alaska State Senator to support the legislation.

“The goal is to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen to another SABR. This isn’t just a resolution, this is for all SABRs, to protect others from any having their rights infringed upon.”

AASG provide leadership training, communication, and a student voice of issues at the local, state and national levels. The association holds two statewide conferences each year, one in the spring and one in the fall, each hosted by various member schools. During these three-day conferences, delegates from member schools attend general business meetings where issue related resolutions are introduced, debated and voted on by the delegation.

“We do this to support students, to help other students. We have a voice and it needs to be heard. It is an amazing experience.”