In the recent Wentzville School District Board of Education meeting on Feb. 18, a conversation about having student representation at future board meetings was introduced and discussed. The members voted to approve the process of adding student representative(s) to the Board of Education for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Seeing as how there are no set policies in place yet, the board is working with the administration to create policy and regulations. This process has many layers to it and will take a long time to form but just knowing it’s in the works is relieving for many students. 

Having student representation will help the school board understand students’ needs and wants more and get students more engaged in their community. Providing students with a voice will allow them to share new ideas and solutions that could be beneficial to the board as well as students. 

“I feel it’s important to have student participation with our school board,” board member Erin Abbott said. “As school board directors, we are here to serve student needs. By giving students a ‘voice at the table,’ the school board will be made aware of those needs. Students are the end consumers of the education that the school board works to provide.”

The Board of Education is putting in a lot of research regarding this subject. They are communicating with other school districts that have had student representatives to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t as well as getting input from staff and students. After this process is completed, the information collected will be brought to the board and the subject will be further discussed then. 

“I guess what I would like to see from this motion is a committee be formed, and from that let their own representative come to the board, give them a place on the agenda where they can speak,” board member Dale Schaper said at the February board meeting.  

It’s exciting for students to finally be a part of the discussion and provide insight on how decisions made by the board impact students’ lives at school. Many students will look forward to seeing how having student representation during board meetings will affect decision-making in the future.