New committee recommended to explore improving student representation in school district

Rachelle Stein-Wotten

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder

School trustees on the education committee are recommending the development of an ad hoc student committee to explore enhancing student engagement opportunities.

Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools’ board will consider a motion at their next meeting that the board chair appoint a Student Voice ad hoc committee to come up with solutions to some of the challenges district staff outlined related to furthering student engagement.

Student Voice is the district’s mechanism for collecting feedback from high school students and includes surveys, receiving feedback from advisory groups such as student councils as well as semi-annual Student Voice sessions between students appointed by school administrators, district staff and the board chair when available.

The staff report presented to the education committee on June 7 said what direction to go next to improve ways for students to engage with the district was unclear. It said some challenges to involving student representatives in board committees could include students not understanding the governance model, finding students “who are representative of the entire district,” legal and accountability requirements of boards and time commitment.

Trustee and education committee chair Naomi Bailey disagreed with a lack of governance education as a hurdle. “That’s how students learm about governance is by actually participating.

“I think we need to educate our students and give them any opportunity they can to participate in elected representation.”

Trustee and board chair Greg Keller was less convinced about having students sitting on committees.

“Finding some way for us to have a bit more two-way dialogue with the Student Voice so that we ensure, that, for example, if the board is looking for student feedback perhaps we can utilize that group…. Maybe we could do a better job of communicating the way our students are supporting our board, and they definitely are.”

Students from Nanaimo District Secondary School recently organized a district-wide event called Enable Change Student Forum, which some trustees attended. The goal for students is to move from a student voice model to student advocacy and there is an appetite among students to develop a district-wide student advisory council, Trustee Leanne Lee said.

“I think our educators are really doing a good job of listening to students, it’s just that maybe we don’t get to hear about it as much as we like,” Lee said.

The board of trustees will vote on the education committee’s recommendation on June 28.