To truly find out what the students are thinking and feeling, the Sedona-Oak Creek School District is taking a unique step.
During the Tuesday, Jan. 5, SOCSD Governing Board meeting, the board unanimously voted to move forward with creating a student representative position who will attend board meetings. While that student will not have a vote, they will have a voice.
Superintendent Denny Dearden said he’s worked for other districts that had student reps and that the concept has been very successful.
“Having a student regularly attend a board meeting and give an update and feedback and lend discussion to what we’re trying to accomplish, always reminds everyone why we’re here,” he said. “We are here for the students — all of us — and their voice is very important.”
Sophomore Hunter White led the presentation and, along with Dearden, will come up with a plan before the February board meeting. It will include how the district will go about choosing a student, either through an interview process or possibly a schoolwide election. They will also determine who is eligible in terms of their grade and the duration in which that student will serve as the representative.
White praised the board and administration for the work it does — including during the coronavirus pandemic — but said there is always room for improvement.
“But of course there are always things that fall through the cracks,” he said. “There’s things that often administrators and teachers may not pick up on but that students do.”
Fellow board member Lauren Robinson agreed.
“I love this idea and maybe other things can grow from it,” she said. “We start small and build from there.”
Maria Husted and Barbara Trautwein were also sworn in as the board’s newest members, replacing Heather Hermen and Karl Wiseman. Randy Hawley will again serve as the board’s president while Robinson was voted to be vice president.
The board also approved keeping the meetings to the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. For the time being the meetings will be held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.
