Should the student member on the Harford County Board of Education have a vote? Students say yes, but some adult board members say no, citing students’ lack of maturity and experience.
That dismissive description hardly fits the Harford County Public School students who have been advocating for the vote. Students like Greg Waterworth and Annie Olezczuk have done their research. They’ve networked with fellow students across the state, rallied local support, distributed petitions, spoken out at public meetings, made presentations to PTAs, met with elected officials and convinced many adults (myself included) that students can make vital contributions as voting members of the school board.
Although students have wanted a vote on the Harford County Board of Education for some time, there’s clearly new energy in the air. According to Greg and Annie, the debate over school uniforms served as the catalyst. But these outstanding students don’t need me or anyone else to tell their story for them. So here they are, in their own words:
The Student’s Vote
The students of Harford County Public Schools are ready for their voice to be heard. The Board of Education’s push for school uniforms was the single spark igniting a huge fire. Since the Board’s dismissal of uniforms due to economic reasons, student leaders have turned their focus to the source of their grievances.
For 20 years the students of Harford County have been trying to gain voting rights for their representative on the Board of Education. The Student Representative on the Board (SROB) is elected by a delegation of students from every middle and high school in the county, except Southhampton. This delegation is known as the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils (HCRASC) and is the county’s student council as well as a major outlet for student activism.
Candidates go through an interview process and debate before the General Assembly of HCRASC. After the votes are tallied and the winner is announced the Student Representative elected starts shadowing and training with the current SROB to prepare them for their term. Currently, the Student Representative is the only member elected to the board of 8 and has an opinion vote which holds little weight and has no legitimacy in the final tally.
HCRASC is fighting this year to bring power to the student body’s voice by working to enfranchise the Student Representative on the Board of Education with partial voting rights.
HB 987 was introduced to the Maryland House of Delegates by Delegate Riley of district 34A. HB 987 gives the Student Member a legitimate vote on matters pertaining to Curriculum and School Climate policies, but doesn’t not allow the student to vote on matters pertaining to the Budget, Personnel, Re-districting, or collective bargaining.
In the State of Maryland, five local school systems: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Howard County, and Prince George’s County give their Board of Education’s student member partial voting rights. Anne Arundel County is the only school district in the state where the student member on the board has the same voting rights as the adult members. Harford County hopes to be the seventh school district to have a student member on the Board of Education with voting rights.
The students of Harford County are ready for this responsibility. As the beneficiaries of the Board of Education we wish to not only have a representative but to be a part the deliberations and decisions made by our Board. Many believe us to be inexperienced and immature, therefore unfit for this task, but are thirteen years of Harford County Public Education not enough? And the very fact that students are fighting for partial voting rights, for enfranchisement, proves that we are much more than immature “kids”. We are young adults and we want our voice to be immutable.
By Greg Waterworth
What’s most impressive is that Greg, Annie and other student-advocates in Harford County view their cause as something greater than themselves. As graduating seniors, you might expect them to be cruising toward Senior Week. Instead, they’re busy documenting their work with the idea of empowering younger students to continue their advocacy. So that whatever happens to HB 987 this year, the spirit of this student-led movement may live on.
House Bill 987 has a hearing scheduled before the House Ways and Means Committee on March 4th. Late word is County Executive David Craig will be there to testify in support.
Life’s experiences are what help you grow, and participating in student government, campaigning, voting and studying issues are important experiences for everyone. All these efforts help prepare young adults to make decisions. In fact they have to decide now in 8th grade what career they want to study for the next four years…but yet I find it a bit insulting as a parent that it is okay to have a student sit and participate on the board, yet they are NOT permitted true voting rights.
I have sat in on many BOE meetings and from my perspective the SROB appears to take his/her role very seriously. You could also argue that they are more in tune with what is happening in the schools than anyone else sitting there. The students themselves identify they don’t have the insights to vote on personnel matters, but identify they should have the rights to vote on issues related to curriculum, schedules or general policies.
Once again our BOE displays their own lack of maturity-they feel threatened. I would have thought they’d be embracing this change. If they are so sure of what they do for the good of the students then why not have it on record that a student “validated” their own proposals.
The Board of Education’s Committee on Partial Student Voting Rights met last Saturday the 28th. We came to the conclusion that if a bill giving the student member on the board of education voting rights is to ever pass then we need to do more research and build stronger community support. We truly started this push for voting rights in November and if given another year to make our argument perfect I predict we can have the full backing of our Board of Education, PTAs, County Council, County Executive, Teachers, Students, Administrators, Delegation, and Senators. If given another year we will have the policies ready to back the legislation and we will have a voting student member without debate.
Due to the weather, I have been unable to contact Delegate Riley, but once I do I will ask him to pull HB 987, based not on its merit but on our lack of time. If the ends justified the means then we would never ask for the bill to be pulled but the students will not taint the noblest of ends will inadequate and high paced means.
So expect to hear more of our pursuit, expect to be contacted sooner for your support, and expect to have a voting Student Member by next year. The students of Harford County are ready for this responsibility and will not stop until their voices are immutable.
Greg,
I’m ready to go with the bill. It is a good bill.
But if you truly want the bill pulled, I will regretfully, pull it.
Hey Delegate Riley,
I know it is a good bill and my heart hates pulling it but I know if it is pulled this year and if you are willing to sponsor it again next year it will pass with incident or debate. We have students who are ready to take up this battle when Annie and I leave and we will be working until next session to make it perfect. If you could please email me at gwaterworth@comcast.net or give me a call and we can talk about this more. I really want this to pass but I am willing to wait for the Board and the community so we can all celebrate the empowerment of the students together.
Thank you so much Delegate Riley!!!!!!
Please give me a call.
Greg
p.s. I enjoy using the Dagger like instant messaging with you hahah
*without incident or debate*
Greg,
You’ve done a lot of great work here and put much of your time and heart into his effort. It’s also not everyday you get a delegate telling you “it is a good bill” and that if they have to pull it, it will be with regret.
I’m not suggesting anything by this comment, but please remember that a lot can happen in a year – especially if you and Annie aren’t around anymore to shepherd this bill through.
I can’t speak for the Board of Education, but I think the community is probably ready to celebrate student empowerment with you NOW.
Greg:
I concur with Brian wholeheartedly. You have nothing to lose by going to Annapolis. What research do you need anyway? That sounds like a stall tactic to me. Several years ago the Student Rep on the Board of Education tried unsuccessfully to get a vote and nothing has changed since then so the Board has known at least since then that the Student Member wanted a voting right.
Just remember the student is the only voice on the Board that is in the school building almost everyday and can comment on issues from their perspective. As it stands now, only one Board member even has children in high school. One has a child in middle school and that is it. No current educators from Harford County on the Board either…
I too think many in the community would celebrate with you. Public education should be MORE inclusive not less.
wow…talk about transparencey in government…..dont get more transparent than this…!!!
Go Dagger !