By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- High school administrators and the district superintendent will approach the high school student council to gauge interest in appointing a student Board of Education representative.

“I think it’s a great idea … the more we can expose our kids to public service ... I don’t see a cost associated with it,” Trustee Loren Fountain said.

The student member would not vote or go in executive session.

“They sit with the board, deliberate with the board in open session,” Superintendent Pat Brady said.

The trustees all seemed to think Brady should first find out if anyone would be willing to commit several hours per month.

“I think it’s a good idea … but I’d almost have to gauge it with sitting down with some students,” Trustee Pat Serguson said.

“There needs to be some sort of buy-in from the student body,” Trustee Paul Haggett said, who brought up the idea of a student rep at the August meeting.

Some of the members seemed eager to add a student to their ranks.
“We get the insight of having a student that’s in school every day … they get the experience of serving a civic duty before they’re out of high school,” Haggett said.

“It’s got a tremendous backing by people in the higher level of the school board association,” Trustee William Sommerfield said, adding that statewide, the practice is more popular in urban areas, according to his research.

If the board decides they want to go with the proposal, it would be subject to their vote, the public’s vote in May and recurring public vote every two years.