Pittsburgh Public Schools board members and staff during a public hearing on the district’s budget in December 2023. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
In an effort to increase student input, PPS leaders passed a resolution adding two non-voting student positions to the school board.
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by Lajja Mistry, PublicSource
Updated (6/27/24): The PPS school board unanimously approved a policy to appoint two non-voting student board representatives during a legislative meeting on Wednesday. The proposal — first presented in January — was taken up again by the board after months of review from the policy committee.
The board will appoint two students for a two-year term starting in August.
Devon Taliaferro, board member and co-chair of the Policy Committee, said the new policy will support the board to make decisions that are focused on student outcomes and give students an opportunity to be part of a governing body.
Updated (1/25/24): The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday passed a motion to table a resolution for appointing student board representatives, shelving it indefinitely.
Board member Jamie Piotrowski said she supports amplifying student voices and the board should create a consistent program through the policy committee instead of passing a resolution. She added that passing a resolution to appoint two students would not represent the whole student body, including many English language learners or students with disabilities.
“This is a resolution that then becomes very difficult to find in Board Docs and then as the board changes, this program could essentially disappear,” she said.
Board member Sala Udin, who introduced the initial resolution and voted against tabling, said he made many changes to the resolution based on recommendations from board members, adding that the board would be “sending a very negative message to the students” if they tabled the resolution.
“We need to be lifting them up, not muzzling them,” he said.
The board plans to have conversations in the upcoming policy committee meetings to decide a plan forward.
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