Student Board Member Information
Background Information
Members of this committee met as a whole group via Google Meet, on two separate dates beginning in November 2024.
Individual school teams met between whole group meetings to develop a proposed process for the selection of Student Board Representatives to the School Board. All three proposals were submitted to the entire group for review and discussion.
At the January 14th meeting of the group, agreement was obtained for the proposed following process to be utilized at all three Williamsville Central School District High Schools, for the selection of an Ex Officio Student Board Representative from each high school to the Williamsville School Board, in compliance with NY State Education Law 9018-A, subdivision 3, of section 1702, as amended April 10, 2024, to take effect on July 1, 2025.
It was important to the school teams that the process for selecting the ex officio student board representative mirror the process in place for the election of publicly elected school board members and give respect to school boards request that the process include input from school administration and students.
With these parameters as guides the following selection process is proposed to the full Williamsville School Board for their approval.
Committee Memebers
- East High School: Jason Swenson, Principal; Caroline Marciszewski, Counselor; Mariam Abd-Elhamid, Student; Eli Feldstein, Student
- North High School: Andrew Bowen, Principal; Jennifer Miller-Bushey, Counselor; Avery Blaszak, Student; Jolynda Wang, Student
- South High School: Keith Boardman, Principal; Kevin VanDerMeid, Counselor; Ella Greene, Student; Silaksika(Suzy) Mukuntharuban,
- Student School Board: Christina Bleckinger, Maureen Poulin (Committee Chair), Swaroop Singh
Selection Criteria
Expression of Interest
Students desiring to run for the position of Student Ex Officio School Board Member will obtain a candidate packet through their school office or through the district website. Each candidate will be asked to submit:
Statement of Affirmation that they meet the qualifications for the position:
- I am able to read and write.
- have attended the (name of high school) for at least one full year prior to term of service.(student must have been in attendance at their high school as of September 3, 2024)
- I am not an employee of the Williamsville Central School District
- I am not a family member of another Board member
- I have not been suspended from school during the last school year
Petition containing legible signatures of peers, equaling 4% of the student population of the school of attendance (East-38; North-52; South-32), and two teachers.
Administrative Endorsement
When initial materials are turned in, students will be provided a set of potential interview questions which will explore: the candidate’s ability to gather feedback from their peers, school and community activities, motivation for becoming a student board member, qualities they believe are important to the role, key issues concerning students in the district and surrounding community.
Each building principal will appoint an interview committee of 3-5 individuals, which will include administration, faculty, and student(s), who will conduct interviews with each candidate. A scoring rubric will be utilized in evaluating candidate’s responses, which will include elements of content as well as presentation. The interview team will review all information and select no more than 3 candidates for further consideration.
School Election
The final candidates will be given the opportunity to complete a 90 second video to be displayed on school messaging screens and conduct campaigning in accordance with school norms. An all school election will be held in which students will have the opportunity to vote. The candidate with the most votes will be selected as the school Student Board Member and their name forwarded to Williamsville Central School District, District Clerk, Lynn Carey.