Minnetonka Public Schools — Transcript
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Student Representation on School Board
Impact of School Policies on Students
Votes (1)
Student Representation on the School Board Pilot Initiative
The primary discussion revolved around the ongoing pilot initiative for student representation on the Minnetonka School Board. School Board Chair Patrick Leo Howerin explained the board's long-standing interest in expanding student voice, the legal limitations in Minnesota (preventing voting student members), and the collaborative process involving the Vantage public policy strand to develop the initiative's framework. This framework includes teacher nominations followed by peer elections to select students like Chip Scott and Zayn Casim, who shared their motivations, initial experiences attending board meetings (including feedback on the new phone turn-in policy), and current efforts to gather broader student input. The pilot is scheduled for a year-long evaluation to refine its effectiveness and determine its future continuation.
Notable Quotes (5)
In Minnesota, you can't just be a voting school board member who's a student. That's just that would that would be contrary to Minnesota law. But um some places do that. Some other uh states around the country have those those opportunities.
As far as like the decision school board and stuff is making, I think it a lot of it has to do with what benefits the students and what they want as well. And I think just with us being here every single day, it really helps us connect to that and then share our ideas and what the student body wants as a whole.
What we decided to do is take what we found and come back to Minnotonka, talk to each other a little bit, and then we decide to activate the Vantage public policy strand. ...they presented and uh a group of us selected the winner of the best uh presentation and that presentation was then given to the board at a public meeting...
Yeah, I mean it was a lot of listening, which I think I expected at least, but it was really nice at the end to be able to share our opinions on the new um, phone turn-in policy. So, it was nice to be able to talk about how I thought that's been affecting my learning and I mean how I thought it's been going for my friends around me. So, it was nice to be able to share that.
I mean, honestly, you know, we hear from a lot of people. Uh, and it's great to have lots of opportunities for students to be part of that conversation because, uh, really that's where the rubber hits the road. You're you're the ones who bear the brunt of our curriculum decisions, our policy decisions. And so, uh, we do want to know, you know, that cell phone policy is a great example. We want to know how that's working for you.
Ordinances & Resolutions (3)
An internal document or set of objectives outlining action steps, which included the pilot initiative for student representation.
An assignment given by the superintendent and board to students in the Vantage program to research and propose best practices for involving student voice on the board.
A new school policy discussed by student representatives with the school board, regarding its impact on student learning and experience.