In hopes of addressing any questions or concerns among his colleagues, Harford County Board of Education student representative Anthony Cofrancesco gave a presentation at Monday's board meeting in favor of partial student voting rights for his position.
Cofrancesco, who has been an advocate for the partial voting rights for school board student representatives, invited Christina McIntyre and Anna Wasielewski from the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils Student Voting Rights Task Force to join him in the presentation, demonstrating the sincerity and need for the students to have a voice on the board.
Board of Education student representatives' votes are recorded in the meeting's official minutes, but they do not count when making various decisions.
As Cofrancesco explained, he was bringing the matter before the board now to answer any questions other members of the school board might had before Dec. 19, when the issue will be voted on.
To obtain voting rights, whether partial or full, students must give their support, which is "absolutely essential," Cofrancesco said, and the county's school board before any legislation is passed by the Maryland General Assembly that confers voting rights to the student representative.
McIntyre said that Harford students have also begun a letter-writing campaign, informing legislators how important the matter is to them.
The advocates are facing an uphill battle. Though Harford County's members of the House of Delegates have been receptive about expanding some rights of the school board's student representative, two of the county's three state senators have been dead set against it in the past and hold enough power to scuttle any legislation.
What will change with the board and the voting process if the student representative has partial voting rights? McIntyre explained the student would be able to vote on board of education issues, except for budget matters, school boundaries, the appointment of the superintendent, collective bargaining and matters of expulsion. The representative would also be included in closed sessions, with the exception of sessions involving collective bargaining and personnel hearings. The representative, however, would still have recorded opinions on those items.
Cofrancesco also addressed possible reasons for denying partial voting rights that the Harford board, and various boards around the state, had expressed when considering the matter.
He said a representative's intimate knowledge of the student body, a demonstrated ability to balance academics, extracurricular activities and social responsibilities, as well as the work the rep has to do to be voted onto the board that year showed the student would be capable of making such important voting decisions presented before the board on a regular basis. Cofrancesco added that previously expressed concerns are "not so big of an issue" that it shouldn't include the student representative's vote.
Approval of partial voting rights would be "a perfect blend of representation and ultimately the implementation of the student voice," Cofrancesco said. "There's some knowledge that you'll never have" that comes from being in the classroom among the students, McIntyre added.
Harford's school boards have given some moderate support in the past to expanding the voting rights of the student rep; however, the sitting board has many members who are in the first and second years of their tenure and have not had to deal with the issue. The board's leadership is new as well.
Board of Education President Leonard Wheeler told Cofrancesco, McIntyre and Wasielewski he feels the task force should have its own letter of support for the legislation. He added that there was "no such thing as a non-student centered vote on this board," in reference to the representative bringing the student body's opinion and voice before the board.
Board member Nancy Reynolds asked how many other counties in the state give their school board student representatives partial voting rights. Cofrancesco replied that seven boards give their student representatives partial voting, including the Maryland State Board of Education, while Anne Arundel County's board of education's student rep has full voting rights.
Board member Cassandra Beverly asked what issues have been encountered in the counties that do allow partial or full voting rights for their student representatives.
"It's kind of like a hump," Cofrancesco said, explaining that the issue sounds scarier than it is once it's passed. He added he hasn't heard of any issues from the counties, and that the "board[s] are typically happy" with their decisions.
Beverly asked Cofrancesco if he could get letters of support from the various boards around the state that do give partial voting rights. Cofrancesco enthusiastically said he would.
Board member Bob Frisch said he wanted more information from the counties with voting rights and if there was a move being made toward full voting rights for their student representatives.
Cofrancesco urged the board to solely look at the partial voting rights issue and not to anticipate what it would be if full rights were implemented.
"We're really not trying to go there at all," he said.