Students On Ed Board Get To Work

With the mayor standing by them, two high school students raised their right hands and promised to use their power ​“for the best interest of the city.”

Mayor Toni Harp swore in the students, Kimberly Sullivan and Coral Ortiz (pictured), as the newest members of the Board of Education before the start of this week’s meeting at John Martinez School. Then they got to work — though they were shut out of the room when some confidential personnel issues were discussed in executive session.

Sullivan, a Sound School rising senior, and Ortiz, a Hillhouse High School rising junior, won the popular vote during a citywide high school election held in early June. After a 2013 charter revision referendum, the Board of Education is moving from a mayoral-elected body to a hybrid board, with four mayoral appointees, two voting members elected by the public and two non-voting student members.

Sullivan ran against three other rising seniors, including Metropolitan Business Academy student Jesus Garzon, who sat in the audience at Monday’s meeting to support his friends. Garzon won a close second percentage of the vote. Ortiz ran against one other rising junior.

The students joined other board members Monday in asking teachers union President Dave Cicarella for details on the selection process for High School in the Community’s new principal.

“I feel like we’re learning as we go,” Sullivan said. ​“I wish we had more orientation.”

They each have a mentor on the board, who helps them understand the procedural details of the meetings. Alicia Caraballo mentors Ortiz; Che Dawon mentors Sullivan.

Sullivan said Dawson has advised her on how to create a way ​“for students to go to other high schools if their school doesn’t offer an after-school program,” one of the projects she and Ortiz are tackling.

Ortiz said she went to the most recent Operations and Finance Committee meeting and plans to attend other committee meetings. ​“That’s where you learn how to understand more of the process that they base their decisions on,” she said.

Ortiz and Sullivan did not join the rest of the board in executive session to discuss Superintendent Garth Harries’ evaluation, after the public portion of the meeting ended.

Students are not allowed to vote, according to state law. Board members also decided not to allow them to sit in on executive session, which feature discussions on personnel and pending legal issues.

Sullivan said she feels comfortable with that decision. ​“I trust that they’re allowing us to impact the decisions they make in committees with us,” she said.

“We don’t know any other board in Connecticut or any other states that allow students to be in the executive session,” said Board President Carlos Torre. There are ​“ethical concerns” that students might have ​“conflicts of interest” if the board is discussing their school’s teachers or administrators, Torre said.

So far Ortiz and Sullivan have had ​“significant” input during board meetings, speaking up whenever they have something to say, Torre said. ​“I feel comfortable that students should be able to bring up and issue and call for a vote,” but not participate in the vote.