Oakmont Council member pitches student representative program

Oakmont Council members are discussing the possibility of adding student representatives to the conversation.

Vice President Amanda Pagnotta presented the idea on Oct. 21 at council’s voting meeting.

“This has been a year of planning and going back and forth and conversing to try to figure out one, the best model for our local high schoolers,” she said.

Pagnotta, a Burrell High School teacher, said she used a lot of information from Lower Burrell Council, since members there welcomed a student representative for the first time in January.

She spoke with Lower Burrell Mayor Chris Fabry and the city’s student representative, Jason Wagner, to gauge what factors have worked for Lower Burrell and which haven’t.

Oakmont’s guidelines would have one or two students serving on borough council. While the students wouldn’t have a vote or be able to participate in executive sessions, they would be able to lend a student perspective during discussions.

They also would see how the borough operates, including an inside look at budget season and reorganization.

“The idea would hopefully be that a 10th grader would want to stick around and serve for their 10th and 11th grade year so (new student representatives) always have an older person to lean on in their experience,” Pagnotta said.

Applications will only be open to sophomores and juniors since seniors would be unable to serve a full term. Sophomores would serve a two-year term and juniors would serve a one-year term. Pagnotta said a one-year term would take a junior student from January of their junior year to January of their senior year.

“It doesn’t seem like this is a good fit for seniors,” Pagnotta said. “To be starting something for their senior year would not necessarily be a good fit because in the spring they’re looking to move to college or work.”

During the students’ time with council, members are hoping to arrange for the students to meet with borough leaders, including the mayor and police chief. Students also would attend borough facility tours with council members.

Pagnotta said that during her conversations with Wagner, he recommended giving students a specific role to help the borough. She recommended they handle some aspects of communication and write content for the borough’s social media channels.

“They would make the content for the post and then we would post it,” Pagnotta said. “(It would be) getting them to learn how to communicate with others and draft things up and go through an approval process. I think it’d be very good experience for them.”

Councilman John Arnold called the idea “long overdue” and said it’s “high time” the borough makes students a part of council. Councilwoman Debrah Ormay called the idea exciting.

Council member Jennifer Paris said she supports the program but is hesitant to invite students to council meetings.

“I’m more than happy to help Amanda, but, as council members, our behavior has to be better,” Paris said. “I don’t want to bring a student on if people’s behavior isn’t going to be appropriate. I don’t want students to see us being yelled at, demeaned or females being treated less than. That’s my concern, and I’m going to voice it. It’s a grave concern.”

She did not say if she was referring to any specific council members’ behavior.

Council member Isaiah Wilson seconded Paris’ notion saying, “I have the same concern Jennifer has about our personalities here.”

As council progresses toward making an official decision, Pagnotta, Mayor Sophia Facaros and council President Nancy Ride will help with the applicant interview process. Pagnotta said the goal would be to make the student experience on council as authentic as possible.

If discussions go as planned, the resolution will be passed and applications will be opened some time in November. Ideally, students will learn of their selection in December so they can join the council in January.