Community Council is a model of representative government

Friday, November 25, 2011

To the Editor:

This letter was triggered by the comments in the last edition by Mr. Gowell but is not really a response to them. My thoughts are long overdue. I write as a member of the Community Council and a senior member in more ways than one. I bring my experience as a business man, community activist, taxpayer and curmudgeon. I have seen the students come and go, community reps be replaced by other citizens who have the time and interest to participate, and the culture of the school change over the years. In virtually every instance, the calm, thoughtful and mature discussion and ultimately the decision making is beyond impressive. Our institutions in Washington could take lessons from this deliberative body.

The level of research on a given subject is a key component of the thoughtful decisions. Experts on a subject with real world experience are regularly asked to help the group figure out what is the “right” thing to do. I have witnessed the vote go against what would logically seem to be in the best interests of “self-serving” students. I have watched and listened when a number of the very top students in the school spoke out on behalf of removing the decile system, thus benefiting not themselves but the bulk of the student body. I have often seen a “toe-in-the-water” approach to change with the idea of revisiting the subject after our own experience is quantified. And to address Mr.Gowell’s point about Community Council’s influence on taxpayers, budgetary matters are the purview of the school board and “Ways and Means” and while Community Council has the ability to make recommendations, it is not our charge.

Our Community Council system is a model for other schools in the country. We regularly have visitors from near and far who want to learn about our well-respected approach to demonstrating representative government. It is an honor to be a part of this wonderful program and I recommend it to others in the community.

RICHARD KATZENBERG

Amherst