As new people are elected to the school board, newly instated board members Heidi Reyst and Erin Hunt have promised to help the Chelsea school district. While this may be a new experience for these women, they don’t shy away from a challenge and CHS is sure to see some amazing benefits.
“The school board gives us a sufficient baseline for student’s education and helps us make sure we are getting as much help and benefits we can get in order to promote our school life,” freshman Claire Vaquera said.
A school board works by having a group of people, mainly consisting of parents of CHS students, who vote for decisions that best help the community and the education process. Many people on the school board have experience coming from different places. Erin Hunt has been a member of the reproductive health committee in the CHS school district for about two years, but this is her first time holding office on the school board. Heidi Reyst has experience on a board for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, the Brain Injury Association of America, and The Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists. She has also been appointed to the CHS board of education before. The two women have overlapping experience when it comes to being a parent.
“I think being a board member and a parent brings perspective. I have a better understanding of how decisions are made, because of seeing it firsthand. But I see it also through having conversations with administrators, board members, parents, and students,” new school board member Heidi Reyst said.
A new perspective is always important when looking for a job in Leadership and Heidi Reyst thinks she has exactly that. She has said she is excited to bring a new perspective to the school board as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and has now gone in depth with what this perspective means.
“As a member of a marginalized group, I have personal insight into the experience of exclusion and bias. Growing up as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s, having positive LBGTQ+ role models would have been amazing,” Reyst said. “Much has changed since that time, but we are at a crossroads given the political environment right now. I am a role model simply by living authentically and supporting others who aren’t comfortable or safe to use that voice yet.”
The political environment has been said to be a tough topic for Reyst to discuss, but a lot of students only understand the national political systems. Politics is happening all around people. The school board is a political environment and an important part of how school districts function. Students can only make a good guess on the importance of our school board but the new members hope to change that.
“My best guess is that the board of education is kinda like the House of Representatives,” junior Tess Matthews said. “Because everyone trying to make decisions would mean that nothing gets done.”
School boards often struggle with balancing the needs of all students while also giving to those who are lacking. In the current polarized political climate, it is hard for board members, administrators, and educators to make sure all voices are heard, including those that could be marginalized.
“Schools are microcosms of the larger society, but with an important distinction: schools and workplaces have protections that don’t necessarily exist in the wild,” Reyst said. “These protections are important, but invariably, in the wild, discrimination is real, and it is harmful. Administrators and educators must grapple with competing interests. District policies are very important, and the board has an important role regarding approving policy.”
