Ray Pinney, lead director of member training and engagement at the New Jersey School Boards Association and the host of the Education Matters podcast, recently interviewed the superintendent of Verona Public Schools and the district’s board of education president about their experience working with a student representative on the board.
In January 2022, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that requires school districts with a high school to have a student representative on the board of education.
The latest episode features Pamela Priscoe, president of the Verona Board of Education; and Diane DiGiuseppe, the district’s superintendent. It is a follow-up to a previous podcast, in which Pinney interviewed Reese Sahadow, the student representative on Verona’s board, who shared what it is like serving as a student representative and how other student representatives can make the most out of their experience.
Priscoe and DiGiuseppe talked about the impact Sahadow has had on the board, the process the district implemented in choosing the student representative and more.
“Reese is so unbelievably on top of things,” DiGiuseppe said. “She immediately emailed me when she found out she had been elected to this position and asked if we could sit down and go over what the role looks like and how the board works.”
Priscoe called Sahadow “a breath of fresh air,” adding, “She was so enjoyable to have on our board.”