As Westbrook High School Principal Marc Gousse presented his budget to the School Committee this year, he had to answer to a couple of people most principals wouldn’t include in their deliberations – two students.

“They had questions about my budget,” said Gousse. “And I had to justify my budget. I had to justify it to them as I had to justify it to everyone else.”

Throughout the year, the seven-member Westbrook School Committee has been joined by two non-voting, but vital members, student representatives Adam Roy and Michael Foley. While there have been student representatives on the School Committee for the past three years, this year, for the first time ever, the students played an active role in the shaping of the school budget, joining in the budget debate as members of the committee’s Finance Committee.

While Roy, a senior, and Foley, a junior, don’t have a vote on the committee, they are there to provide a student’s perspective on the issues before the committee, and the members of the committee value the insight that they provide.

Committee Chairman Colleen Hilton said it’s good for the committee to hear what the students think about the issues being discussed. “They’ve really done their homework this year,” said Hilton. “They really have blossomed and taken the role (of student representative) to a higher level.”

Gousse said Roy and Foley have been invaluable this year, especially throughout the difficult budget season. “They’ve done a phenomenal job,” Gousse said. “It goes without saying. They’re active in all facets of policy and decision making. They’ve been passionate about their advocacy, and they’ve seen the big picture.”

Roy, who also serves as the senior class president, said he applied to be a student representative at the end of his sophomore year. He said he decided to apply because he felt a student voice was needed on the School Committee.

“I’ve always been interested in politics and government,” Roy said. “And I thought this was a great opportunity. I thought it was something I would really do well.”

Foley said he always watched the School Committee and City Council meetings on television, because he was interested in watching government at work. When the student representative seat on the School Committee became available this year, Foley said choosing to apply was an easy decision.

The School Committee representative seats are open to juniors and seniors at the high school. Unlike the regular School Committee members, the students are not elected, they apply for the position and are selected by the School Committee following an interview.

Roy said he has gained a valuable education into the workings of government during his two years on the School Committee. “It’s a fascinating insider’s look,” Roy said. “Providing a student input, that’s probably what I liked the best about it.”

Foley said he has enjoyed his first foray into public service, and his experience on the School Committee has lead him to consider a run for an at-large seat on the City Council this fall when he turns 18.

Foley said Finance Committee Chairman Mary Hall was the driving force behind including the students in the committee’s budget discussions. “Mary said she wanted us to be there and she wanted our input,” said Foley. “It was a great learning experience for us to review the budget.”

Working on the budget was an especially valuable experience, said Roy, who is thinking about majoring in business administration when he enters the University of Southern Maine next fall.

Hilton said she has been impressed with how seriously Foley and Roy took their roles on the budget committee. “They were really involved,” she said. “These kids know that budget. They have showed a lot of maturity for their age. I think it’s something they take great pride in.”

Once they got used to having the students joining the Finance Committee, Roy said he believed the committee members listened to what he and Foley had to say. “I feel for the most part our suggestions were heard,” said Roy. “I think our suggestions have been listened to.”

Foley and Roy have played a role in shaping school policies during their time on the committee, and have even pursuaded the committee to consider altering policies after making their case.

Foley said a recent discussion over the use of electronic equipment at the high school was one example of a time when the students were able to change the minds of some on the school committee. Currently, the high school allows the use of equipment such as CD players at teacher’s discretion.

However, the School Committee’s Policy Committee, without Roy and Foley present recently came up with a new policy banning the devices from the school altogether.

When the new policy came before the full School Committee, Foley and Roy convinced the committee to table the issue to allow them to see if they could come up with a compromise policy that would allow the devices to be used at some points in the school.

Foley said he and Roy did some research to see how other area schools dealt with the use of electronic devices, and developed a policy based on what they learned.

Foley said Policy Committee last week agreed to a new policy that would allow the use of the devices in the classroom for educational purposes and at the teacher’s discretion.

Roy said he has noticed that the committee has been asking for more input from the student representatives this year. He said he thought as the committee got more used to having the students serve on the committee, the members have been more comfortable with asking for the student’s thoughts.

“They’re very active,” Gousse said. “When they speak, I listen. I know the School Committee listens. They’ve done a respectful and mature job. We’re lucky to have them.”

Both Foley and Roy said they have had to learn how to juggle their school work with their work on the committee, especially during budget season. While the student representatives are not required to stay for the duration of any meeting – Roy said they usually leave around 9 p.m. if there is nothing pressing on the agenda – they have had some late nights as the school budget was being finalized.

Despite the late nights and long meetings, Foley and Roy said they have been able to keep up with their school work.

Foley said he generally tries to get all of his school work done before the meetings so he doesn’t have to worry about when he gets home after the meetings. “I have no problem,” Foley said. “I keep up. I’ve always felt I’ve had plenty of time to do whatever I’ve needed to do.”

“With me, it’s just another thing I have to do,” said Roy. “You’ve just got to manage your time effectively.”

Roy said despite the demands on his time, he has no regrets about deciding to become a School Committee student representative. “It’s such a unique experience that so few students get to experience,” he said.

Roy said he hopes he and Foley have proven that having student representation on the School Committee is a good way to ensure the committee has the opportunity to know how their decisions affect students.

Roy said he hoped other area towns would follow Westbrook’s lead and include students on their school committees. “If you talk to any School Committee member, I think they’d say a student voice is needed, especially in this day and age when you’re cutting things from budgets, who better to know the impact on students than a student,” said Roy.

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