Documents › Board of Trustees Work Session, 2026-06-24

memo 1 page

A memo dated June 19, 2026, offering points for a first Village policy on student members of advisory committees. Suggested guidelines include no more than one student member on committees of seven or fewer members and no more than two on others, non-voting status, junior or senior standing in high school, Village residency, at least a 2.5 GPA with a letter of recommendation, and one-year terms running September 1 to August 31. The memo lists eight committees that could include student members and says the Advisory Board for the Visual Environment and the Waterfront Advisory Committee could not, due to the nature of their work.

To: From: Date: June 19, 2026 Re: Student Members on Advisory Committees From time to time, students have served in an official or unofficial role on the Village’s various advisory committees. However, the Village has never had a set policy on the appointment of student members to its advisory committees. Appointing a student member to an advisory committee can have many positive benefits. It allows the student to build skills and habits of civic engagement while providing the committee insight in ways it may not have had access to previously. While there is no definitive state law governing student members on local advisory committees, Governor Hochul signed bill S.9018A/A.9855A into law, which required all Boards of Education in the state to appoint at least one high school student as an ex-officio, non-voting member, effective July 1, 2025. As a basis for formulating a policy, I would like to offer the following points for the Board to consider: • Limit student members to no more than one for advisory committees with seven or less members, and no more than two for other advisory committees. • Appoint student members as non-voting members of an advisory committee. • Require student members to be juniors or seniors in high school. • Require student members to reside in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson. • Require student members to have at least a 2.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and have a letter of recommendation from their high school principal or dean. • Set the term of a student member to be one year, which shall run from September 1 to August 31. • Require youth members to adhere to the committee guidelines adopted by the Village Board, including the attendance requirements. The advisory committees which could have student members included in their membership are: Arts & Humanities Advisory Council, Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, Conservation Advisory Council, HEART Committee, IDEA Advisory Committee, Police Advisory Committee, Recreation Advisory Committee and Sustainability Committee. Due to the nature of the work they undertake, the Advisory Board for the Visual Environment and the Waterfront Advisory Committee would not be able to have student members. Mayor Brian Pugh Trustees Stacey Nachtaler Nora Moriarty Nicholson Len Simon Maria F. Slippen Village Manager Bryan T. Healy Village Treasurer Genette Toone Village Clerk Pauline DiSanto Village Engineer Vincent Salanitro, P.E.