Montgomery County PTA Leaders Defend Choice of 15-Year-Old Officer // Youth Leader Has Students' "Best Interest At Heart"

A few days ago, Maryland Juice wrote about the remarkable story of a 15-year-old Montgomery County student who was recently elected to the leadership of the countywide PTA (aka the MCCPTA). The Gazette reported:

GAZETTE: When Richie Yarrow stood up as a newly-elected officer of the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations at its meeting last week, some members were shocked.

Richie is 15 years old....

He said he wants to bring a stronger student voice to the 48,000-member organization, which is, for the most part, parent-run.

“This is my education that is at stake, and I want to have some say in it,” Richie said....

Richie, a freshman at Richard Montgomery High School, served last year as the vice president of Eastern Middle School’s PTSA. He was also president last year of Montgomery County Junior Councils, the county’s organization for middle school student government.

REDEMPTION: Maryland Juice was disappointed to see some parents so quickly complaining about Yarrow's victory. But yesterday some grownups set the record straight with letters of support for student representation. The Gazette printed two letters from residents who are supportive of Richie Yarrow's service on the MoCo PTA. The first comes from the incoming President of the MCCPTA, Janette Gilman (see excerpt below):

JANETTE GILMAN:  Increased engagement in the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) and our local PTAs by parents, school staff, community partners and students is a goal the organization has and will continue to encourage and nurture...

...all of our high schools and about half of our middle schools are Parent-Teacher-Student Associations that include student members....

Ritchie Yarrow's election as the Recording Secretary for the MCCPTA Delegates Assembly is an important step towards — and an important sign of — the progress this organization is making towards achieving the goal of student engagement.

The MCCPTA Board of Directors recently also acknowledged its interest in formalizing the role of student involvement by creating a new committee with that charter in March....

The second letter of support comes from a former MCCPTA Delegate Tom Brennan of Germantown (see excerpt below):

TOM BRENNAN: Congratulations to Richard Montgomery High School freshman Richie Yarrow for being elected to serve the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) as Recording Secretary....

Although I have never met or spoken with Mr. Yarrow, having been a onetime delegate to the MCCPTA and having worked with past MCCPTA leadership, I am confident that he will bring a maturity to the MCCPTA that has been lacking for a long time.

It seems that the MCCPTA is still full of politics and personal agendas....

It wasn’t Mr. Yarrow who voted for someone he didn’t know anything about. He isn’t the one now complaining. And he isn’t looking to change the rules to protect himself from his own ignorance.

The board dynamic will change, if Montgomery County Pubic Schools are lucky. Mr. Yarrow’s presence may just force other board members to be better prepared with an understanding of each issue, better able to explain the issues and perhaps better prepared to vote smartly.

The schools and the MCCPTA will be served well by Mr. Yarrow. There will now be someone serving who wants to be there for the right reasons, has no personal long term agenda, and has no political motives. Mr. Yarrow will truly have the student population’s best interest at heart....

Now THIS is the MoCo I know and love....

Why the Youth Vote is Important to Democrats // Plus, Join Maryland Juice & Media Figures in Rockville TONIGHT

UPDATE: Board of Education At-Large candidate Morris Panner has published an op-ed in the Chevy Chase Patch supporting Sen. Brian Frosh in his decision to squash youth voting rights on the school board. *cough*

Today, The Washington Post's political bloggers at The Fix provide a worthwhile dissection of America's youth vote. Political reporters Chris Cilizza and Aaron Blake today have an instructive article showing why young voters are central to President Barack Obama's re-election strategy. The POTUS is currently touring colleges around the nation, in an attempt to highlight his record on trying to make higher education affordable. But why would the President spend so much effort wooing a small and unreliable voting population? See one explanation below, along with a quick comment from Maryland Juice tying this issue to local races.

SIZE VS. COHESION: The old saying goes that strength comes in numbers. But in politics, it may be equally true that strength comes with cohesion. Indeed, parties often gain not just by large numbers of their voters turning out, but also by racking up huge vote gaps among defined populations. Maryland Juice recently noted, for example, that polling indicates women in swing Congressional districts are breaking disproportionately for Democrats, and this could severely hamper Republican candidates around the nation. But it is much easier to understand why women would be central to the Democratic Party strategy than smaller groups, given that women consistently comprise a majority of voter turnout.

The Fix explains (excerpt below):

...As the president travels to Colorado today to kick off a tour of college campuses to promote the extension of lower interest rates for student loans ... it’s worth re-examining what happened among young people in the 2008 election and whether he can re-create that magic in 2012.

The most common misconception about 2008 is that Obama grew the youth vote — defined for our purposes as those between 18 and 29 years old — by any significant measure as compared to past elections. He didn’t....

Young voters comprised 18 percent of the electorate in 2008, a one-point improvement from their share of the electorate in 2004, 2000 and 1996, but nowhere near the heights they reached in the 1980s.

What Obama did do — good grammar! — is win young voters by a far greater margin than any Democratic presidential nominee in modern times.

Again, we turn to a chart looking at the percentages the Democratic and Republican nominees won among 18-29-year-old voters:

Source: Washington Post, The Fix 4/24/12

Obama’s 34-point margin among young people was almost double the next best showing by a Democratic nominee; Bill Clinton won 18-29-year-old voters by 19 points in his sweeping 1996 reelection victory. 

The youth turnout then was far less consequential to Obama’s victory than the consolidation of the 18-29-year-old vote behind his candidacy....

Polling provides a muddled picture of whether Obama can hope to recreate that sort of margin. 

Obama’s favorable ratings among young people have fallen since 2009, but they have fallen less quickly and less precipitously than with other age groups.

DOWN-TICKET IMPACT: Notably, around the nation Congressional candidates of both parties are being held hostage to the dynamics of the Presidential race. After all, most voters this November will turnout to make a statement about the Obama-Romney battle, and downticket races will be afterthoughts to a large portion of voters. How Obama and Romney treat different groups (ie: women, youths, etc) can in some ways overshadow many elements of individual candidate messaging in the Congressional races. Last week Maryland Juice noted, for example, that in the key Congressional races where Democrats hope to pick-up GOP-held seats, Republicans are doing better among youth voters. See the poll snapshot below from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a firm launched by Bill Clinton's former pollster:

UNFORCED ERRORS: The youth vote, for example, is often taken for granted because it is assumed that not enough young people vote to make it worth pursuing their votes. Unlike women, youths comprise a much smaller portion of the electorate. But stopping your analysis there is a surefire way to miss electoral opportunities and longterm investments in future voters. Indeed, Maryland Juice believes that area Democrats often shoot themselves in the foot (for no reason) with key constituencies like young voters.

Recent unforced errors from Montgomery County Dems include proposing a youth curfew in the midst of a crime decline, along with squashing a bill to expand voting rights for MoCo's student school board member. Today, Maryland Reporter also notes that University of Maryland students are panicking over possible tuition hikes resulting from Senate President Mike Miller's hijacking of the state budget process.

Maryland Juice hopes that Democrats are beginning to get the picture here. You cannot take young people for granted, and I think it is a shame that I even have to write a post showing that this in our Party's electoral interest. In reality, the merits of youth-driven policymaking should be obvious for Democrats who care about policy. After all, young people are not wedded to the institutions and practices of the older generation. They are part of what keeps the Democratic policy circuit forward-thinking, and I truly believe this is a value for the nation (and progressives).


P.S. JOIN MARYLAND JUICE TONIGHT - Speaking of the youth vote, please come to the Montgomery County Young Democrats meeting in Rockville, Maryland tonight at 7:30 pm. All are welcome to attend a special panel discussion featuring Maryland Juice, Center Maryland's Josh Kurtz, and WTOP's Kate Ryan. Former CNN producer Evan Glass will moderate.

Sen. Brian Frosh Responds to Critics After Unilaterally Killing Youth Voting Rights on Montgomery County School Board

PLUS: Commentary on Travyon Martin & MoCo's Failed Youth Curfew Plan

Today, Maryland Juice presents Sen. Brian Frosh's response to the recent condemnation of his unilateral killing of a youth empowerment bill  (see below). As Maryland Juice previously reported, Frosh's unusual efforts concern a bill that would grant full voting privileges to Montgomery County's elected student member of the Board of Education. The bill MC 9-12 passed unanimously in the Montgomery County House Delegation and 5-2 in the Senate. Students have fought for these rights for years, but Mr. Frosh decided to replace the judgment of the rest of the colleagues with his own by effectively placing a hold on the youth representation bill. You can read more about the history of the effort in past articles.

Frosh's letter explaining his actions was written in response to an email he received from Montgomery County Young Democrats (MYCD) President Dave Kunes. Kunes, who had been working with MYCD to fight back against Frosh's assault, provided the following note to accompany the email thread he provided:

DAVE KUNES: I am disappointed Senator Frosh did not respond to our request in the letters sent by over 80 Young Dems and supporters. We were not trying to convince Senator Frosh on the merits of the legislation. We asked him to stop holding up the democratic process by simply allowing his colleagues in the House and Senate to vote this bill to passage. I look forward to working with our members and youth rights activists in supporting this bill again next year.

GUEST POST: Maryland Senate Fails to Expand Montgomery County SMOB Voting Rights // A Local Student's Perspective

By Benjamin Feshbach, student at Thomas S. Wootton High School

Maryland State Legislature skips bills

On Monday, the Maryland state Senate seemed to think it a good idea to spend time celebrating one page asking his girlfriend to the Prom. On Monday, the Maryland state Senate also spent time arguing over gambling regulations. And on that same Monday, the Maryland state Senate failed to pass necessary revenue bills.

On Monday, our legislature once again failed to approve a bill, known as HB701, expanding the rights of the Montgomery County Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) to include a vote on budgets and other matters. The ‘SMOB voting rights’ bill already passed the Montgomery County House and Senate delegations, the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee, the full Maryland House of Delegates, and the Maryland Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, always with wide margins. Last Friday, April 6, Senator Brian Frosh (D- District 16), made a special order on the bill to delay it until Monday.

What happened Monday?

Monday morning, I personally witnessed Senator Frosh repeating his views against the expansion of  student member voting rights. Dubbing HB701 "the eleven-year old bill" (as 6th graders can vote for the SMOB), he called expanded voting rights "undemocratic" as the SMOB represents a different number of constituents than the rest of the board members do.  Both Senator Karen Montgomery (D- District 14) and Montgomery County Senate delegation chair Jamie Raskin (D- District 20) defended the bill, with Senator Montgomery asking to "just call a vote already." Senator Roy Dyson (D- District 29), who spoke with Senator Frosh before the bill’s introduction, motioned to again special order the bill.

The debate resurfaced hours later, before a prompt special order delay by Senate Majority Leader Robert Garagiola (D- District 15). Soon afterwards, the Senate temporarily adjourned.

The new legislative session started around 5:45 with an "official citation" order to certify that a Senate page invited his girlfriend to the Prom this May. One Senator smartly remarked that rather than "solving the budget crises, we're solving two young lovers". Shortly before 7 p.m., HB701 reappeared on the Senate floor. Senator Frosh told colleagues to "put Montgomery County out of its misery and vote against  this bill."

Senators Montgomery and Raskin argued for the bill, as well as for local legislative courtesy, the principle that other legislators should respect local bills passed by a county delegation. The debate over HB701 soon turned into that of different Senators arguing over why their own local bills and pet projects were not passed. Nevertheless, Senator Frosh ended up successfully making yet another special order.

The Senate never voted on HB701.

What now?

Current Montgomery County Student Member Alan Xie quickly responded to the Senate inaction, remarking that "our countywide SGA leaders and I are extremely disappointed and outraged at the lack of transparency and representation within this process, one in which a bill that has passed all the proper legislative hurdles can still be single-handedly shut down by a dissenting minority."

Considering the outcome, Xie noted that "we are examining the possibility of having the SMOB voting rights bill reintroduced during a special session that the Governor will likely call to resolve pressing budget issues; however, it does not seem likely that we will be able to reintroduce or successfully pass the bill during such a session. Nonetheless, we will persevere, and whether it is this year or the next, we hope to finally pass this much-needed piece of legislation”.

Student leaders were not alone in voicing outrage at the legislative failure. Commenting on the campaign for voting rights, Senator Jamie Raskin said, "student activists came closer than ever to victory in this Session and it took a series of parliamentary obstructions and evasions to kill the bill...The good news is that we have a strong pro-SMOB majority on the Montgomery County delegation. So we live to fight another day. I salute the students who came to testify and fight for their rights in Annapolis!" .

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has so far declined to call a special legislative session to solve the state’s looming budget issue, but many speculate O'Malley may still call the session.

When a minority of Senators oppose a bill, the democratic thing to do is to at least allow that bill to come to a vote, because that's what democracy is all about - not using legislative power to delay, defer, and purposely procrastinate.

*disclaimer-these remarks do not necessarily represent the opinions of any student groups, MCPS, or any organization of any type

Sen. Brian Frosh Attempts to Kill Youth School Board Voting Rights // Super-Majority of MoCo Colleagues Approved Bill

[ CONTACT SENATOR BRIAN FROSH TODAY ]

BACKGROUND:  Maryland Juice recently wrote about the great news that after years of failed advocacy efforts, Montgomery County students had succeeded in gaining a greater voice for themselves on the Board of Education. It appears we spoke too soon. Through a message on Twitter, Delegate Anne Kaiser reports that State Senator Brian Frosh has broken from long-standing protocol and is unilaterally blocking a youth voting rights bill that was approved by a super-majority of his colleagues.

The legislation in question concerns a bill that would grant full voting privileges to Montgomery County's elected student member of the Board of Education. The bill MC 9-12 passed unanimously in the Montgomery County House Delegation and 5-2 in the Senate. Students have fought for these rights for years, and this legislative session the bill received a super-majority of support from Montgomery County's lawmakers in the House and Senate. The bill was filed as a "local bill" since it only applies to Montgomery County. Legislative protocol in Maryland would dictate that when these bills go to the floor, the full body passes them pro forma. Indeed, it is highly unusual for Senator Frosh to break protocol to kill this bill.

After some poking around for an explanation for Frosh's undemocratic actions, a young Democrat pointed me toward an article in The Gazette:

GAZETTE: Legislation that would grant full voting rights to the student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education passed the House of Delegates on Monday afternoon, but still faces resistance in the Senate....

Several student government leaders appealed to the Senate delegation last week to pass the bill so it can be considered by the full chamber, but a vote on the measure was delayed. The House vote in favor of the measure was 92-39.

Montgomery County Lawmakers Approve Bill Granting Full Voting Rights to Student Member of Board of Education

UPDATE: A reader clarifies that the bill must now be approved by the full Maryland Senate (so far, it has been approved by the Montgomery County delegation in Annapolis). But this is usually a pro-forma vote (ie: it will be unusual for the bill not to pass).

A few days ago, Maryland Juice received the following email message from Tim Hwang, the former student member of Montgomery County's Board of Education. He announces that after years of persistent student-led efforts, the State House and Senate officials who represent Montgomery County have voted to approve full voting rights for the student member of the Board of Education (aka SMOB). Montgomery County public school students all vote in a countywide election to select a fellow student to represent their voices on the school board, and now their deputy is one step closer to voting on budget, labor and other policy matters -- just like the adult members.  The legislation was sponsored by Delegates Anne Kaiser and Tom Hucker:

Juice,

I thought you'd like to know that I was just in Annapolis and the bill MC 9-12 passed unanimously in the Montgomery County House Delegation and 5-2 in the Senate Delegation.

The Student Member on the Montgomery County school board now has full voting rights (ie: they are now a completely equal member of the school board and can vote on everything including the budget, legislative proposals, collective bargaining, etc). This changes the dynamic of the discussion with public unions (MCEA, SEIU, etc) and the County Council and shifts the power dynamic on the school board to respect student opinion more.

This is a bill I introduced back when I was on the school board (http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/12092009/montnew175705_32555.php) and the delegation finally took the initiative to pass it out - making MoCo the second county in the state to allow a completely equal student member of the board.

Tim Hwang

Last November, Maryland Juice wrote a little bit about the history of the student voting rights struggle on the Montgomery County Board of Education. We quoted an informative entry from Mr. Hwang on the My High School Journalism website from October 2009:

TIM HWANG: The Student Member of the Board is a 31-year-old appeasement for students. In 1977, the Maryland General Assembly created a nonvoting seat on the Board of Education, and a year later, David Naimon was elected as the first student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education.... 

In 1989, Maryland’s General Assembly gave the student member a limited vote within the board..... When the General Assembly gave “limited voting rights,” they meant it. The Student Member may not vote on “budget items, negative personnel matters, school closings/openings, and boundary changes,” according to the Montgomery County Public Schools website....

Last November, the fate of the student voting rights effort was uncertain, as the bill seemed stalled in the Senate. But the movement forward is now encouraging. Either way, it seems like across the county, students are becoming very savvy in building political alliances and advocacy strategies -- and politicians are noticing! First the anti-curfew organizers stopped MoCo's curfew plan, then competing candidate slates revitalized the MoCo Young Democrats, then the Young Dems helped change the conversation on marriage equality, then #JSA succeeds in getting their friend released, and now this (fingers crossed).

What will the young people do next?