4 Students Vie For Open School-Board Seat

Four New Haven high school students are competing to fill the Board of Education’s student representative seat, currently held by graduating High School in the Community senior Jonaily Colon. The candidates—Yoselit Ortiz from Hillhouse High School, Dani McTiernan Huge from Wilbur Cross High School, Michael Mapuvire from Metropolitan Business Academy, and Jael Mackenzie Phillips from Co-op High School—presented their platforms at a Friday forum in the Aldermanic Chamber of City Hall. The winner will join Career High School’s Abdellah Aly as one of two non-voting student representatives on the board. Voting for the open seat will take place during lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, allowing students to choose among the four candidates. Topics discussed included artificial intelligence policy, communication transparency, and addressing student concerns like school start times and facility conditions. McTiernan Huge emphasized the need for later high school start times, arguing that current schedules—requiring students to wake at 5 or 6 a.m.—harm attendance and engagement. She also advocated for improved facilities funding and designated student support time. Phillips highlighted issues like Yondr pouch restrictions, citing their misuse as punishment, and urged Yale University to provide more support to New Haven schools. She also described extreme heat in classrooms, noting temperatures reaching 89 degrees indoors despite 71-degree outdoor conditions. Mapuvire focused on counseling consistency, criticizing the district’s reliance on rotating interns, which he said makes it difficult for students to build trust. He proposed limited daily phone use during school hours to help students stay informed. Phillips additionally called attention to air-conditioning failures, sharing an incident where multiple peers nearly fainted due to the heat in her school, which lacks operable windows. The forum, hosted by Colon and Aly, drew about 80 students who questioned candidates on their priorities, including AI policy and student communication strategies. The winning candidate will serve alongside Aly, ensuring student voices remain represented on the Board of Education.