Unpopular opinion: letting high schoolers vote on town budget items
I read in the Maplewood Press that a council member suggested letting students vote on 5% of the town's spending... about $140,000. Some parents said it's too much power for kids, but I think it teaches responsibility. Should we trust teens with a slice of the budget or keep it all with adults?
I'm with you on this one honestly. I've seen what happens when you don't give kids any real responsibility and they just tune out. My cousin's school let a student committee decide on spending for a new sound system for the auditorium and you wouldn't believe how seriously they took it. They researched brands, compared prices, even showed up to a board meeting to defend their choice. That's way more than they ever did for a mock election. Let them have a small slice, like 5% is nothing to adults but everything to them.