The chill of the PPL Arena floor stood in stark contrast to the warm hopes parents, community leaders and educators expressed Wednesday night as hundreds gathered to launch Allentown’s School Governance Councils.
Each of the district’s 23 schools convened an elected, advisory council that will review academic data and brainstorm ways to strengthen school culture and family engagement.
Councils consist of the principal, a parent liaison, two community members, seven family members and five school employees. Middle and high school councils also have two student representatives.
Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Allentown School District Superintendent Carol D. Birks welcomes participants Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for the district. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Michele Brooks, Transformative Solutions in Education’s principal consultant, speaks Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Michele Brooks, Transformative Solutions in Education’s principal consultant, speaks Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Hannah Cannon and Calry Peralta, mothers of students at Lehigh Parkway Elementary, talk Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Junnary Mejia, who has a child at Ritter Elementary School, introduces herself Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Ritter Elementary School participants discuss what brought them to the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Ritter Elementary School participants discuss what brought them to the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Allentown School District Superintendent Carol D. Birks welcomes participants Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for the district. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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Participants gather Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, during the launch of a governance council for Allentown School District. Around 300 parents and community members were invited to participate in the event at PPL Center in Allentown. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Central Elementary STREAM Academy piloted the governing structure last spring, and Principal Rebecca Bodnar said parents now have significant input on how funds are spent.
“Anything that we can pull off, we absolutely do it for them,” Bodnar said.
Plans for an after-school dance are in works, and the school has also expanded extracurricular activities for its youngest students.
Although only seven parents are elected to the council, Central has thrown open its meetings in response to parent interest. Tuesday’s meeting drew 70 people, Bodnar said.
That kind of family outreach is what Dieruff High School student representative Isaac Ramos would like to see.
“They’re not engaged enough,” Ramos said of the district’s families.
A 14-year-old freshman, Ramos has already served on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and the steering committee for the district’s strategic plan. He joins 18-year-old senior Bianna Gonzalez as Dieruff’s two student representatives on the governance council.
Gonzalez said she’s become increasingly invested in figuring out how to improve the lives of her fellow students, and joining the council offered an opportunity to speak up.
“It was basically just me excited to help my school grow, because I feel there are so many issues that are untouched,” Gonzalez said.
Improving attendance, preventing dropouts and addressing mental health needs are among the issues Gonzalez would like to address.
Typically, students receive a survey once or twice a year regarding bullying and school atmosphere, but they don’t have many other chances to offer feedback, Gonzalez said.
The council could solve concrete issues, such as shortening the 20-minute line to get students through security in the morning or increasing resources for unhoused students, Gonzalez said.
At Allen High School, 17-year-old senior David Thor would like to help overburdened counselors meet the needs of students
“They can’t handle every student,” Thor said.
Improving the college counseling process is also a goal of Dieruff parent Greg Soto.
Student-athletes in particular could use additional support, Soto said, noting that the lack of a practice field has lowered morale and that not all student-athletes are receiving adequate guidance about the availability of scholarships.
“It almost seems like we need to get involved in this matter to get a voice,” Soto said.
Allen parent Maryann Inomwan said this is the first time she’s been involved in any sort of school governance work.
Soliciting ideas from different people leads to good judgment, Inomwan said. She’d like to focus on strategies to keep students moving forward.
“They should try to teach them how to be motivated,” Inomwan said.
Raub Middle School student representative Kasin Hassett said moving away from worksheets and toward technology-infused projects would improve the curriculum.
“It could be more interactive,” Hassett said.
Hassett would also like to see more opportunities for middle school students to visit high schools and assess their options.
The 14-year-old eighth grader is serving on Raub’s council alongside his mother, Brooke Watson.
At this early stage, Watson said she’s simply curious to see how the governance councils evolve and what they’re able to accomplish.
“I’m just here for open discussion,” Watson said.
The formation of the councils is a sign that the school district is looking to collaborate with those in the community who also provide resources to families, said Johnny Lopez, pastor of Allentown’s West End Church.
Lopez is also the executive director of Youth for Christ Lehigh Valley, and he hopes serving on Allen’s governance council will help him build relationships with the district and figure out how his mentoring program can fill the gaps in student needs.
The inclusion of community leaders on the councils is a sign that the school district recognizes that students need more than just academic support, Lopez said.
“It tells us that they’re looking at students holistically,” Lopez said.