Friction between the Jones Student Government Association (SGA) and administration reached a boiling point at the Sept. 30 and Oct. 6 Local School Council (LSC) meetings following miscommunications about moving homecoming off-campus. The proposed Soldier Field venue failed to secure LSC approval after a 6-6 tie vote, largely driven by concerns over a ticket price jump from $20 to $60. SGA publicized this issue at the meetings intending to highlight issues to the Jones community in a way it feels administration has not done.
“We believe as student government, that we should have transparency with the student body and raise concerns to the entire student body so that they understand how this is going to affect them,” senior and overall SGA President Tessa Peck-Walden said. “Also, SGA focuses heavily on making sure the event remains accessible for everyone cost-wise and represents the best option for the entire student body.”
SGA voiced its communication concerns as a result of the venue shift, stating the decision was made without the full support of SGA, which had previously planned every year’s homecoming.
“Over the summer, decisions occurred that we felt excluded from, and administration notified us much later than expected,” Peck-Walden said.
Financial risks remained the central issue SGA had with the proposed Soldier Field Venue once it was revealed that Jones’ internal funds were a suggested way to fund this year’s homecoming.
“We wanted assurance that those funds would not come out of educational resources, and that ticket sales would not negatively affect the school’s financial situation,” senior and overall SGA Treasurer Phoenix Ling said. “We also wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to lose money on homecoming.”
Addressing the gap in understanding, Jones administration acknowledged missed opportunities during summer planning, but emphasized that logistical demands and administrative responsibilities drove recent choices.
“A lot of the changes happened over the summer when it is much more challenging to connect with our student body,” Principal Kerry Dolan said. “Admittedly, there were some missed opportunities on my part, and I’m looking forward to using the lessons learned from this year to better collaborate with SGA moving forward.”
Noting that administrative oversight is important and necessary for logistics, Dolan explained that while students lead efforts like decorations and hiring a DJ, adults must handle legal contracts and negotiations. Nevertheless, Dolan expressed a commitment to preserving SGA’s autonomy.
“I want SGA and admin to have a healthy, open communication relationship where we are working together towards improving Jones,” Dolan said. “Their voices are important, and they deserve to be heard.”
SGA shares a similar perspective, and has been actively attempting to establish meetings with Dolan and administration to help turn transparency into a two-way street between administration and the student body.
“We have been advocating for scheduled meetings with administration and student government, and I do believe that forums where students can issue their concerns with administration would be helpful,” Peck-Walden said.
For student government, bringing communication challenges into the public eye has ultimately created a stronger foundation for collaboration between students and administration, and SGA wants to make it clear that students have the ability to make change; they just have to exercise it.
“Students have a voice. If they have opinions and they want something changed, bring it up to the student government because this is supposed to be representative of the students themselves,” Peck-Walden said.
