Student Board Rep Satvika Iyer joins panel discussion at CSBA Annual Education Conference

By SATVIKA IYER
MHS Student Board Representative

Serving on the MUSD Board of Education as a student member has taught me so much about what goes into running a school. From weighing in on budgeting decisions to advocating for student concerns throughout the district, the California state law and I consider student input essential to the success of a school and governance by the school board.

At the California School Board Association’s Annual Education Conference, I realized that most school boards didn’t know how to utilize or didn’t even have a student board member. I witnessed thousands of district educators, staff, and students banding together to define the role of student members in effective governance, hopeful for the new age of student advocacy.

As part of the only student board member panel of the conference, two other student board members and I weighed in on the challenges and opportunities for improvement we have faced and addressed on the job. We discussed our motivations for being on the board to let district staff know that we took on this role not to be a sitting duck or pad our résumé, but to connect the resources of the board to the concerns and well-being of its students. We shared our experiences over 6 months of navigating the board, called for better onboarding and understanding between other board members and students, and shared our most engaging experiences in governance. For me, that was creating a digital citizenship resolution filled with student input with the other board members and forms I have made to connect student concerns, ideas, and inputs across the district directly to the board. 

Our inputs as student members can be reduced to casting a preferential vote and presenting a short update on our school site. It doesn’t have to be this way. Asking questions, sharing my opinions, and learning from our other board members and the superintendent pave the way for the new age of student members, one of impact and involvement.