Students ask Legislature to mandate student board members statewide
Loading...
Summary
Student advisory delegates urged amending Education Code section 35012 to require at least one student board member in unified and high‑school districts, expand motion rights (while keeping preferential votes), and provide training; legislators raised costs, petition barriers and procedural questions.
Student presenters told the joint education committees that thousands of students have had crucial decisions made without meaningful student input and urged a statutory change to guarantee student representation on school boards.
Justin Echolm and others said the change would amend Ed Code section 35012 to require at least one student board member per unified and high‑school district and to expand student members’ rights to motion and receive regular training comparable to elected board members. "We are delegates of the Student Advisory Board on Legislation and Education representing the youth of California," Justin said, arguing that student representation will improve funding decisions that affect electives, staffing and student opportunity.
Committee members probed operational details: whether mandating student members would create tie‑vote issues on small boards, how student terms should align with budget cycles, and why some districts lack student members now. Panelists said current law requires a student petition with a 10% threshold and proposed an appeals pathway to the Department of Education for under‑resourced districts. Senators cautioned that a statewide mandate could create reimbursement obligations for the state and asked for precise language limiting motioning powers to agenda items or defined contexts. No formal action was taken during the hearing.
