Student Representatives serve for one school year from September to June. Student Representatives participate in all SBOE activities and are considered full members of the SBOE. Their votes are recorded, but cannot affect the outcome of any policy measure.  Student Representatives are expected to attend all official SBOE meetings. Meetings of the State Board occur in the evening twice monthly on the first and third Wednesday of each month. In addition, Student Representatives co-chair the Student Advisory Committee and are responsible for setting the agenda for the Committee. 

The Student Advisory Committee serves as the voice of students in the State Board’s work.  They are consulted on all issues of policy before the Board.  The Student Advisory Committee meets once per month, on the third Monday of each month at 4:30pm.  The Committee also produces a report each year to the State Board on an matter of importance to District students and provides recommendations on action. 

Student Advisory Committee for SY2017-2018

The DC State Board of Education has closed the application process for its School Year 2017-2018 Student Advisory Committee. We thank all applicants and we look forward to reviewing applications over the next week. We will be in touch with those students who are selected soon.

The Student Representatives serve as co-chairs of the Student Advisory Committee.  The Committee is composed of a minimum of 15 high school students, one from each of the 10 largest (by student population) high schools in the District and 5 additional members from other high schools. 

ALL Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• District of Columbia resident

• Sophomore, junior or senior in either a traditional public or public charter high school.

SY2016-2017 Student Representatives

Alex Dorosin is a senior at Woodrow Wilson High School and is a resident of Ward 3. He served on the Student Advisory Committee last year and is committed to community service and being a voice for students in improving education in the District of Columbia. He can be reached at [email protected]

Jamiah Hall is a junior at Theodore Roosevelt High School and is a resident of Ward 5. She is glad to represent the powerful student voice on the State Board and looks forward to working with her colleagues to broaded opportunities for all students across the District. She can be reached at [email protected].

Hear First-Hand Experience From Former Representatives:

Brian Contreras, 2016 School Without Walls Graduate, SY2014-2016 SBOE Student Representative 

"Students rarely get the opportunity to be involved in the political systems that control their lives every day, but over the past two years, I’ve been one of the few who had the chance to take up just such a role. As one of two Student Representatives on the DC State Board of Education, I met with city leaders nearly every week to discuss the policy issues that limit the ability of the DC student community to get the most out of their education. The ability to be directly engaged in issues as diverse as health standards, teacher accountability, and the achievement gap provided an opportunity made available to an unfortunately small number of young people in our community. In fact, I created the new Student Advisory Committee as a means of increasing the involvement of students in student-centric policy creation; I hope this group will grow in the years to come. My time on the Board was not only interesting and allowed me to grow personally, but also (I would hope) created some small change in the DC education system that will help my peers in the same way." 

Destinee Whittington, 2016 Richard Wright Public Charter School Graduate, SY2015-2016 SBOE Student Representative 

"I have really grown being around some of the DC's most important leaders in education. As Student Representative, my confidence has grown so much! I have made lifetime connections with this wonderful opportunity. Being a student representative has been a life-changing experience."