Two of the members shall be secondary students, one of whom shall be a full member and the other of whom shall be a junior member who may not vote. All members shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate Annually, using an application process that is open and accessible to all eligible students, the governor shall appoint a Vermont secondary school student who will continue to be a secondary student for at least two years following taking office, to serve on the state board for two years, beginning on July 1 of the year of appointment. The student member shall not vote during the first year and shall be a full and voting member during the second year of his or her term. I believe in democracy, which to me means people helping make decisions affecting them. That s why I lobbied for a law that would establish student seats on the Vermont State Board of Education.
Young people have the lowest voter turnout rate in the country, which is attributed to apathy.
I believe young people are not apathetic when they are able to make a difference and to help set the priorities that drive their lives, not just accomplish the goals adults set for them. I applied for the position because I wanted to prove that students are capable. I wanted to position to be more than a mere token, and I thought I could help shape the role students would have on the board in future years. Now on the board, Miranda Jones and I offer a unique perspective to our fellow policy-makers. We ve taken the state tests.