<p>A friend of mine sent me this story and asked me what I thought about an 18 year old being an at-large school board trustee. </p>
<p>At first, I didn’t have an objection, but when I started reading the article I inclined to take a different view.</p>
<p>This person is taking 18 hours (3 that belong to an internship), and is invloved with the University Democrats, League of United Latin American Citizens and an officer in the college honor society Pi Sigma Alpha.</p>
<p>It was also stated that the day after high school, she started college.</p>
<p>What are your opinions on this? Do you think this student should have been given this job to oversee 40,000 students? I don’t understand how she could do well at her job while attending to her school duties.</p>
<p>It’s not uncommon for a student to become a trustee. However a freshman fresh out of highschool? come on.</p>
<p>One of the conditions former Johns Hopkins President Milton Eisenhower had before returning for his third term in office at the helm of JHU was that the Board of Trustees had to build a new library, had to create a new student center, and had to elect one senior of each graduating class as 4 yr term as “Young Trustee.”</p>
<p>Since only 60% of the Board of Trustees of JHU were alumnis of Hopkins, Eisenhower thought it would be a good idea to get perspective from the recent graduate/young student side of the equation. The Board always has four Young Trustees among its membership.</p>
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<p>My opinion: You kinda have to pass introductory chemistry 101 before you start dictating the direction and future operations of a university… I’m not sure if this is a good idea.</p>
<p>Personally, I think it is great that someone who is full of energy has stepped up to the plate for this school district. Given that she was appointed, rather than elected, one has to wonder what the other candidates looked like. I wish her all the best.</p>
<p>In my school district (Montgomery County MD) the HS students elect one of their own to serve a one-year term. This Student Member of the Board, or SMOB has full board responsibilities and serves as the representative for the student population. It is considered a huge honor not only for the student elected, but also for the HS that student attends.</p>
<p>Just to clairfy, she is the school board trustee over a school district (elementary, middle school and high school).</p>
<p>I just don’t don’t understand how she can perform a full time job serving as a school board trustee while going to school and serving on other organizations.</p>
<p>Being a member of a local school board is a voluntary position. Members attend a few meetings each month and are responsible for budget, personnel, etc. It’s not a full time job, by any means. They represent the taxpayer, work with the supt. and other top administrators regarding other things such a curriculum and school policy. There is no requirement that school board members have a minimum amount of education; certainly nothing that would preclude a young person from serving. I believe the minimum age is 18. This young woman must have been appointed to fill in for a mid-term vacancy. She will eventually have to be elected by taxpayers who live in this school district. Most schools have a student representative serve as non-voting members who advise the board. As she is no longer a student in the public school, she is apparently a ‘real’ voting member. Good for her!!</p>
<p>I know that a couple of years ago, we had a very young candidate for our school board (20-22 years old, something like that.) He said he was doing it because he “wanted to get into politics.” At the “Meet the Candidates” night – and I kid you not – he came in with a sweatshirt on, hood up, leaned back in his seat, and HIS MOTHER answered the questions for him.</p>
<p>Members meet a few times a month so this is not a “full time job”. I guarantee the other members have families and full time jobs or are retired. She is taking over a mid-term vacancy so the position could possibly end soon. She’ll have a vote but do you really think any of the old members will give her opinions any heed even though she’s probably the most knowlegeble one of the group of what needs done. Someone asked what the other candidates she beat out were like, well this is El Paso which contains untold illegals so there should be a ruling about citizenship of board members, if it’s enforced. Notice too, that she is attending UTEP. UT gives lots of perks to El Paso ISD and it’s graduates so naming a UTEP student to the board continues to keep the school district in UT’s good graces.</p>
<p>Do you see any other trustee that has a full time job (I count going to a school 18 hours and being invloved in 3 other organization a full time job)?</p>
<p>I just wouldn’t feel comfortable giving somebody a job to oversee 40,000 students who has other commitments.</p>
<p>I am not saying that she is too young to be a trustee, I just feel that she has too many other responsiblities to commmit to the job.</p>
<p>Nunya, it’s Socorro ISD, not El Paso ISD. You may be stereotyping the veteran members of this board. They may well listen to her opinions as she is more accomplished than readily meets the eye. It’s a 7 member panel and each has 1 vote. They oversee, they don’t operate the district. All members of the board are employed, most full-time.</p>
<p>Well, technically the school board does oversee the students, but they generally set policy, approve budgets, etc. The day-to-day operations are performed by the superintendent and the school district employees.</p>
<p>I read the biographies, too, and it looks like all of them have full-time jobs outside the school district.</p>
<p>Most of the members of our school board have full time jobs. They don’t run the district - that’s done by the superintendent of schools. They oversee the budget and help sell it the public. They meet once or twice a month in the evenings. A college student could easily do the job.</p>
<p>I know two men who when they were high school students were on the Miami school board. It’s not that unusual for school boards to include a student, and the position is very doable for students as well as adults with full time jobs.</p>