Amplifying Student Voice: Fostering Collaborative Leadership in School Boards

Over 20 school districts and nearly 100 attendees recently gathered to amplify student voice on school boards across Minnesota.?Shakopee Public Schools, home of the?Academies of Shakopee, hosted the third annual Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) Student School Board Event for the second year. This year,?Farmington Area Public Schools?co-hosted the event at Shakopee High School to highlight a powerful truth: student voice is a vital ingredient in the recipe for educational excellence.

"Student representatives on the school board have so much untapped potential to contribute feedback from the ground level. Discussing these opportunities openly with other dedicated student board representatives was inspiring." -?Shaunya Kumar, Shakopee Public Schools Student Board Member, Class of 2026

While Minnesota doesn't currently have a universal method to track the number of public school districts formally appointing student school board members, many districts include students as ex-officio members on their governing boards. These students often also serve on local school cabinets and other leadership roles within their school community.

The event, featuring various deep dive and breakout sessions, aimed to identify meaningful and actionable strategies for incorporating student voice into school board work.

Shakopee Schools Superintendent Mike Redmond, and Assistant Superintendent Jim Miklausich moderated a morning breakout session for school leaders and board members. Meanwhile, Farmington Schools Superintendent Jason Berg facilitated a student-led discussion exploring strategies and barriers to student feedback in public education.

"It was incredibly valuable to gain an outside perspective from students on ways to amplify student voice across Minnesota." -?Michelle Sieberg, Shakopee Public Schools Student School Board Member, Class of 2025.

The afternoon session brought both groups together to identify strategies for enhancing student voice in district decision-making and fostering stronger connections between school boards and the community, particularly students.

Highlights from the feedback included the need to consistently:

• Create ongoing opportunities for K-12 student participation and voice in school board governance.
• Provide ongoing support and training to student school board members to empower them to effect change.
• Have elected school board officials employ supportive listening strategies when connecting with students.

"We, as student representatives, are a bridge between students and decision-makers. We advocate for student interests and inform the community about board initiatives. The MSBA event reinforced the importance of this collaboration in shaping the future of public education." -?Shaunya Kumar

Native Harvest Catering, a division of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and a long-time supporter of the Academies of Shakopee Arts & Communications Academy, provided locally sourced meals for the event, courtesy of MSBA. MSBA plans to host this free event annually at various school locations statewide.