With the general election coming up on November 3, the school board election for the Roseville Joint Union High School District (RJUHSD) is rapidly approaching. There are three open seats on the RJUHSD school board with six candidates running for them.

School board elections are extremely important because they determine who will oversee the district’s curriculum and promote diversity in the curriculum throughout all schools in the district. However, eligible voters are the only people that can vote for candidates for the school board. Students that are not eligible to vote within the district do not have any say in the matter, even though decisions that the board makes affect students greatly.

Students within school districts should be able to decide who should be on the ballot for school boards. However, because voting occurs during the general election, the majority of students cannot vote for who they believe should be on the ballot.

In Oakland, California, if passed, Measure QQ would allow 16 years olds to vote in school board elections so that students have a voice in their education. If the measure passes, more school districts in California may follow. However, until then, students can only advocate for making changes within school boards by speaking up at meetings, arranging meetings with specific board members, and advocating for who they want adults to vote for to represent the RJUHSD school board.

Many of the things that school boards decide impact students greatly, whether it is about how the school board decides to spend their budget or what students will learn through the different curriculum that is implemented. 

Students should be able to have their voice heard and become more representative in the process, as some school boards do not listen to what students’ opinions are because they do not actually have a vote in school board elections. 

In California, students who serve on a school board have a preferential vote, so they do not have a vote that is counted towards board decisions. A student serving on the school board casts their vote first, which allows board members to take that vote into consideration before voting themselves. However, the vote from the student representing their peers causes it to seem like student voices do not matter for school boards.

One of the most popular arguments against allowing students to have a vote in the process is that they are not mature enough to make decisions because they do not have enough experience with budgets and making decisions that can affect a large number of people. Many adults believe that they have the best knowledge and experience to make sound decisions.

However, with so many movements nationwide calling for change in schools, especially following the creation of Diversify Our Narrative, students are seen trying to make change in their schools that would make schools a better place that is more inclusive for all students. Within our district, student representatives from each school are trying to make our district show more diversity by sparking civil conversations, which is sound decision making.

School board members also do not see what schools are actually like everyday, while students see schools from a lens that adults cannot match easily. We see the things that need to be changed everyday, while board members only see it for a short period of time during their visits. Students understand what happens at a school daily, and are able to figure out how to change it for the better for students to listen to, while most adults cannot understand the adolescent mindset as much.