30 Mar Contra Costa County School Board Accepting Applications for a Student Member

Rising juniors and seniors can apply to be a student member of the Contra Costa County Board of Education next school year. (CCCOE via Bay City News)

CC Pulse Staff Report

Those who will be juniors or seniors next school year can apply to be an advocate for their fellow students as a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Education. Applications, which are available online, will be open until Friday, April 18 at 5 p.m.

This marks the third year that students will be eligible to serve as members of the CCCBOE.

The board now has two student members: Luke Wilson, an El Cerrito High School senior in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and Ishaan Savla, a Dougherty Valley High School junior in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

Student members are considered full members of the board but with several exceptions. They can make motions that may be acted upon by the board and cast preferential votes on all matters except those subject to closed session. Preferential votes allow student members to formally express their opinion on matters and are recorded in the board’s minutes and cast before the official vote of the County Board. By law, preferential votes do not affect the numerical outcome of a vote.

Student board members cannot participate in or receive closed-session materials because those discussions often include topics such as student discipline or other sensitive matters.

The student board position comes with a monthly stipend of $250.

Eligible applicants include any student enrolled in a public high school in Contra Costa County who will be a junior or senior in the 2025-26 school year. Priority will be given to students who currently attend or previously attended a CCCOE school or program or have an immediate family member who currently attend or have previously attended a CCCOE school or program.

Applicants will be interviewed by an ad hoc committee of the CCCBOE and voted on by the board.

For more information about applying call the Contra Costa County Board of Education at (925) 942-3388 or click here.