Chicago Public Schools Seeks Honorary Student Board of Education Member for 2024-25 School Year

CHICAGO – Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is now accepting applications for the next honorary student member of the Board of Education. Each year, an honorary student board member represents the interests and perspectives of all CPS students on a Board that makes decisions and shapes policies for the nation’s fourth-largest school district. 

“It is incredibly important that our students are represented on our Board because they are the most important part of our school system,” said Board President Jianan Shi. "Our current HSBM, Kate'Lynn Shaw, brings an invaluable perspective to our work as a Board.  When we center student voices and the perspective of our Honorary Student Board Member, our decision-making processes are stronger, more inclusive of the perspectives of our most impacted stakeholders." 

The application process for the one-year term opens Friday, March 22, and remains open until 5 p.m. Friday, April 26. All CPS rising 11th or 12th-grade students are encouraged to apply to serve for the 2024-25 school year through this Google form on the Board of Education’s website. To be eligible, a student must hold a 3.0 G.P.A. or above and demonstrate proven leadership experience. 

“We not only want to make space to hear from our students but also cultivate a sense of appreciation for our students’ perspective at every level of our District,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Student board members bring unique issues and perspectives to the Board of Education, and student participation in Board activities prepares our students to be engaged members of the community. I encourage all aspiring student leaders to apply to this position.”

If selected, the honorary student board member will:

• Represent the CPS student body at the Chicago Board of Education’s monthly meetings;
• Serve as an appointed member on a District-level student committee; and
• Receive a $1,000 scholarship towards their education at a two- or four-year college or university. 

“My time as the Honorary Student Board Member has been amazing, and I’ve learned so many methods to engage in politics through this position,” said the current Honorary Student Board Member, Kate’Lynn Shaw. “I applied looking to make a difference in the ways education works and interacts with my peers and me. I’ve been able to do that and so much more. The application process was so welcoming, and I encourage students to apply and be open to this great opportunity.”

The honorary student board member position was created by the Board in 1995 in recognition of the importance of student voices and the Board’s responsibility to the quality of education for the youth of our community.

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About Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is dedicated to providing a high-quality education to all students, beginning with the District’s free full-day preschool programming for four-year-old scholars and continuing through neighborhood, magnet, and selective-enrollment elementary schools that provide a rigorous K-8 education with schools that specialize in the fine arts, world language and culture, dual language, STEM, International Baccalaureate (IB), classical programs, and more. The rising District-wide freshmen-on-track and high school graduation rates reflect the hard work of the CPS community, including families, staff, and students across 635 schools. CPS celebrates the diversity of its more than 322,000 students who cite 182 home languages. Learn more about CPS at www.cps.edu and connect with CPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.