♪♪♪ Lea: Going to school every single day, I'm able to speak directly with students as a student and providing that more comforting lens than a student may have a dialog with an adult.

Um, I get a very unique perspective.

It's a student perspective, and being able to carry that on the board is very important.

Narr: Lea is a student board member on the San Diego Unified Board of Education.

Like the five adults on the board, she's responsible for making sure her constituents views are heard, except her constituents are fellow high schoolers.

Lea: In my current term, some of my focuses include restorative justice, campus police reforms, gun violence prevention, and, of course, community and student empowerment.

Narr: San Diego Unified created the position in 2019, adding a second student three years later.

Lea and fellow student board member, Matthew, say they bring an important perspective to the board.

Matthew: Students will be the leaders of the future, but we can also be the leaders of today, given the right resources and abilities.

We have the knowledge and ability to do so.

And I think San Diego unified has just done that-- fostered our potential and turned us into the great leaders that we are today.

Dr. Lamont: Those closest to the problem should be closest to the solution.

Narr: Superintendent Lamont Jackson is a San Diego native raised in these schools.

He says students are facing a different world than he did growing up.

Dr. Lamont: I think all of us as adults have an experience of ‘then.

But our students are living in the ‘now.

And the world is changing, and they are closest to those changes, and theyre closest to the impact.

And so what it means is they bring, uh, a different perspective and... we need to listen to that.

Matthew: We have a very strong student-centered culture with certain members of staff, and that's wonderful.

Um, you know, certain members of staff like the Superintendent, dont see students as the-- just the end users or just that group that we listen to every now and then, but as partners, collaborators, and leaders of today.

I think thats definitely part of making me feel heard, but I think there are definitely roadblocks.

Narr: Roadblocks like not having an equal vote.

Student votes are preferential, meaning their vote is recorded in the official minutes, but it's not counted in the final tally.

Richard: I think that's something that needs to change.

Changing it is complicated.

Narr: Board member Richard Barrera says he envisions a future where student votes do count, especially as more adults recognize the value that students bring to the table.

Richard: What's happening is the decisions that school boards make that affect students more than any other subgroup.

Students are disenfranchised from having a real voice, uh, in those decisions.

Narr: Lea is also advocating for student board members to be paid, which she says will open up opportunities for low income students.

She traveled to the state capitol to testify in favor of a bill that would provide student board members with compensation.

Despite these barriers, board members say the students are effecting change.

Richard: When COVID hit... students, they immediately would talk about mental health as the number one issue.

And I... and I think they were out in front in terms of their understanding of the importance of addressing mental health out in front of adults.

So, students have come forward and said, we want mental health education to be part of the core curriculum.

So, students have had a voice in not only creating the policy, but then figuring out how to implement that policy.

Dr. Lamont: This isn't about us giving them power.

It's about honoring the power that they have.

It's about honoring the gifts that our young people have.

And if... if we really think about historically, young people have been at the peak of movements.

Um, they've always had the power.

Um, I think for us, it's... it's stop being stubborn and... and allow them to lead us.

Narr: Students were instrumental in the decision to raise the Black Lives Matter flag over the San Diego Unified School District headquarters in 2023.

The move came after the board passed a resolution in honor of Black History Month.

Dr. Lamont: Historically, the voices of the most marginalized have not been heard.

Students haven't been seen.

And we want to create an environment where students really belong.

Lea: Being able to have a voice in that, um, really empowers you to really focus and also enjoy your education and value it more.

Matthew: It's been life changing for me, and it's been amazing to know that I bring change to the Board of Education as well.

♪♪♪ Thats it for this edition of Inside California Education.

If you'd like more information about the program, log on to our website insidecaled.org.

We have videos from all of our shows and you can connect with us on social media.

Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you next time on Inside California Education.