High school juniors in good academic standing can get more information on becoming the 2023-2024 Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) of Anne Arundel County during a hybrid Information Night scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Students may join via Google Meet or attend in-person at the Carol S. Parham Building located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. The meeting link will be posted on the CRASC website, www.aacps.org/crasc.
This informational meeting is for all interested students to learn about the process of nomination, campaigning, election, and appointment. The Expectations of Office will also be discussed at this information session.
Anne Arundel County’s student member on the Board of Education is the only one in the nation on a local board who has full voting rights. The SMOB is elected by members of the Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils (CRASC) and appointed by the Governor.
The nomination process for the 2023-2024 seat opens on February 23, 2023, and concludes at 4 p.m. on March 13, 2023. Nomination forms should be emailed to the Office of Student Leadership at spellegrin@aacps.org. No nomination forms will be accepted after 4 p.m. on Monday, March 13, 2023.
The following are other key dates in the process:
- March 1, 2023: First of two campaign clinics offered by the CRASC. These workshops are designed to help students prepare for elections including SMOB, CRASC officers, Class officers, and Student Council offices. These workshops are open to all interested students. SMOB nominees are encouraged to attend. Each workshop will cover separate materials and themes. This clinic will focus on platform development. It begins at 6:30 p.m. via Google Meet.
- March 8, 2023: Second of two clinics sponsored by CRASC. This clinic will focus on campaigning and election presentations. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. via Google Meet.
- March 13, 2023: 2023-2024 Student Member of the Board nomination period closes at 4 p.m. No nominations will be accepted after 4 p.m.
- March 20, 2023: SMOB application packets are due to the Office of Student Leadership by 4 p.m. All essays, letters of recommendation, and resumes must be submitted by email to spellegrin@aacps.org.
- March 27, 2023: All nominees for SMOB will be scheduled for an interview. These interviews are scored and used to select the three finalists who will advance to the SMOB Election.
- April 18, 2023: CRASC will host a live debate at 6:30 p.m. between the three SMOB finalists. This debate will be moderated by a student and the format will be determined by CRASC. It will be livestreamed on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
CRASC will host the Student Member of the Board election in late April. The name of the candidate who receives the most votes in this election will be forwarded to the governor for appointment. To find out more about this unique opportunity, check out the latest episode of Teen Talk on AACPS’ You Tube Channel.