Giving Students a Voice

Shiva Rajbhandari joined his school’s student council in 10th grade, hoping to make a difference. The teen from Boise, Idaho, helped secure improvements to the school restrooms. But he was frustrated that his duties were mainly confined to organizing dances. 

Shiva, now in 12th grade, wanted to make bigger changes, including having his school district operate in more environmentally friendly ways. So he set his sights on a citywide position—as a voting member of the school board.

A school board is a group of local citizens who set rules and goals for an area’s public schools. Elected by community members, school boards make decisions about policies and spending that directly affect students and teachers. 

“The school board is one of your most local forms of government. It’s the most direct form of democracy we have, so your vote really counts,” Shiva says. 

Most students aren’t old enough to run for a school board position, so the groups are usually made up of adults. But Shiva’s 18th birthday fell a week before the election, making him eligible. 

He formally announced his candidacy in the spring of 2022, then he enlisted friends and family members to spread the word about his campaign during the summer. He focused on issues directly affecting teens, such as mental health and school start times.

On the day of the election this past September, Shiva got to see his name on the ballot—and to vote for the very first time. 

By the time those votes were counted, Shiva had made history. He’d become the youngest person ever elected to a school board in Idaho, according to the National Student Board Member Association. 

“I was watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with my friends when we heard the results,” the teen recalls. “I was stunned.”

As a school board member, Shiva attends about four meetings a month. He serves on two committees. One creates and reviews school policies. The other makes decisions about school district facilities, including how to improve the buildings. 

Shiva also serves as a link between the board and other teens and younger kids in the community. 

“In my classes and after school, my friends and peers and students from other schools are contacting me via social media and asking me about certain policies,” he says. “And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work.” 

Shiva’s priorities include finding ways for the school district to use energy more efficiently. He also wants to add more counseling resources for students.

He is focused on changing the school board itself as well. His biggest goal is to convince his fellow members to create a permanent slot on the board for a teen. 

“I really hope I can make it the norm to have a student on the board,” Shiva says. “Students belong in all places where decisions are being made, and especially decisions about education and schools.” 

—additional reporting by Laura Anastasia