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.”