Public school students currently in grades 9-11 are invited to apply for the 13 open positions on the 2022-2023 Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council, a group that provides input to the Kentucky commissioner of education.
The Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council (SAC) is a year-long program. The group meets with the commissioner and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Kentucky. Members will provide feedback from a student perspective on critical issues impacting Kentucky’s students and schools.
“Kentucky has long been a national leader in the importance we place on student voice,” said Jason E. Glass, Kentucky’s commissioner of education and chief learner. “Over the past year, student voice has been critical to our efforts in reimagining and improving the overall experience for learners. Our advisory council members provide deep insights into what students need and how decisions being made at the state level will affect them.”
This past year, students were involved in several statewide initiatives. SAC members served as breakout room moderators, panelists and keynote speakers at the Kentucky Education Summit, which took place Nov. 1-2. The summit centered on KDE’s new initiative, United We Learn: Investing in Kentucky’s Future, One Student at a Time. The collective effort is aimed at forming a bold and forward-thinking new direction of education to give the Commonwealth’s students the learning experiences they need and deserve.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman also worked with the SAC to help shape the student mental health roundtables held across the Commonwealth last fall. The sessions were a deep dive into how students were doing and what kind of supports they need in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results were compiled into a report the SAC unveiled at the summit.
In addition to involvement in statewide initiatives, students provided monthly feedback to the commissioner and KDE staff on topics ranging from COVID-19 mitigation efforts, KDE legislative priorities, teacher retention and student’s rights.
For the 2022-2023 council, KDE is seeking students with innovative ideas and thoughtful insight into how schools and student achievement can be improved. Those who represent the diverse academic, geographic, demographic and size of school variables are encouraged to apply. To be eligible, students must be sophomores, juniors or seniors during the 2022-2023 school year.
Students selected to serve on the council represent each of Kentucky’s seven Supreme Court districts, and the council includes at least one student from the Kentucky School for the Blind, the Kentucky School for the Deaf and enrolled in a career and technical education pathway. Students selected for the council may serve consecutive one-year terms as long as they remain eligible to serve and do not have to reapply.
A committee of KDE-appointed representatives will review and score all applications based on the answers provided. Top-scoring applicants will be invited to interview for a position on the council. Appointments will be determined by how well the applicants communicate their ideas and goals.
The application deadline is April 4. Interested students should apply via Google form.
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