Chicago Public Schools Seeks Honorary Student Board of Education Member for 2025-26 School Year (Chicago, IL) – Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is now accepting applications for the next honorary student member of the Board of Education. Each year, an honorary student board member represents the interests and perspectives of all CPS students on a Board that makes decisions and shapes policies for the nation’s fourth-largest school district.
“Having the student perspective is incredibly important and key to informing our decisions,” said Board President Sean B. Harden. “The Board’s ultimate goal is to develop the highest quality educational system possible for all CPS students, so we rely on our honorary student board member to help us do that through direct engagement and by elevating the voices of our students from across the District.”
The application process for the one-year term opens today, Monday, March 24, at 10 a.m. and remains open until 5 p.m., Friday, April 25. All CPS rising 11th or 12th-grade students are encouraged to apply to serve for the 2025-26 school year through this Google form on the Board of Education’s website. To be eligible, a student must hold a 3.0 G.P.A. or above and demonstrate proven leadership experience.
“We not only want to make space to hear from our students but also cultivate a sense of appreciation for our students’ perspective at every level of our District,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Student board members bring unique issues and perspectives to the Board of Education, and student participation in Board activities prepares our students to be engaged members of the community. I encourage all aspiring student leaders to apply to this position.”
If selected, the honorary student board member will:
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Represent the CPS student body at the Chicago Board of Education’s monthly meetings;
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Serve as an appointed member on a District-level student committee; and
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Receive a $1,000 scholarship towards their education at a two or four-year college or university.
Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School Senior Carolina Carchi currently sits in the role.
“Representing my fellow CPS classmates as the Honorary Student Board Member has been an amazing experience that I will always hold dear to my heart,” said Carolina Carchi. “Students want and deserve to have a voice in the decisions that impact them and their academic goals. So, I’m proud to have played an essential role in amplifying student questions, concerns and ideas before the Board.”
The honorary student board member position was created by the Board in 1995 in recognition of the importance of student voices and the Board’s responsibility to the quality of education for the youth of our community.
Chicago Public Schools Seeks Honorary Student Board of Education Member for 2025-26 School Year
