Currently, Owatonna has student representatives on the School Board. For anyone who wants to go into politics, government, or non-profits, joining the school board is definitely something to consider.
Owatonna Public Schools is governed by a seven-member School Board elected at-large by district residents. The School Board makes tons of behind-the-scenes decisions. For example, right now they are working on the boundaries for the elementary schools because Lincoln has too many kids. The School Board was the one to decide to build the new high school and what to do with the old one. The School Board meetings are open to the public; anyone can watch them in person or watch the recorded version online. The next school board meeting is on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.
The Student School Board Representative is a non-voting member who works with the School Board to share input from a student perspective. The Student School Board Representative sits in at the meeting and asks questions. They also keep an update about what’s going on in the school. The Class of 2025 Student School Board Representative, Erin Baker, said, “Outside of the school meeting I say I do a lot because I’m getting info from students and putting that in a document.” The School Board meeting is formal, the board tries to work fast and get everything done.
Jace Forcelle is the class of 2024 Student School Board Representative. Forcelle is the captain of the Speech Team. He believes that being the school board representative gives him a different perspective of the district as a whole.
Baker is involved in many activities including Green Team, Gender Sexuality Alliance, Mixed Roots, Robotics, Mock Trial a
nd many others. Coming from all these different places, Baker can bring new input to the conversation. That’s one of the main reasons Baker wanted to apply for the role. She enjoys doing
this role because it allows her to learn and experience things that will help her in her future career. She wants to go into politics.
Mark Sebring, current Chair of the School Board, believes that students can bring invaluable insight. He said, “The most interesting aspect to being on the school board is that all of us, everybody walking up and down the hallway right now, everyone that you’ll bump into downtown, everyone that you’ll see daily, everyone has been educated.
And all of us have this lens that we view education through and we have this sense of the best way for it to happen.”
Sophomores can apply to be a Student School Board Representative. They can apply anytime between now and March 15, 2024. To apply, check your email for a Google form shared by Dawn Tuchtenhagen, the email was sent out on Jan. 4, 2024, t
o all Sophomores. In the Google Form, students will be asked about their strengths and why they would be good for this role. An admissions committee looks over the applications and then interviews the student. They select the representative in May. If selected as the Student School Board Representative, it is a two-year term, meaning students will be doing this for their junior and senior year. Students can apply now to help the community and the school. Students will learn a lot, it is good for college applications and students will be helping the Owatonna community.
