State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is asking North Dakota students to apply to serve on her Superintendent’s Student Cabinet, which offers an opportunity for young people to advise her about ways to improve K-12 education.
Any student in grades three through 12 who attends a North Dakota public or nonpublic K-12 school, or who is in the first year of attending a North Dakota college, is eligible to apply. Student Cabinet terms last about 18 months. Meetings are typically held at the state Capitol in Bismarck every three months.
Baesler said Student Cabinet members have an opportunity to influence K-12 education improvements across North Dakota, as well as to gain experience in leadership, public speaking, collaboration, and decision-making. Members are chosen to represent different age groups, cultures, school sizes, and regions within the state.
The Student Cabinet application form is on the Department of Public Instruction’s website. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. Central time on April 5, 2024. They may be emailed to dpipa@nd.gov, faxed to 701-328-0203, or mailed to the Department of Public Instruction, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 201, Bismarck, N.D., 58505.
“What students think about their education, how it is provided and how well it is serving them is vitally important to me. The Student Cabinet helps me stay in touch with feedback from our primary customers,” Baesler said. “I want to know what is going well in our schools, and I want suggestions about how to improve what is not going so well.”
“Since it began nine years ago, the Student Cabinet has influenced K-12 education policy in North Dakota, from expanding availability of Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses, advocating for early childhood education, and speaking up for anti-bullying protection for their fellow students,” Baesler said. “Cabinet service helps to prepare our next generation of young leaders.”
The Student Cabinet’s has no pre-determined size and has varied since Baesler began the program in 2015. The present Cabinet has 25 members. Its term ends in June. Incumbent members are eligible for reappointment; of the current 25 members, eight have served more than one term. Baesler has appointed five Student Cabinets during her tenure as superintendent.