Maryland Associationof Student Councils
Give your school's delegates the chance to attend MASC events and benefit from MASC's leadership, advocacy, and communication activities! Join Now
Maryland AssociationGive your school's delegates the chance to attend MASC events and benefit from MASC's leadership, advocacy, and communication activities! Join Now
APPLICATION for the 2023-2024 State Student Member on the Board of Education (SMOB) AND Virtual SMOB Informational WebinarEducation Article §2202 of the Maryland General Assembly Statute authorizes the appointment by the Governor of a student member of the Maryland State Board of Education. Approved in 1985 and amended in 2007, this legislation specifies that the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) shall have the opportunity to nominate two students for the Governor’s consideration. One of these nominees will be appointed by the Governor to serve a one‑year term as the Student Member of the Maryland State Board of Education.
The responsibilities of this position are extensive, so students should read, research, talk to the current and former state SMOBs, and consider carefully. It is also HIGHLY recommended that interested students register and attend the virtual SMOB Informational Webinar (see details below).
Each public high school in Maryland is invited to nominate one student for this position. The student nominee must be regularly enrolled in a public high school, in good standing, and a junior or senior as of July 1, 2023 (meaning a current sophomore or junior).
Please carefully read the packet, observing the different deadlines and parts of the application. There are no exceptions to deadlines as this is the selection of a public official.
PDF document: SMOBApplicationPacket2022
| Date / Deadline | Item Details |
| Monday, November 14, 2022 | School nomination forms uploaded (5:00 p.m.) |
| Monday, December 5, 2022 | Completed application packets must be uploaded (5:00 p.m.) |
| Monday, December 5, 2022 | Required recommendations completed (5:00 p.m.) |
| Tuesday, December 27, 2022 | Nominees contacted about interviews |
| Saturday, January 14, 2023 | Virtual Interviews for selected nominees |
| Tuesday, February 7, 2023 | Virtual SMOB Candidate Town Hall (7:00-8:00 p.m.) This is optional but strongly recommended |
| Thursday, January 19, 2023 | Finalists – Personal statement and preliminary introductory speech deadline (5:00 p.m.) |
| Saturday, February 11, 2023 | Up to Five Finalists present at the MASC Legislative Session (snow date Feb. 18, 2023) |
Virtual SMOB Informational Webinar (interest meeting)Students interested in applying for this position (a school nomination is required), are STRONGLY encouraged to attend the virtual SMOB Informational Webinar at 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Merin Thomas, the current state SMOB, as well as Kevin Bokoum and Jason Wu, immediate past SMOBS (2021-2022 and 2020-2021 respectively), will be facilitating this event.
VisionEnsure all students have access to a world-class educational system that prepares them to graduate ready for post-secondary learning, rewarding work, and success in society and life.
Provide leadership, set policy, and advocate for continuous improvement of Maryland’s educational system to achieve the following:
• Assist every student to realize his or her potential.
• Develop and support a strong accountability system to increase academic success for all students.
• Promote a safe, healthy, and orderly environment for learning and teaching.
• Ensure educator and administrative effectiveness.
• Promote students’ physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being.
• Expand high-quality educational opportunities for students and parents.
• Work with districts to strengthen infrastructure.
• Increase communication and partnerships with stakeholders statewide.