AB 261 Gives Student Board Members Preferential Voting Rights
Sacramento, CA – AB 261, authored by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond), would authorize student school board members to have a preferential vote. AB 261 passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee this morning with bipartisan support.
“I am pleased that the Assembly Appropriation members and I are on the same page about giving students a voice about decisions that impact them in school,” said Assemblyman Thurmond. “Student board members represent the largest stakeholder group in the education system—students. “AB 261 empowers students to get more engaged in their education, because they are active participants at all levels—not just in the classroom, but in the decision-making process as well.”
Preferential voting rights gives a student board member the ability to clearly show where the students stand on issues.
AB 261 would authorize the governing board to allow preferential voting for the voting member(s) of the governing board. Preferential voting means a formal expression of opinion that is recorded in the minutes and cast prior to the official vote of the governing board. A preferential vote will not serve in determining the final numerical outcome of a vote.
LAUSD, the largest district in the state of California, recently established the Student Board Member position with preferential voting rights.
