SRHS student joins Board of Education
Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) student Lea Nepomuceno is one of two new student board members who were sworn into office at the June 28 San Diego Unified Board of Education meeting. Their terms will take effect July 1 and end on June 30, 2023.
Nepomuceno will be a senior at SRHS this fall, while fellow Student Board Member Matthew Quitoriano will be a sophomore at San Diego High School.
In a May election, Nepomuceno and Quitoriano received the most votes among 10 student candidates. More than 3,000 ballots were submitted by fellow high school students across the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD).
“Through chairing the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee on Racial Justice and Equity, I’ve witnessed first-hand the incredible youth-led initiatives and programs across our school district,” Nepomuceno said. “As a student board member, I aim to align the quality of opportunity for students to explore, discover and amplify passion without limitation.”
Since 2019, the Board has included one high school student representative. In April, the Board voted to add a second student representative as a way to expand equitable representation, as well as align with potential changes to state law to ensure an odd-numbered school board.
To further increase diversity among student board members in this year’s and future student elections, at least one candidate must attend a school where at least 60 percent of the student population is eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.
In addition to attending Board meetings and other duties, student board members:
- Represent all students and facilitate the discussion of all sides of issues. This duty does not preclude student board members from stating their individual opinion.
- Provide continuing input for board deliberations.
- Strengthen communication between the Board and district students.
“Including the perspective of a student representative on the San Diego Unified School Board has been an incredible benefit to the district over the past three years,” said Board President Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne. “We’re happy to not only continue the position but expand it.”