Introduction to Student Advocacy in Montgomery County
Calling all passionate student advocates who want to learn more about the student advocacy space and opportunities available in Montgomery County! This informative article presented to you by MCR’s Educational Policy Department does just that! In the following publication, you can learn all about what MCR is, how to testify, and much more. Read on!
What is MCR?
The Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR for short) is the county-wide SGA representing almost 50,000 Montgomery County high school students. MCR advocates for a variety of student policies before the Board of Education and County Council and lobbies for relevant bills in the Maryland Legislature. MCR seeks to represent the views and opinions of all MCPS high school students in numerous ways and there are a plethora of opportunities for students to get involved in this work. In late-Spring and Winter, an opportunity opens for students to join the MCR Executive Board through our Executive Board applications and mid-term applications, respectively. The MCR Executive Board consists of various departments where students can explore their interests, whether that lies in policy work, graphic designing, outreach, etc. You can learn more about the structure of MCR’s Executive Board here.
Executive Board meetings—where the Executive Board convenes to discuss work, share updates, and plan future steps—occur on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. usually at Carver Educational Services Center (850 Hungerford Dr #167, Rockville, MD 20850). Executive Board meetings are led by MCR’s 4 officers: the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. You can learn more about our current officers for the 2024-2025 school year here. Another thing to note is Executive Board meetings are open to the public, meaning anyone (not just Executive Board members) can attend and observe our monthly meetings.
As aforementioned, MCR is the county-wide SGA and aims to connect all of the school SGAs in Montgomery County. But did you know that there is also a state-wide and nation-wide SGA: MASC (Maryland Association of Student Councils) and NASC (National Association of Student Councils), respectively? Whether it's the nation-wide SGA, NASC, or your school’s SGA, each group of passionate student leaders aims to increase student representation in governmental affairs and build leadership skills in youth. And this impact has been evident for decades. With each new year comes bright, new minds as this work continues to grow and expand so that the student voice is forever the main voice.
What and Who is the SMOB?
The Student Member of the Board (SMOB for short) is an MCPS junior or senior that serves as a voting member of the MCPS Board of Education (BOE). The BOE is tasked with the responsibility of providing oversight and leadership to the county and its schools. Use this link to learn more about the BOE and all of the Board members.
The SMOB is elected by middle and high school students. The role of the SMOB is to connect students to the work of the BOE by representing their interests and communicating with them directly. In the past, SMOBs have utilized social media, school visits, and their SMOB Advisory Council (SAC) to communicate with diverse populations of students.
The 47th SMOB for the upcoming school year is Clarksburg High School senior Praneel Suvarna, whose term will last from July 2024 - June 2025. In an interview, Suvarna mentions that he ran for SMOB “to make a difference in student’s lives and create the change that [he] wanted to see.” Suvarna is looking forward to “getting to know other board members well and working on the budget.” Some of the best ways to get involved with Suvarna’s work are to attend the general meetings for his SAC, which will take place once a month starting in the fall, and follow his Instagram (@praneelthesmob). Suvarna encourages students wanting to get involved in advocacy and student leadership to “take advantage of every single opportunity that comes your way” and “have fun while doing it.”
What are the Government Bodies Affecting Students?
There are many different bodies of government ranging in power that affect us: STUDENTS!
On the local level: The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) consists of 8 members including one student! The BOE manages all aspects of public education in Montgomery County. Furthermore, the County Council is our county government and answers to all citizens in Montgomery County. One of the largest tasks that they have includes approving MCPS’s 3.2 billion dollar budget along with funding it.
On the state level: the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is similar to the MCPS BOE except they look over all 23 Maryland public school systems which includes 900,000 students across Maryland. One of their main responsibilities is regulating the state-mandated graduation requirements which every school system must follow. Additionally, there’s the Maryland General Assembly, located in Annapolis, which is Maryland’s bicameral government that passes laws during each annual Legislative Session. Typically in February, MCR organizes our annual “MCR Annapolis Advocacy Day” and gives 50+ students the opportunity to meet with Maryland Delegates and Senators in Annapolis to advocate for bills supported by the MCR Executive Board.
On the national level: the United States Congress is composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. This bicameral legislative body passes nationwide laws, including those concerning education. One way that MCR engages in this work is during our annual “Capitol Hill Advocacy Day” where MCPS students have the opportunity to interact with their US Representative or Senator on Capitol Hill and advocate for bills they are passionate about. This is one of our most exciting events of the year!
What is Testifying?
Testifying has many definitions. One use of the word is to describe the process of sharing an opinion or researched facts on a specific issue.
There are many opportunities for students to testify about their experiences. One easy way to do so on the local level is to testify to the MCPS BOE during their monthly meetings. The Board also opens Public Hearings for the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) and the Operating Budget annually. The Board allows community members to testify via live in-person, pre-recorded video/audio, and written testimony. Check out their Public Participation webpage for more details on how to sign-up.
Other legislative bodies that are less common for students to testify in front of (but are still available) include: the Montgomery County Council, the Maryland State Department of Education, and the Maryland General Assembly. The Montgomery County Council and Maryland General Assembly open testimony for specific bills or pieces of legislation, but the Maryland State Department of Education has open testimony slots at each of their monthly meetings, just like the MCPS BOE. Explore MCR’s Advocacy Toolkit Linktree to find links for some of these testifying opportunities and watch previous MCR workshops explaining how to testify: linktr.ee/mcradvocacytoolkit
What Other Student Advocacy Organizations/Opportunities are Available?
There are many opportunities outside of MCR that you can partake in as well. For example, MCR is exclusive for high school students only, but there are opportunities open to middle school students as well! The Montgomery County Junior Councils (MCJC) is MCR’s middle-school counterpart, representing over 30,000 middle school students within MCPS. There are 9 departments along with Director and Deputy roles: Communications, Academic Affairs, Finance, Legislative Affairs, MAPS (Mental and Physical Safety) Affairs, Public Relations, Scribes, and Chief of Staff.
Additionally, Eco MoCo is a student-led organization open to middle and high school students that aims to promote environmentally-conscious operations within Montgomery County, but also has chapters in other regions. Eco MoCo boasts an Executive Board of over 100 members featuring 7 distinct departments consisting of Chief of Staff, Communications, Environmental Education, Finance, Advocacy, Public Relations, and Volunteer.
MoCo for Change is another student-led advocacy organization within MCPS focused on advocating for issues concerning MCPS students, such as mobilizing young voters, lowering the voting age, social equity, and gun violence prevention.
MoCo Pride is a student organization devoted to connecting queer students all across the county and providing a welcoming community for them. MoCo Pride is currently undergoing a restructuring of the organization with limited positions for board executives and adopting a more project-based focus.
Through hosting open mic nights, luncheons, panelists, and more, MoCo EmpowHER aims to create a safe space for women within Montgomery County. Through their executive board, this organization provides students opportunities to grow as female leaders.
The Lynne Harris Student Internship, managed by MCPS Board of Education Vice President Lynne Harris, aims to create change in MCPS through student-led initiatives. This internship is open to both MCPS middle and high schoolers.
While joining an organization that suits your interests is an excellent way to get involved, there are many other ways that MCPS students can create change, such as creating your own organization, voting for and connecting with the SMOB, or reaching out to local government officials to learn more about developing issues in the area.
Your Voice
However you plan to take action, understand that your voice is powerful and has the influence to drive change. Hopefully this article provided you with the necessary information on active student advocacy groups in the county and gave you a better understanding on what your direction is as a student advocate!
Written by Peter Boyko, Niya Bansal, Isaac Fulton, Addy Teeters, and Setyana Bika (members of the Educational Policy Department)
Published by the Communications Department