• Consists of nine voting members who serve staggered four-year terms, the commissioner of higher education who serves as a nonvoting ex-officio member, and two nonvoting student members who serve one-year terms.

• Appoints the commissioner of education, who administers the Department of Education.

• Has general supervision and control of the educational interests of the state, including preschool, elementary, and secondary education; special education; and vocational education. The educational interests of the state, as defined by law are that (1) each student have an equal opportunity to receive a suitable program of educational experiences; (2) each school district finance at a reasonable level at least equal to the state's minimum expenditure requirement an educational program designed to achieve this end; (3) in order to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation, each school district provide educational opportunities for its students to interact with students and teachers from other

racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds and may provide such opportunities with students from other communities; and (4) statutory mandates relating to education within the State Board of Education's jurisdiction are implemented.

• Sets state educational policy in collaboration with the governor and the General Assembly.

• Oversees the state vocational-technical schools.

• Authorizes charter and interdistrict magnet schools.

• Adjudicates complaints against local boards of education that fail to implement the state's educational interests.

• Serves as the final administrative appeal board for issuing and revoking teaching certificates and other educational credentials needed to work in Connecticut public schools.

1. What are the major issues you would like the State Board of Education to address during your term? As a nonvoting member, how do you plan to influence the board's deliberations?

2. Do you see your role on the board as reflecting the concerns and views of your fellow students? How do you plan to communicate with students around the state on issues before the board?

3. Whether to ban soda and junk food from being sold in schools has been a contentious issue in the General Assembly in the past two years. Do you think such a ban is good idea? Should restrictions for elementary and high schools be different? Do you think restrictions should be imposed at the state or local level? Do you believe restrictions on soda sales in school will affect how much and what students consume?

4. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many high school students “coast” during their senior years, especially in the second semester. The State Board of Education has appointed a task force to assess the high school curriculum and recommend ways to make it more rigorous, among other things. How widespread do you think so-called “senioritis” is? How do you think the State Board should address the problem? What other curriculum issues are you interested in?

5. The former governor of New Jersey recently issued an executive order to require teams and individuals who qualify for state high school championship tournaments to submit to random drug testing to determine if they are abusing anabolic steroids. Similar proposals are being made for Connecticut. Do you think steroid abuse is common among high school athletes? What is your opinion of random testing for championship tournament participants? Do you think the health curriculum should include instruction on the effects of steroid use?