Names of Note: Modesto High student will help govern California education for a year
Modesto High School student Rana Banankhah will serve for a year on the California Board of Education.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her to the student seat on the 11-member board, starting Aug. 1. She will have full voting rights.
Only five state school boards across the nation have student members with such powers, Banankhah noted in an email to The Modesto Bee.
“In my opinion, the student vote is not only critical to ensuring that the largest stakeholder group is accurately represented on the state board, but it also provides a fresh and unique perspective to board discussions,” she said.
Banankhah will start her senior year in August. She also will serve as the student member on the Modesto City Schools board, a nonvoting position.
Banankhah will join another Stanislaus County student with a statewide role in education. Alexis Atsilvsgi Zaragoza of Patterson is a student member of the University of California Board of Regents. She has been a nonvoting member in the academic year now ending but will have full powers in her second and final year.
The state Board of Education sets policies for kindergarten through high school, including curriculum, standards and some of the funding. Local district boards carry them out for more than 6 million students at 10,000-plus campuses.
State board members earn $100 per meeting day and must be confirmed by the Senate.
Banankhah laid out her goals in a news release from the Modesto district.
“I’m looking forward to focusing on rebounding from the pandemic, reducing the achievement gap and supporting student mental health,” she said. “I also plan to ensure that historically underrepresented students have a voice and a say in shaping the education system.”
Banankhah has written a few guest columns for The Bee, on topics as diverse as climate change, e-cigarettes and the college admission scandal.
She has been a campaign organizer for Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, and is vice president of San Joaquin Valley Writers. She is associate director of operations of Generation Up and a member of the California Scholarship Federation.
Banankhah also serves on the Modesto district’s Inter-High Council, Student Advisory Council, District Wellness Committee and Local Control and Accountability Plan Committee.
“We are thrilled for Rana and her selection to participate in a statewide position of this nature,” Superintendent Sara Noguchi said in the release. “I am confident she will devote herself to accurately representing the voice of the more than 6 million students throughout the state, especially from the lens of equity and inclusion across diverse school districts.”
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
