Student Leadership → Student Member of the Board
Student Member of the Board
The Student Member of the Board (SMOB) is a voting member of the Montgomery County Board of Education. The SMOB can vote on matters related to collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets, and school closings, reopenings and boundaries, but not on negative personnel actions. Montgomery County is one of two counties in Maryland to give this position full voting rights. The SMOB is not paid, but receives a $5,000 college scholarship, Student Service Learning hours, and one honors-level social studies credit.
Listen to what students had to say about the importance of voting in this election:
Sami Saeed
Sami Saeed, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School, serves as the 46th Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for the 2023-2024 school year.
On April 19, 2023, all secondary students were eligible to vote virtually in the SMOB election and nearly 56,000 students cast ballots. Students received an electronic ballot in their MCPS email and were encouraged to vote through a class lesson. Mr. Saeed received 70 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Yoseph Zerihun, a senior at Springbrook High School, received 30 percent.
Leadership and Accomplishments
- Richard Montgomery High School Student Government Association, President
- SMOB Advisory Council, Policy Associate
- Richard Montgomery High School, Debate Team Champion
- Montgomery County Commission on Youth and Children, Member
- Maryland Association of Student Councils, Certified Workshop Presenter
