OLYMPIA, Wash. – Jared Costanzo, a sophomore at Chiawana High School in Pasco, is the new student representative to the Washington State Board of Education. Jared will begin his term with the Board on May 12-13 during the Board’s meeting in Spokane.

Board membership calls for two student representatives, one from eastern and one from western Washington. Jared is replacing outgoing eastern Washington student member Austianna Quick, a senior at Oroville High School in Oroville, Washington, who ends her two-year term with the Board this May. Jared will join the current western Washington student representative Anna Laura Kastama, a junior at the Tacoma School of the Arts, who is completing her first year with the Board.

"Being a student representative to the State Board of Education [is] a great privilege,” said Jared.

That privilege was granted after a competitive application process that culminated with interviews of potential candidates in Moses Lake.

Jared’s experience and initiative were both key factors in his selection. Jared has been an active and involved member at Chiawana High School, serving as Public Relations Officer within Chiawana’s ASB, as a Chiawana’s representative to the Pasco School District’s strategic planning sessions, and as a student representative to the Seattle conference of the Washington State School Director’s Association.

His nomination to the Board and the ability to contribute to issues important to students today is "extremely important,” said Jared. "I understand that being a student representative to the State Board of Education is a big responsibility but also a great opportunity.”

The State Board of Education is comprised of five elected members, seven governor-appointed members, and one private school representative. Two non-voting student representatives round out the Board’s membership.

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Contact: Aaron Wyatt, Communications Manager

About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The board is comprised of 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member.

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