2023/24 Maine DOE Student Cabinet Closes Out Another Successful Year

The Maine Department of Education’s 2023/2024 Student Cabinet hosted their final meeting in the Spring, a culmination of the students’ work throughout the school year.

Co-chaired by student representatives from the Maine State Board of Education, the Student Cabinet provides a forum for Maine students’ voices to be heard. This is the fourth year the Maine DOE has appointed students to a Student Cabinet to integrate student voices into decision-making on education issues that impact their journey through Maine’s education system. This year’s Co-chairs were Ryan Hafener, a recent Hampden Academy graduate, and Phat Thai, a rising Senior at Deering High School.

Throughout the year, students had many opportunities to provide feedback to Maine state government leaders, including the Maine Department of Education and Governor Mills, starting with their first meeting in Augusta in the winter. They also met virtually monthly to talk more about education and brainstorm ideas for improving students’ needs at school. A 2023/24 Cabinet subgroup also convened outside of regular meetings to formulate a Student Cabinet vision statement and agreements.

“It is our hope that future Student Cabinets will adopt and update the vision statement and agreements for years to come,” said Phat Thai, Maine DOE Student Cabinet co-chair. Thai led the sub-group of students who worked on the vision statement and set of agreements this year, a student-initiated project.

The final meeting of the 2023/24 Student Cabinet consisted of a listening panel, during which students shared more details on their thoughts and ideas about the mental health needs of students, issues of social justice at school, and school safety with state leaders from the Maine DOE and many other state agencies, as well as Maine education stakeholders and administrators from Maine schools.

The students also had the opportunity to meet with Commissioner Pender Makin and other leaders from the Maine DOE to brainstorm ideas about what makes schools great and what they want and need from them to thrive.

The 2023/2024 Student Cabinet was concluded at the end of the spring meeting. The Maine Department of Education will open applications for vacant seats in the fall of 2024, after which the 2024/2025 will be announced, and meetings will resume. The 2024/2025 Student Cabinet will be co-chair Phat Thai will be joined by the newly appointed State Board Student Representative Cedar Worster, a rising Junior at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris.

For more information about the Maine DOE Student Cabinet, visit the Maine DOE website or contact Rachel Paling, Maine DOE Communications and Outreach Manager, at rachel.paling@maine.gov.