The school board chamber was packed on the evening of Jan. 13, not for the bi-monthly board meeting, but for a forum to hear what potential new school board members had to say.

The room was filled with adult candidates (who will be chosen Tuesday by Santa Fe voters), adult moderators and adult participants prompting one to ask: Where are the youth?

The only young person over the age of 12 was New Mexico State student and Santa Fe High graduate Alyssa Gonzales Specht, who attended to hear the candidates' viewpoints because, "Our school system needs a lot of work," she said.

Gonzales Specht felt that the biggest problem in the school district was teacher support — making sure the teachers had both the support and the resources in the classroom.

"I think the school board needs to listen to the teachers," Gonzales Specht said. "The teachers are the ones in the classroom, and they know the in and outs and what they are having to face on a daily basis."

She also highlighted problem with the lack of students at the forum, "It would have been best to encourage students to voice their concerns to the school board because they are the ones that make the decisions." Luckily this was something the school board has already incorporated.

Serving on the Board of Education are three "student advisers" representing Santa Fe High School, Capital High School and the SER Career Academy. They serve as student representatives to the board but cannot vote under state law.

"I get to listen to all the issues and comment on them and bring up things that I see not only at my school but at every other school," said Emily Durham, a junior at Santa Fe High School and one of the school board student advisers.

Durham is the director of activities at Santa Fe High, the yearbook editor, a member of the green team and a member of the school advisery committee.

"I can bring up suggestions of how we can make things better and things I think that are wrong or need to be changed," Durham said.

Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez said student advisers are "very important, as our board and executive staff value their thoughts, ideas and views on the wide array of topics the board handles during any given meeting," Gutierrez said. "I have actually watched board members change their minds about issues after listening to the issue from a student perspective."

Moises Tarango, the student adviser from Capital High School, said the students have a perspective adults might not have.

"I bring to the adult members issues that my school is facing, and I speak for my school and mention to the board what adults may not see," Tarango said. In addition to being a student adviser, Tarango is a member of the varsity football team, the school's Advancement Via Individual Determination program, and the Mayor's Youth advisory Board. Generation Next was unable to contact Jackie Griffin, the student representative from SER academy.

"My voice could be the change for hundreds of people that attend my school," Tarango said. Tarango and his counterparts may have to work with three new voices after Tuesday's school board election, prompting Generation Next to ask the student advisers what they think makes a good school board member.

"They need to be extremely detailed, they need to care, they need to have the time that is necessary to the position — it's a lot of work from what I have seen," Durham said. She described the challenge of reading through the large amount of paper given to board members to be well versed on every issue.

Tarango reiterated the commitment necessary. "A school board member must be dedicated to their community and truthful," Tarango said. "They should have good listening skills and be realistic when it comes to things like budget cuts."

Generation Next also asked what advice they would give to a new school board member.

Tarango's advice is to "stick up clearly for what you believe in and go around schools so that you can see issues that are happening and try to fix them." Durham agreed, adding "The most important (thing is) when they are up there and they feel really strongly about an issue that they not back down," Durham said. "It's really important to not just be so ready to say yes to anything but rather dissect where the money is going."

Durham sums up the important role she, Tarango and Griffin play on the school board.

"In school districts, when you need an answer and you have to go through the administration, it takes weeks," she said, "but once I'm there at the meeting and ask questions, I have an immediate answer and I know they heard me and know what I want."

Alex Wirth is a Senior at Santa Fe Prep. Contact him at alxwirth@gmail.com.