School Board Fellowship Application Page

The Basics

Name*

First Last

Name you like to go by

Personal Pronouns*

Pronoun description

Phone #*

Personal Email*

How did you hear about us? (Please check all that apply)*

Please specify the individual(s) or organization(s) through which you heard about the School Board Fellowship

Demographics

At The Opportunity Trust, we are intentional about recruiting a class that reflects the diversity of our community. While the following questions are optional, they will help us understand who is applying to the School Board Fellowship. Please know that these questions do not have any bearing on whether or not you are selected for the fellowship, and your individual answers will remain confidential. We know that self-identification is important and that language matters. We have tried to be as inclusive as possible in the choices below, while also understanding that the options we provide may not describe your identity or experiences. Please use the option to write in how you identify by clicking on “prefer to self-describe” and typing your answer there, and you are always welcome to choose the “prefer not to answer” option.

We know the most successful movements are intergenerational. Therefore, we would appreciate you sharing when you were born.

Please select your gender identity.

Gender identity description

We know that race and ethnicity are not the same thing and, therefore, this is a particularly hard question for many people to answer with checkboxes. Feel free to select “Prefer to self-describe” to write in an answer to describe your identity in your own words.

Race/ethnicity description

Were you raised in the St. Louis area?

Do you live in the city of St. Louis?

Yes
No

Which St. Louis city neighborhood do you live in?

What neighborhood and school district do you live in?

Are you raising or have you raised a school-aged child while living in the city of St. Louis?

Yes
No

Please check all applicable options

My school-age child(ren) currently attend a SLPS district school
My school-age child(ren) currently attend a public charter school in St. Louis
My school-age child(ren) do not currently attend a SLPS district or public charter school (e.g., they attend private or parochial)
My child(ren) graduated from a SLPS district school
My child(ren) graduated from a public charter school in St. Louis
My child(ren) graduated from a non-SLPS or non-charter school (e.g., private or parochial)

Are you raising or have you raised a school-aged child while living in a district outside of St. Louis city?

Yes
No

Please check all applicable options

My school-age child(ren) currently attend a district public school
My school-age child(ren) currently attend a public charter school in St. Louis
My school-age child(ren) do not currently attend a district or public charter school (e.g., they attend private or parochial)
My child(ren) graduated from a my district’s public schools
My child(ren) graduated from a public charter school
My child(ren) graduated from a non-district or non-charter school (e.g., private or parochial)

Have you or your parents ever experienced moving to a new country?

73 percent of students in St. Louis Public Schools are from economically disadvantaged families. Do you have experience with what it means to be economically disadvantaged? (Please check all that apply)

Yes, I grew up in an economically disadvantaged family
Yes, I have experienced being economically disadvantaged as an adult
Yes, people close to me (e.g., friends, family) have been economically disadvantaged
Yes, I have worked or volunteered extensively with community members who are economically disadvantaged
Yes, I have lived in a neighborhood or community where many people are economically disadvantaged
No
Prefer not to answer

Do you have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act?

See https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm#12102 for details

Before completing the remainder of the School Board Fellowship application, make sure you can answer "yes" to the following questions.

Is your schedule flexible enough that, with sufficient notice, you will be able to attend school board meetings, program sessions, or field trips that occur on weekday evenings?*

Is your schedule flexible enough that you will be able to attend the program sessions that occur on Saturdays?*

Have you thought through how you will fit the 10-15 hours a month you need to devote to the fellowship's learning program into your life?*

We'll be writing newsletters, posting pictures on social media, and publicly sharing reflections throughout our time together. Are you okay with your participation in The Opportunity Trust's School Board Fellowship being shared publicly?*

Are you available for a 30-minute interview between August 25th and September 26th, 2025?*

Do you understand that when you accept the offer from The Opportunity Trust, the 6-month learning program marks the beginning of a long-term commitment, and that our expectation is that after the learning program, you become part of our community of education advocates working together to impact student outcomes?*

If you answered "no" to any of the previous questions, please provide a brief explanation.

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Review the session dates below and check the session dates against your personal and professional calendars. Do you have 2 or more unavoidable conflicts?

Note: All sessions are in-person unless labeled otherwise. Wed. 9/11/24, Sat. 9/21/24, Wed. 10/9/24 (Virtual), Sat. 10/19/24, Wed. 11/13/24 (Virtual), Sat. 11/16/24, Wed. 12/4/24, Sat. 12/14/24, Wed. 1/8/25, Sat. 1/18/25, Wed. 2/12/25, Sat. 2/22/25.

Your interests, goals, previous experience

As you answer the questions in this portion of the application, please keep in mind the following: In the School Board Fellowship, we work hard to understand different perspectives, think hard about big issues in education, and consider how our own experiences and skills can significantly move work forward in our community. We ask that you start that work now, by thinking hard about the questions we’re asking in this application and then being open and transparent in your answers. We also care a lot about each other within our fellowship, and we understand that we all have different strengths. This is not a writing test! We are more interested in finding out who you are than discovering how well you would do on a grammar test. Please do not stress out if writing isn’t your biggest strength; we are more focused on your ideas and experiences than how your sentences are constructed.

I am applying to the School Board Fellowship because:*

Have you run for public office before or are you currently running?*

If you have run for office or are currently running, what office/year?

It's a priority to us that we bring a diversity of experiences to each School Board Fellowship cohort, and that means a diversity of professional experiences. Are you employed or in school?

Help us understand what you do and where you do it.

Where do you work?

What is your job title?

(Optional) If you feel like your job isn't the clearest description of what you do, feel free to include a one-line description of your work here.

Help us understand what you study and where you do it.

What school do you currently attend or did you recently graduate from?

Is your field of study in education?

(Optional) If you would like to, feel free to include a one-line description of the focus of your studies here.

What civic/community organizations, boards, or fellowship programs have you volunteered with or been a part of?

Please tell us the ones that are most important to you, not what you think might be most “prestigious”. List up to five, and if you have school or district involvements (e.g., PTA) be sure to include those.

Volunteer Role #1 — Please include organization, role, and length of involvement.

Volunteer Role #2 — Please include organization, role, and length of involvement.

Volunteer Role #3 — Please include organization, role, and length of involvement.

Volunteer Role #4 — Please include organization, role, and length of involvement.

Volunteer Role #5 — Please include organization, role, and length of involvement.

Application questions

Answer the next set of questions in about 400 words or less, but don’t feel like you have to use all those words! Please be concise. Feel free to draft your responses outside of this system before copying your answers below.

Who are you? We're sure you're lots of things. Focus your answer on the parts of who you are that motivate you to want to be part of the School Board Fellowship.

(400 words)

Why are you interested in school governance, and how do you think this program will support your interest?

(400 words)

Reflecting on education in St. Louis, what do you think are the two biggest strengths or things schools are doing well, and what are two things you would want to improve? Why? If you are reflecting on/referring to a specific district or charter school, please specify in your response.

(400 words)

Below are examples of Board policies and resolutions from a few different local education agencies (LEAs). Please review the documents, then let us know what resonates with you about something you read and why. Is there anything you disagree with or would change? https://bit.ly/BoardContext

(400 words)

Have you been involved in addressing diversity, equity or inclusion in education or other areas in your professional, volunteer, or personal life? If so, please describe your efforts, outcomes, and your reflections on what you have learned. If not, please discuss your thoughts on the relationship between equity and education.

(400 words)

In St. Louis, as in many school systems, we have a lot of students who are doing well academically, but we also have a lot of students who are not performing at their grade level. Why do you think that is? And what is the role of school systems in addressing these different performance outcomes?

(400 words)

Please give an example of something you've changed your mind about, and explain why you shifted your view.

(400 words)

(Optional) Is there anything we didn't ask that you really want us to know?

(400 words)

Cohort Commitment

Our success and your success depends on a mutual commitment between you and the School Board Fellowship. We will invest significantly in your development and in return, we expect that you will make a serious commitment to the School Board Fellowship. Spaces in the learning program are limited. Please confirm that if you are accepted, you will:

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Attend all sessions, field trips, and other fellowship commitments.

Please review the calendar closely https://bit.ly/BoardFellowshipCalendar. We expect that you will plan work and personal commitments around the dates/times on the School Board Fellowship calendar and let staff know ASAP if you have any unavoidable conflicts.

Arrive on time to, and prepar ed for, all sessions, field trips, and other fellowship commitments. This includes completing the assigned work outside of class time so that you are prepared to contribute during our time together.

This includes completing the assigned work outside of class time so that you are prepared to contribute during our time together.

Actively participate and respectfully engage with presenters and your fellow cohort members.

Complete individual session and program evaluations for the School Board Fellowship to help provide feedback to our staff.

Prioritize reflection and learning to better understand how your unique background, skillsets, and life experiences can most benefit students in our community.

Make an active commitment to putting your learning into action after the six-month learning program in order to improve educational outcomes for children.

If you answered "no" to any of the previous questions, please provide a brief explanation.

Do you have any additional questions about the program or context that you would like to share?

School Board Fellowship Application Fall 2025

The Basics

Demographics

Before completing the remainder of the School Board Fellowship application, make sure you can answer "yes" to the following questions.

Your interests, goals, previous experience

Help us understand what you do and where you do it.

Help us understand what you study and where you do it.

What civic/community organizations, boards, or fellowship programs have you volunteered with or been a part of?

Application questions

Cohort Commitment