Praneel Suvarna, a rising senior at Clarksburg High School, was sworn in as the 47th Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) on Monday, July 1. Suvarna was sworn in by Karen A. Bushell, Clerk of Circuit Court, Montgomery County.

Mr. Suvarna was elected to serve a one-year term on the Board by middle and high school students of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). He received 53 percent of the 58,927 votes casted in the SMOB election held on April 17, 2024. 

Mr. Suvarna serves as the vice president of the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association and is the junior class president for his school. His experiences include working with the Student Advisory Mental Health Board and MoCo for Change. He is also a certified presenter with the Maryland Association of Student Councils.

The 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. The SMOB cannot vote on negative personnel actions. 

The SMOB is not paid, but receives a scholarship (or compensation comparable to their Board colleagues), Student Service Learning hours, and one honors-level social studies credit.

Mr. Suvarna succeeds Mr. Sami Saeed, a 2024 graduate of Richard Montgomery High School.

For more information, visit the Student Member of the Board website.