The seven-member Cazenovia Board of Education has two seats up for election in May, and the board is asking interested community members to consider running.
The announcement was made at the board’s March 18 regular meeting.
“The school is a reflection of the community and it is what we make it. We are always seeking motivated board candidates that are interested in helping our school continue to achieve excellent results while understanding and meeting the needs of the community,” said BOE President Fritz Koennecke. “Being a board member is both rewarding and challenging. Board members must solicit input from the community, understand the board’s power and limitations and be accountable to the public with every annual budget vote. At the same time we get to enjoy the successes of every kid that benefits from our efforts.”
Koennecke has decided not to run for reelection after serving two terms, and BOE member Kathy Hahn is running for reelection, they confirmed to the Cazenovia Republican.
School board terms are for three years. Interested potential candidates can obtain petitions to run from the school district office, 31 Emory Ave. Candidates must obtain at least 25 public signatures in order to run. Petitions must be submitted to the district office by April 19 to be eligible for the ballot.
Currently, two candidate petitions have been requested from the district office, said district secretary Pat Marzeski
The board of education election is slated for May 22, which is also the vote for voter approval of the district’s 2013-14 budget.
Also at the meeting:
—Two district parents spoke during the public comment period of the BOE meeting and expressed support and appreciation to Superintendent Bob Dubik for the way he handled the terrorism threat during the recent high school students’ trip to Peru as well as to the chaperones who were on the trip.
—District cafeteria Director Deb Fernan gave an update on the state of Cazenovia school lunches in the face of new federal health standards. Fernan said the number of students purchasing of lunches has been “down drastically” during the past three months because of the new offerings — and the elimination of many past menu offerings — but it is improving “slowly.” She said the lunch program was recently inspected by the state education department and “passed with flying colors,” and that, despite some student unhappiness with the menu changes, nobody is leaving the cafeteria hungry. “There’s something for everybody there,” she said. She also invited parents and all community members to come in and see and sample the school lunches for themselves, and to contact her if there are any questions or concerns about the lunch program.
—The board adopted the district’s 2013-24 school calendar.
—The board approved overnight trips for agriculture students to attend a leadership program in Croghan, NY, from March 29 to 31, and for the high school academic decathlon team to travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the national AD competition after its win at states last week.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
