By Jason Emerson
Two more candidates have entered the race to fill four seats in the upcoming Cazenovia Board of Education election.
Former district math teacher Ron Luteran and university-level education specialist JoAnne Race have both filed to run and will be on the May 15 ballot. They will run against incumbents David Mehlbaum, Jennifer Parmalee and Louis Orbach, all of whom were elected in 2015 and have said they will be running again (click here for previous story).
The deadline to file petitions to be a school board election candidate is not until April 15, so more candidates could enter the race.
Luteran, who worked as a math teacher in the Cazenovia school district for 40 years — from 1977 to 2017 — has lived in Cazenovia for 30 years. He has an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College, a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and post-graduate credits from Syracuse University, Manhattan College and SUNY Cortland. During his years as a teacher, he was also an eighth grade basketball coach, student council adviser, class adviser for three classes and drama club technical director.
Luteran said he has been looking for ways to serve the community since his retirement last year, and has been urged by district parents, faculty and community members to run for the board. After giving the idea “some serious thought,” he decided to run.
He said having never had children he feels he could bring a different, “more overall” perspective to the board, one separate than an identity as a parent with a child currently in the district. He said he also feels he could bring a historical perspective to the board that it is currently lacking.
“I have no agenda going into this, no issues, I just want to be of service to the district,” he said.
Race has lived in Cazenovia for six years, and she and her husband have three children in the school district in grades 5, 8 and 10. She has a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification in biology and general science from SUNY ESF and Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in molecular biology from SUNY ESF.
Race is a principal education specialist and has worked at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University for over 20 years in research, education and administration. Currently, at SUNY Upstate, she manages institution-wide special projects and two grants funded through the New York State Department of Health, over $1.1 million.
She said she is running for school board to give back to a community that has given her family so much support.
“I strongly believe in public education, and I would like to share a valued perspective from a career in higher education,” she said. “In an ever-changing world, every Cazenovia student needs to be empowered to reach his or her potential and become our next generation of citizens and workforce. I would like to help foster the link between students and community.”
In addition to the three seats up for reelection held by Mehlbaum, Parmalee and Orbach, a fourth seat for a one-year term is also on the ballot. Member Mark Goris, who was appointed to fill the seat of former board member Kathy Hahn until May 15, has said he will not run in the election.
Anyone interested in being a candidate for Cazenovia school board must submit a nominating petition to the school district clerk (the petition can also be obtained from the district clerk). The petition must be signed by at least 25 qualified district voters or two percent of the number of those who voted in the previous annual election, whichever number is greater.
School board candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, qualified voters in the school district and able to read and write. They must be residents of their districts continuously for one year before the election. At the time when the board member takes office, they cannot be employed by the board on which they serve or live in the same household with a family member who is also a member of the same school board.
For more information about how to run for school board, what the job entails and what to do if you win election, visit the New York State School Boards Association website at nyssba.org/about-nyssba/running-for-the-school-board.
The Cazenovia Board of Education election will occur on May 15, during the annual district budget vote.
