Shen Board of Education moves to fill vacancy
The Shenendehowa School District Board of Education last week took the first steps in filling the board’s vacant seat resulting from the recent death of sitting board member Gary DiLallo.
The retired teacher, athletic coach, and 19-year board member passed away unexpectedly Nov. 21.
Though filling the seat of such a beloved fellow board member may be fraught with emotion, it will not be the first time the board has handled the process for filling a vacancy on short notice. In a 2013 board discussion on the process after a resignation, DiLallo said he had gone through it three times since joining the board in 2001.
At the Dec. 15 board meeting Shen Superintendent L. Oliver Robinson advised board members there is a 90 day window of opportunity to fill the seat per state law. The clock for that time frame started Nov. 21.
The two methods open to the board to fill the vacancy, according to Robinson, are by appointment or by calling a special election. Due to the costs involved with a special election he recommended the board go with an appointment. Later in the meeting the board did just that and voted to announce a call for candidates for appointment to the board on the Shen website.
The process for making an appointment involves inviting candidates to fill DiLallo’s unexpired 2020-2021 seat on the board which will end May 25 with the results of the board election. His three year term ends June 30, 2022. The candidate appointed must be willing to run for a board seat in Board of Education elections on May 18.
Candidates should express their interest in the seat in writing to the District Clerk Kathy Chase. Email is acceptable.
Potential candidates will be sent a letter asking them to respond in writing to three questions. Each sitting board member will review the answers separately and submit their top three choices to the district clerk. Any candidate with three or more votes will be asked to come to a special board meeting for a 15 minute interview which will be open to the public. An appointment will be made at that meeting.
There will be three board seats up for election in May as part of the district budget vote; the final year of DiLallo’s term and two seats carrying three year terms each. The seats are now occupied by incumbent board members Christina Rajotte and Robert Pressly.
When the votes of all the candidates seeking election to the board in May are tallied, the two highest vote getters will receive three year terms. The third highest vote getter will fill the final year of DiLallo’s term.