City School District of ÉðÊ¿Âþ» Board of Education elections will move from November to May, in sync with nearly every other school district in New York, under new legislation Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed July 10.
The bill, which passed the Senate and Assembly last month, shifts the district's board vote to the third Tuesday in May annually, at the same time as the school budget vote. That's also when nearly all other school districts in the state hold board elections. ÉðÊ¿Âþ»'s board elections have been held in November, in conjunction with the general election.
Board President Sue Adler thanked the governor for finalizing the important change, which will benefit students and families. She also credited Sen. Neil Breslin and Assemblymember Pat Fahy for their exceptional leadership in helping the bill through their respective chambers during the 2017 legislative session.
"On behalf of the ÉðÊ¿Âþ» Board of Education, our entire school district and the children and families we serve, we are grateful to our elected leaders for acknowledging the positive impact that May board elections will have for our community,” Adler said. "We now will have the opportunity to align our governance cycle with our academic and fiscal year like nearly every other school district in our state."
The board voted last fall to ask state lawmakers to approve the shift. The board reasoned that May board elections better align with school district operations, which follow a July 1-June 30 calendar, and allow new board members to serve for more than half a school year before making critical decisions affecting the district’s annual budget and academic, social-emotional and extracurricular programs.
Board elections in May also allow new board members to participate in legally required training before going through the budget-development process for the first time.
The petitioning period for the May 2018 election will begin in January. Three board seats will be available.
The mission of the City School District of ÉðÊ¿Âþ» is to educate and prepare all students for college and career, citizenship and life, in partnership with our diverse community. The district serves nearly 9,700 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at ÉðÊ¿Âþ».
