Three residents will vie for two seats on the Ballston Spa Central School District Board of Education.
Shawn Raymond will challenge incumbents Jeanne Obermayer and Frank Townley.
District residents can meet the candidates Thursday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the Ballston Spa High School Library.
In addition to the Board of Education vote on Tuesday, May 20, district residents will also be asked to approve a $70,162,308 budget, which represents a 1.5 percent average property tax increase.
The 2008-09 school budget is up 6.3 percent from last year’s voter approved budget.
I urge everyone to vote regardless of their affiliation, Obermayer said.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents of Malta can vote at the Malta Town Hall while residents Milton, Ballston and Charlton can go to the Ballston Spa High School to cast their votes.
The candidates
Shawn Raymond, a father of two who lives in Ballston Spa, said he was spurred to action when he heard of the closure of Malta Avenue Elementary School through friends in the area.
He said the community was not properly informed by the board or district of the closure.
According to Raymond, he was referred by the school board to the district’s old press releases regarding the issue, and in looking through the district’s Web site with other community members, he said he was unable to find `anything in particular` that said Malta Avenue would be closing.
`Informing the public is engaging the public,` Raymond said.
He said the board did not get the necessary public feedback to make an informed decision.
With regard to where to purchase new property for an elementary school, Raymond said, `I think the board’s current plan to purchase something in Malta is good.`
He said it is important to look at the placement of the school relative to community. Raymond said the cost of gas is rising, and transporting students to remote areas is not cost effective.
The board decided several months ago to close Malta Avenue to students as soon as they purchased land and built a new elementary school.
Since receiving negative feedback from the public, the board developed a task force to look more closely at the issue.
Specific details of the task force will be provided during the Wednesday, May 14, Board of Education meeting in the district office.
Raymond is a civil engineer for Jacobs, Edwards and Kelcey, an engineering consulting firm located in Saratoga Springs.
He said his background in engineering would allow him to guide the board through the process of purchasing new land for an elementary school.
Despite his background in engineering, Raymond said he is connected to the educational industry through his wife, who is a teacher, in addition to several teacher friends, who he said would help him navigate the system.
He volunteers with the Friends and Neighbors of Ballston Spa and the Ballston Area Recreation Commission.
Raymond received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the State University of New York Utica /Rome, after completing a two -year degree at Hudson Valley Community College.
A lifelong resident of the Capital District, Raymond has spent the past 10 years in Ballston Spa, where he now lives with his wife, and two sons Charlie, 5 and Logan, 3.
Jeanne Obermayer, who has served on the board for one term, said she spent her first term learning about the job and hopes to serve another term so she can put her knowledge to work.
She said she has learned a lot about the school board in her three years. Specifically, she said, undergoing a superintendent search opened her eyes to the duties of a superintendent, as well as how to align a district’s need with an individual.
Obermayer was sworn in the same day the former superintendent resigned. Being the only new board member, she said she had to learn a lot about the process initially.
As the board looks for a parcel of land on which to build a new elementary school, Obermayer said every piece of land she passes she evaluates for the use by the district.
`We have spent a lot of time talking about the pros and cons,` Obermayer said.
She said having a school that is centrally located to the district’s other schools would allow the district to maximize infrastructure costs.
She also said the district could share support services between schools if the new parcel of land were centrally located.
Another important issue to consider in searching for land, Obermayer said, is the amount of wetlands on the parcel. She said the board is looking for a large parcel without a lot of wetlands.
In addition to her duties on the school board, Obermayer is on the Board of Trustees for Brookside Museum and teaches religious education.
Obermayer lives in Milton with her husband and two children.
She is a graduate of Duquesne University and Bowling Green State University.
Obermayer works at Siena College, where she is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students.
She said her experience as the vice president of a college has prepared her to evaluate educational data, which she said is a place where the board can improve upon.
`We want to show tangible outcomes,` Obermayer said. ` So we can adjust programs in a different way.`
Obermayer said the board should look at more educational data before making decisions.
`I think we’ve come a long way, even since I’ve been on board, in using data to make decisions,` Obermayer said.
She said her strengths as a board member include her ability to listen to all sides and her knowledge of what is current in education.
As far as strengths of the district, Obermayer said, `I think we have an incredibly strong community that shows in its support of the school district and students.`
She also said she recognized how important the school was to the community.
`School facilities are at the center of a lot of activities,` she said.
The realization that the school was a huge part of the community is what initially drove her run for the school board three years ago.
`I enjoy the job,` said Frank Townley, who is seeking reelection after serving six terms on the district’s Board of Education.
During his 21 years on the board, Townley has served as both president and vice president.
`Staff is the district’s biggest strength` Townley said. `With time and energy we have all worked hard to hire the best staff for the hardest job.`
Townley admits that the district struggles with communications.
He said the board hopes to change the district’s Web site, so that it is updated on a more regular basis, which will increase communication in the district.
The district has a volunteer at each school who updates the school’s page as necessary.
Townley, a resident of Ballston Spa, has two sons who graduated from the district.
He owns and operates the Wheeler Funeral Home and is member of the Ballston Spa Rotary Club.
Regarding where the perfect parcel of land would be located, Townley said, `Any parcel is a good parcel.`
He said, `It is very difficult to find suitable land.“