Nancy Della Pia, president of the Board of Education for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District, will be resigning her position for personal reasons, effective Oct. 29.
According to a district spokesperson, Della Pia’s husband has accepted a position with the aeronautical engineering company Lockheed Martin in Owego, a small town west of Binghamton. The family has since put their Burnt Hills home on the market in anticipation of a move.
Della Pia was just starting her second three-year term on the board, having been elected in 2005 and this past July. She has also served as the Stevens Elementary School PTA president in the past. Two of her children are BH-BL graduates.
I am very saddened to come to this decision, said Della Pia in a statement. `I had looked forward to working with our administration and board on the very important issues and plans the district has for an entire term as president. However, with my family in transition to a new community, it is getting harder and harder to be as involved as I would like.`
With November fast approaching and next year’s budget needing to be addressed, the district will be seeking to fill the vacant seat by appointment, one of three options available to the board under state law.
The remaining six board members will interview and vote on the candidates, and a new president will have to be chosen. Board members typically rotate the presidency every year. The appointment would only be certain until next May, when the seat would be voted on in the annual election.
Interested residents should send a letter of intent to summarizing their experience, including volunteer experience, to BH-BL Superintendent Jim Schultz at 50 Cypress Drive, Glenville 12302 by Friday, Oct. 17. As of press time, no applications had been received.
By law, candidates must be 18 years of age, a registered voter of the district, able to read and write, a resident of the district for at least one year, not a district employee and not residing with a family member who serves on the board.
Board of Education members are unpaid, and generally attend two or more meetings each month on Tuesday evenings, year-round.“
