Three years ago, John Yaglieski and Gary Normington ran together for the Scotia-Glenville Board of Education and won. They will now run for three more years, but this time they run unopposed.
The unpaid position of a school board member requires the commitment of many hours deliberating over tough decisions, however, Yaglieski said, the decision to run for another term came easy.
I originally ran for the BOE because I felt it was a way I could contribute to the S-G community based on my personal strengths and abilities. Through my current term, I’ve developed experience to make me a more effective board member, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve. The personal rewards are working with the community, administration, staff and students, and a sense of accomplishment at helping to facilitate long-term change and improvement of the S-G school district, said Yaglieski.
Yaglieski, is an electrical engineer for General Electric and is currently a technical leader in the Generator Engineering Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University and a master’s degree in electric power engineering from RPI. He and his wife, Pam, have two children, Alexis, a ninth-grader, and Kyle, a sixth-grader.
He is an active member of the community, including involvement in the middle school PTA, high school PTSA , Odyssey of the Mind, Youth Lacrosse and Tartan Recreational Basketball programs. He has lived in the Scotia-Glenville School District for 15 years.
Normington is a software trainer for Community Computers of Auburn, a medical software company. He has an associate’s degree in computer programming and marketing from Spencer Business Institute. He is also currently the vice president of the board of education.
He and his wife, Karen, have three sons, Morgan, a seventh grader, Nicholas, a third-grader at Sacandaga, and Colin, a first-grader at Sacandaga.
He is a member of the Sacandaga PTA, Concern for the Hungry Thanksgiving Food Drive, and he attends St. Joseph’s Church. He has been a district resident for 17 years.
Normington and Yaglieski say they have both learned a great deal over the past three years as board members. They both agree that it is their role to balance the needs of taxpayers, teachers, parents, administrators and most of all the students.
`I’ve learned first hand the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Education and its members, and how the BOE works collaboratively with the administration, staff and community to accomplish tasks, including fiscal oversight, strategic goal setting, and program and budget decisions. I’ve also learned that many decisions are difficult and not clear cut. Ultimately, choices are based on community input, the district’s professional recommendations and a focus on what is best for students and taxpayers,` said Yaglieski.
Normington said the school board has had to make tough decisions, such as going forward with full-day kindergarten for next fall, as well as the building proposal, which was voted down this winter. He said his focus will remain on the students and academics.
`My main purpose for the running for the board is to give our children the best education for the future. We need to assure that the curriculum will prepare these children for the world that awaits them, and that we have the staff to get them there,` said Normington.
Normington and Yaglieski said the district faces significant budget challenges next year, and they hope to be able to work with the fellow board members, administration, staff and community while looking at how they can reduce costs.
Voters will also decide May 19 whether to support a $46,651,381 budget proposal for 2009-2010 that increases spending by 1.7 percent and is expected to reduce the tax rate by at least 0.5 percent.
The budget includes a $475,000 proposal to buy five buses to replace five high-mileage buses that have severe corrosion of the body, a $9.3 million building project to make renovations to the six schools and bus garage, replace roofs, upgrade heating systems, replace technology servers and wiring, and a $2.6 million building project to upgrade and expand the current middle school library and build a corridor around the outside of the expanded library.
The tax rate will not increase for either of the building projects because of state building aid, special EXCEL aid, retiring debt and the use of $450,000 from a debt reserve account and $150,000 left over from the 2008 roofing project at Glendale Elementary.“
