The North Colonie Central School District Board of Education swore in Mary Nardolillo as its new board president and Linda Harrison as vice president at its annual organizational meeting on Thursday, July 9.
The board voted to replace former Board President Joan Hart, who held the seat for the past three years, by a show-of-hands vote.
Hart said she had decided to step down from her seat because, typically, the board president occupies the seat for two years. Hart stayed on as board president for a third year, she said, because she wanted to remain in her seat during the transition of the Maplewood School District being annexed by North Colonie. Maplewood became part of the district officially on July 1, 2008.
Hart was honored at the meeting with a plaque and flowers from the entire board.
She has served this district skillfully, said Nardolillo of Hart. `She has always been accessible and really served this district in the fairest way and always in the best interest of the students.`
`It’s been my pleasure, and we have a great person following me,` Hart said. Hart will be serving her sixth year, second term, on the board and said she is looking forward to serving on the board in a new role.
Nardolillo thanked the board for the support of her presidency.
`It’s really an honor to be supported by such a fine group of people,` Nardolillo said upon accepting the nomination.
After Nardolillo was sworn in, Hart passed the gavel to her right, where Nardolillo, who was elected to her second five-year term this past May, sat. Nardolillo presided over the remainder of the meeting.
`Thank you for your patience while I go through this for the first time,` she told the audience.
Nardolillo opened the floor for nominations for the vice president’s seat, at which time two nominations were made: one for Linda Harrison and another for Paula D’Orazio. When it came time to vote, six of the nine-member board voted for Harrison and three voted for D’Orazio.
After the meeting, Harrison said that whether she was voted into the seat or D’Orazio, `it was going to work out well.`
Harrison, who has been on the board for four years of a five-year term, said she is excited to be a part of such a wonderful district and great board. Harrison taught in the district for 34 years before becoming a member of the board.
She now works in the state Education Department in the field of state assessments and said her experience in education leaves her well-qualified for the position of board vice president.
She said she will do her best to bring her knowledge and experience to the board and bring continued quality in education to the students of the district.
`I’ll do my best,` she said before leaving the meeting.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent of Schools Randy Ehrenberg was sworn in for the ninth year.
`Over the past nine years, you have really provided a vision and leadership for this district,` said Nardolillo, who swore Ehrenberg in. `It’s really impressive the job you’ve done.“