FULTON, NY – A sudden resignation last month left the Fulton City School District Board of Education grappling with options regarding the vacant seat.
After soliciting letters of interest from community members willing to fill the position, five people came forward with interest in the position.
After reviewing the interested parties, board vice president Dan Pawlewicz made a motion to appoint Christine Plath to the position at Tuesday’s (Jan 24) regular meeting.
The motion was approved with four votes in favor and one abstaining vote from board member Lynn Lyons.
Plath held a seat on the Fulton Board of Education in recent years, her term expired in 2016.
Board president David Cordone said that Plath was the only person with former board experience that submitted her interest, although that was not a requirement for the position.
“The board was very grateful to receive correspondence from individuals in our community who were interested,” he said. “It was very difficult to select one individual from the process. It appears that the board gravitated toward someone with board experience who has completed the mandatory training although that was not required for this appointment at this time but it made it easier for the board to arrive at one individual.”
Board member Robin Griffin encouraged all other interested individuals to run for a seat on the board of education in the district’s May election, a sentiment that was echoed by the rest of the board.
Cordone noted that their backgrounds were very diverse and their participation within the district varied from parent groups to school site-based teams, all with “unique qualities that will bring something to the board if they run,” he said.
In December, former board member Paula Hayden resigned from her position citing “personal reasons” for her departure.
Since, the board has considered three options in moving forward with a vacant seat – to leave the seat vacant until the district’s election in May, appoint someone to fill the seat until the district’s election in May, or hold a special election to elect a new member.
Despite some initial disagreement among the board, ultimately, they chose to appoint someone from the community.
“We always want to have a quorum and we can never really know who will be able to attend, especially with flu season now, as an example. The best way to guarantee that is to have every seat filled to the best of our ability. It was a valuable process and a difficult choice. We could have held a special election instead, but we didn’t want to incur that expense,” Cordone said.
Given the nature of upcoming meetings surrounding the district’s budget, Cordone said the board felt someone with experience working with the board and in particular, with the budget, would be beneficial for the district.
Plath will take the oath of office for her position on the board at the next regular meeting held on Tuesday, February 13. She will serve in her position for the seven remaining board meetings before the district’s May election.
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