Please Vote on May 17

by Contributor | May 13, 2016 6:36 am

To The Editor:

As the Fulton Board of Education has adopted a budget for the 2016-2017 school year, and it has been presented to the voters of our community for their consideration, I hope that all eligible voters will cast their vote on Tuesday, May 17.

The Fulton BOE is dedicated to the mission of our school district, and providing the programs for our students and the resources for our staff to facilitate their success is the main priority for the entire Fulton Board of Education.

As the election of two board members will also occur on May 17, I feel compelled to address some thoughts or concerns that I have more recently heard from a few community members and have read in the media.

First, the board’s appointment of our next superintendent, Mr. Brian Pulvino, was a unanimous decision by the current Fulton Board of Education.

The board received and considered the input of all respondents to our online and paper survey of last fall.

Our search consultant presented in a public meeting of the Fulton BOE last fall that the results of the community survey informed the Fulton BOE that 50% of the respondents desired an internal candidate be promoted, and 50% of the respondents specifically wanted the board to look outside of the school district for the next superintendent.

Second, is a question regarding the requirement of residency for our new superintendent.

The board has learned from the New York State School Board’s Association and from each of the three search consultants interviewed that residency requirements are no longer sustainable in a search process and settlement agreement to attract a fully respective pool of candidates.

Furthermore, it appeared to be an incongruent limitation for the current board to consider in this selection process, as about 67% of the teachers employed by our school district reside outside of the Fulton CSD, and more than half of the administrators reside outside of our school district also.

So, as one voter, I encourage all to get out and vote next Tuesday.

I thank everyone for placing the needs of the children of our community first and for supporting our staff and program.

Sincerely,
David Cordone, Fulton Board of Education President

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/please-vote-on-may-17/

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