Open seats
At Otselic Valley the board of education (also called the "school board") has 5 members, and each year at least one seat is open for election. At the annual budget vote on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, district residents will be able to vote:
- to elect one member of the Board of Education for a 5-year term commencing July 1, 2021 and expiring on June 30, 2026 and to succeed Gregory Brown, whose term expires on June 30, 2021, and
- to elect one member of the Board of Education for a 2-year term commencing May 18, 2021 and expiring on June 30, 2023 and to fill the unexpired term of Paul O'Connor, whose term expires on June 30, 2023.
What does a Board of Education do?
The school board is "a corporate body that oversees and manages a public school district's affairs, personnel, and properties...and...its members are elected by the residents of the school district that the board oversees" (School Law, 36th edition, p. 45).
A regular schedule of board meetings is set annually, although board members also attend special board meetings throughout the year as they are called. Meetings are conducted using parliamentary procedure, and minutes are maintained by the District Clerk. School board member training and resources are provided by the District.
Eligibility to run for election
To qualify for membership, an individual must fulfill the following criteria (School Law, 36th edition, p. 63):
- Must be able to read and write
- Must be a qualified voter of the district (a citizen of the US, at least 18 years old, not judged to be incompetent or ineligible
- Must be and have been a resident (though not necessarily a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year immediately before the election
- May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year
- May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family
- May not be a current employee of the school board
- May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office
I want to run for the school board so how do I begin?
Contact Mrs. Gail Burpee, District Clerk (
[email protected]; 315-653-7218, ext. 4042). The required paperwork will include a nomination petition form on which you must collect at least 25 signatures of those supporting your candidacy. Petition forms are available in the district office, or you may download and print your own (see below). You are also asked to submit a bio to be published in the budget newsletter.
The deadline to submit completed candidate materials to Mrs. Burpee in order to be placed on the ballot will be Monday, April 19, 2021 at 5 pm.