School Board Trustee Race Expected to be a Big One

Eight candidates will vie for the four open seats in this year's school trustee race – representing a majority of the seven-member board – and Three Village will see at least three new faces join the board of education.

Trustee Carol Leister , so one candidate will be elected to serve the remaining year of her original term. According to a list of candidates released Tuesday, trustees Diane Peritore and Dr. Glen Whitney will not seek re-election. Trustee Frank McIntosh, who has served two terms on the school board so far, is the only current board member who will make a run to retain his seat.

The deadline for potential candidates to submit completed paperwork was Monday at 5 p.m. Candidates can officially begin campaigning after a 2 p.m. meeting on Tuesday at the North Country Administration Center.

Within the district, some have said this trustee race will be a hot one, and that it is a critical one because the number of seats open represents a majority on the board, which could affect the overall decision-making process.

"This election ... will have a great impact as to whether the district will successfully survive in the future," McIntosh said. "The children of this community cannot afford a board dominated by special interest selections. That has been a continuous problem in our district as well as in many others."

The situation bears similarities to that which the district faced three years ago. Then-president Stuart Forman had resigned and another trustee moved away from the district, and four new trustees – including current trustee Jonathan Kornreich – were elected.

"Turnover is going to be inevitable," Kornreich said in a recent interview. "But when we're trying to manage turnover of this magnitude, we want to try to pick candidates who are able to hit the ground running."