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8130 School Board Elections


Adoption Date: 10/17/2001  Reviewed 03/20/17
8
000 - Internal Board Policies
Organization
8130 School Board Elections

School Board Elections
The election of members of the Board of Education shall be held as part of the annual meeting on the third Tuesday in May, unless the Board certifies to the Commissioner of Education by no later than March 1st that such date would conflict with religious observances, in which event the annual meeting shall be held on the second Tuesday in May. The polls shall be open for those hours designated by the Board of Education.

Board Member Qualifications
In accordance with the Education Law, qualifications of a candidate for the office of member of the Board of Education are that the candidate must be:

  1. able to read and write;
  2. a qualified voter of the District; and
  3. a resident of the School District for at least one year immediately prior to the election. (A Board member does not have to be a taxpayer.)

No employee of the School District may be a member of the Board of Education.

No more than one member of a family or including those living in the same household, shall be a member of the same Board of Education.

Nominations
Candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be nominated by petition. Board of Education seats shall not be considered separate, specific offices and the nominating petition shall not describe any specific vacancy on the Board of Education for which the candidate is nominated. Such petition shall be directed to the District Clerk, shall contain the signatures and addresses of at least 25 qualified voters of the District or two percent (2%) of the number of voters who voted in the last annual election of Board members, whichever is greater, and shall state the name and residence address of the candidate. Each petition shall be filed with the District Clerk not later than thirty (30) days preceding the annual meeting at which the candidates so nominated are to be elected. 

The District Clerk shall supervise the procedure used to establish the order of names on the ballot. The Board of Education may reject nominations if the candidate is ineligible or has declared an unwillingness to serve, if the petition contains an inadequate number of valid signatures or if the petition is not timely filed.

Campaign Expenditure Statements
All candidates for member of the Board of Education must file preliminary and final campaign expenditure statements. The preliminary statement must be filed on the tenth day preceding the election and the final statement must be filed within 20 days after the election. If the total expenditure on the campaign is less than $500.00, the statements must be filed with the District Clerk. If the total expenditure exceeds $500.00, the statements must be filed both with the District Clerk and the New York State Commissioner of Education.

Oath of Office
Newly elected (or re-elected) or appointed members of the Board of Education must take their constitutional oath of office within 30 days of the beginning of their term of office.

New Board Member Orientation
The Board of Education and the administrative staff shall assist each Board member-elect to become familiar with and to understand the board of Education’s functions, policies and procedures, as well as the School District’s operation before taking office. Each Board member-elect shall be given selected materials relative to the functions of the Board of Education and the School District. Board members-elect shall be invited to attend all Board meetings and functions. The Board of Education reserves the right to allow board members-elect to participate in discussions.

Policy References:
Education Law §§ 2018, 2102, 2103, 2111, 2502(7) 
Public Officers Law §§ 10, 30, 31(1)(h) 

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