By JEFF MORRIS //
The reorganizational meeting of the Katonah-Lewisboro School District Board of Education,held July 2, lasted about 12 minutes — including the Pledge of Allegiance.
The meeting came as the district prepared to welcome a new superintendent; embarked ona capital improvement project; and while the board itself experienced more turnover intrustees than it has in a number of years.
At the July 2 meeting, District Clerk Kimberly Monzon asked for nominations for boardpresident. Trustee Bill Swertfager nominated the incumbent president, Julia Hadlock; therewere no additional nominations, and the board then voted unanimously in favor ofHadlock.
The next order of business was a call for nominations for board vice president. Hadlocknominated trustee Lorraine Gallagher. Again there were no other nominations, and therewas a unanimous vote in favor.
While Hadlock had served as board president for the 2023-24 school year, during that year the vice presidency was held by Elana Shneyer, who chose not to run for another term as trustee.
In the KLSD Board of Ed elections held May 21, Barbara Williams received the mostvotes out of five candidates, with incumbent trustee Marjorie Schiff — who had served asboard president prior to Hadlock — receiving the second most votes. Williams and Schiff will now serve full three-year terms, through June 30, 2027.
Meanwhile, Jon Poffenberger, who received the third most votes, was elected to fill theremaining year of a trustee position that had been vacated when Elizabeth Gereghty resigned from the board last year. That position had been filled temporarily by veteran former trustee William Rifkin. Poffenberger is already serving on the board, having been sworn inon May 22 to fill the existing vacancy; his term runs only through June 30, 2025.
Schiff has served on the board since 2012, Hadlock since 2016. Rory Burke, whose tenurebegan in 2019, is in his second term and is now the third-longest serving board member.
Gallagher and Swertfager were both elected in 2023.
The $124,318,762 2024-25 budget that was also up for a vote on May 21. That budget, which included a 3.4% increase to the tax levy, was passed by a 2-to-1 margin.
At the Increase Miller recent ceremonial groundbreaking were Owen Danelewich, Jim Danelewich, a member of the Board of Education’s Facilities Committee, Gavin Danelewich, and Increase Miller’s Head Custodian Rich Wilson, Jr., an IMES grad. They stood at the edge of what would be the school’s new wing, part of the district's capital improvement project. Photo credit: Katonah-Lewisboro Schools
After Hadlock was sworn in as president, Monzon turned the meeting over to her. She spoke appreciatively of the groundbreaking ceremony held June 28 at Increase MillerElementary School, marking the start of the district’s Capital Improvement Project. A bondto finance that project had been approved by voters Oct. 18, 2022, and one of the propositions passed by voters May 21 will allow the district to apply for up to $4.5million in grant funding available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act to cover unanticipated increases in the cost of the project.
Burke offered a final tribute to superintendent of schools, Andrew Selesnick, who officially retires Sunday, July 14.
No other business was conducted at the reorganizational meeting.
On July 15, Raymond Blanch will begin his tenure as the new superintendent of schools. The board voted to hire Blanch on May 16 following a months-long search and interview process, and he was officially appointed by the board at its June 20 meeting. He had been serving as superintendent of the neighboring Somers Central School District.
On the day Blanch was appointed, Selesnick said, “The board has made an excellent choice. Ray and I have worked closely for nine years at our local Chief School Administratorsmeetings. I know he will take the work we have done here and move it forward.”