NEWS
Board of Education to continue with five members
Sept. 23, 2010 – The Board of Education announced at its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, that it will continue until the general election in May as a five-member board.
Currently, there are two vacant seats on the board, following the resignation of Steve Lackmann, who became the Cohoes High School librarian, and former president Patrick Butler.
"We want to give the public the opportunity to decide," said Board of Education President Anne Marie Hume.
In May, the public will be given the opportunity to vote on four seats to fill the spots of two current members whose terms will end and the two vacant seats.
Board of Education Vice President Mark Pascale said the board also "reserves the right to change its mind," in case working with two vacant seats becomes too difficult.
Although there are two vacant seats, the board must function as if it has seven members. This means that four members must be present for the board to have a quorum and hold meetings, which could become difficult.
The board could have held a special election to give the public the chance to vote now, but this would cost the district between $6,000-8,000.
