The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 13-17 as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards. Public schools form the bedrock of our communities and our country. Democracy thrives with educated citizens capable of critical thinking and civil discourse. And it is our local school boards who are ultimately responsible for student success.
“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these volunteers devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Superintendent Gene Mancuso said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our community expects.”
Mancuso said the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:
· Developing a shared vision and goals for the district
· Ensuring strategies, resources, policies and programs align with district goals
· Assessing and providing accountability for student achievement
· Supporting a healthy school district culture in which to work and learn
· Evaluating the superintendent to ensure continuous improvement
“School board members give the HF-L citizens a voice in education decision-making,” Mancuso said.
The members serving our district and their years of service are as follows:
· Caralyn Ross (2017-20; 2020-23; 2023-26)
· Lynley Guckian (2023-26)
· Carol Bellavia (2012-15; 2015-18; 2018-21; 2021-24; 2024-27)
· Kelli Eberle (2021-24; 2024-27)
· David Francis (2016-19; 2019-22; 2022-25; 2025-28)
· Joel Robinson (2022-25-2025-26)
· Christopher Neff (2021-24; 2024-27)
· Stephanie Templeton (2010-13; 2013-16; 2016-19; 2019-22; 2022-25-2025-28)
· David Youngblut (2025-28)
The district will recognize its Board of Education members throughout the week by launching a social media campaign that highlights each member individually through a fun, yearbook-style “Board of Education Superlatives” theme. In addition, board members will be formally recognized during the Board of Education meeting held that week.