001Good evening. >> Board of Education meeting for September 25, 2025. Can I get a motion to go into executive session to discuss matters related to the advice of legal counsel? >> Good evening and welcome to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education meeting for September 25, 2025. Can I get a motion to go back into public session? So move second. >> All those in favor. >> Any opposed? Can we do the pledge of allegiance? I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands indivisibley for all. >> Okay. So, uh, we called the special meeting tonight, um, as a result of the news from Jackie Carbone at the last meeting that she is going to, um, be resigning her position as a board trustee as of October 8.
002Um, so, um, we need to talk about the process of replacing, uh, Jackie, although she's irreplaceable, we need to fill her seat. Um, so we need to talk about that process. And my understanding is that there's two ways we can about this. We can do a special election um within 90 days of the effective date of her resignation, which is October 8th, or we can discuss um pursuant to board policy, an appointment process where the board would appoint someone. So, I'm going to open that up to discussion. So, um, having been involved in an election and an appointment, um, and considering that we are where we are in the year, uh, I I my feeling is appointing now would be the best use of time, resources. We get someone in place probably quicker than a
003special election. In addition to that, uh I believe this whoever would fill this seat would have to run again in May also. Correct. That would allow to me that's the best of both worlds and it allows the public to to actually um have have a say in in that piece. We're we're really providing an interim step to get to the election in May. That's kind of where my head's at. >> Right. So just um and correct me if I'm wrong. If there's a special election that has to be held in 90 days and that person will fill the seat until the next election. No, until the end of the term. >> Okay. They would fill the seat until the end of the term which is June 30th. And then in the May election, our usual
004election, um this the vacant seats that will be up and that's Catalina's seat and Mike's seat. um those seats and then the third person, the third highest vote would then take Jackie's empty seat. Am I saying that right, Stephanie? Please join us. >> Sorry, I just want to clarify. So if you hold a special election, that person serves the complete un remainder of Jackie's term, which as I understand it would be until June 30th of 2027. Okay. If you fill it by appointment, the person is only a placeholder until May, till the May election, and someone is then elected for the remainder of the term, which would basically be one year and a month and 10 days approximately or at least one year and one month, right, that they're going to fill this the seat
005um after the election. Okay. And you're correct that if there's two normally two vacancies, the third highest vote getter at that election would fill that that shorter term, that one year and one month and a few days. >> Stephanie, just for the public, um I know we're on a time restraint of uh within 90 days if we go by special election. Are there time constraints regarding if we do an appointment. >> Um, by your board policy, there is. There is not by law. By law, it's not there's not a constraint on the appointment process, but you have a policy that says you're going to fill a vacancy within 90 days either by special election or by appointment. >> Lisa, if I if I could ask, um, >> can I just I just wanted to clarify
006one other thing. is the person who is appointed to hold the seat until the May election does not have to run for that seat in the May election but can run. >> All right. >> Uh I I think um I echo what Peter said. I think there are some advantages to uh the appointment process given that it's still early in the school year. I know there are several um initiatives that the board has that need to you know go on and continue. So I think filling the vacancy is going to be expeditiously is going to be important um for us and and like uh Stephanie our council said uh it does give the person time to try and see if you know this is actually working out for them or not and then decide if
007they you know would like to run in May or not. I agree. I mean, we've in the 20 years that I'm on the board, we've done this several times. Um, we've never held a special election. Um, for for the reasons that Pete stated. I mean, it it is a big use of resources. Um, it puts a bit of a time constraint. You do have to notice the election 45 days before. Um, so it really condenses the calendar a little bit and puts a lot of pressure on us and it puts a lot of pressure on the community to have to come out and vote and people have to now commit to um, you know, jumping in on something for a longer period of time. Um, because if they do get elected, they're they're kind of
008stuck with us for that uh, extra year. Um, so I think given all of that and given the time of the year that we're in, uh, it makes sense to, um, maybe solicit some interest and develop a process for how we're going to, um, appoint somebody to the seat as opposed to a special election. >> Yeah, that makes sense to me. I think that, uh, I I came on uh, by appointment and then, uh, ran. Um, and I thought it was helpful to have those few months um to get familiar and decide if it was really something I wanted to go proceed with before I I actually ran. Um so I think I think it makes sense um to do it by appointment and we can talk about that process about how that will happen
009um applications or um I think uh our council told us that we have to do interviews during the public session and so we will do that um if if that's the route the board chooses to take. I think the uh I'm leaning toward uh appointment as well and I think the interviews were very helpful. The community was able to come out and learn more about our candidates. Um although it was done by appointment, we were you know given that uh freedom as well to hear um you know what their answers were to certain particular pertinent questions. So I think that's how we've done it in the past. That might be something we want to consider in the future as well, but I know that we'll discuss that too. So, it sounds like maybe we have
010a consensus um to do this by appointment. Is that >> Yep, >> I think so. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, um correct me if I'm wrong, Stephanie, then maybe the next meeting, which is um October 6th, um since we have a consensus that that's the process we want to do, we can talk more about then. everyone give it some thought between now and then and we can talk then about how we're going to do it, what the dates are, what the all the details about it and maybe we we'd be in a position to announce it that night and if not that night then the next board meeting on October 27th. Does that sound reasonable? >> Yes. Can I just since Stephanie's here can is there any anything we can and can't do as
011far as appointing like do we have to do interviews? Do we have to have letters of interest like Are there any parameters that we have to follow or is it kind of just arbitrary up to us how we do it? >> Sorry, should have sat on the other side. >> Take take the microphone. >> So, um when you do it by appointment, the process is at the discretion of the board. So, there is nothing that's mandated for you to follow. Um I in the past I think you have done um I don't know if letters of interest or and then an interview process, but you are not mandated to do an interview process. >> Perfect. >> And I just wanted to also clarify that if the person who is appointed does choose to run for
012the election, they could actually win a three-year term at that time. They're not locked into the remaining one year. It'll depend on the election results of whether they are elected to a one of the available three-year terms or are elected to the one year because it's the number of votes. the third highest vote getter would get the assuming you have two other vacant, you know, board seats that are normally up, the third highest vote vote getter would get the um one year term. >> And that could be someone who's presently on the board or not, right? It just depends of where the votes are. Got it. Okay, that makes sense. >> All right. So, I think we have a process in place and um that's it. Anybody else have something they want to talk about?
013All right. Can I get a motion to adjurnn? >> So move. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Have a good night.