Kendall NY School Board Members and Meeting Dates

About the Board of Education . . . .

What is the board of education?
The board of education in a school district is similar to what a board of directors is in a business. The primary functions of the board are to develop the broader, longer range goals and plans (called policies) which determine the basic framework for the educational programs, services, and facilities to be offered to the youth of the community. NYS laws and regulations place the responsibility for carrying out educational mandates with a board of education. Even though elected locally, a school board is technically an official state body.

What are the requirements to be a KCS board member?
To be a member of the Kendall Board, you must: (a) be at least 18 years old, (b) be a United States citizen, and (c) live in the KCS District.

How do you get on the board of education?
To become a board member you must be elected by a vote of the residents of the school district, which takes place in May of each year.

How do you get on the ballot to run for the Kendall Board of Education?
To be placed on the voting machine ballot, you must submit a petition signed by 25 or more qualified KCS voters to the District clerk at least 30 days before the May vote, which usually means before the middle of April. These petitions are available in the District Office or by calling 659-2741.

How many members are on the KCS Board?
The KCS Board of Education consists of five members.

How long do board members serve at KCS?
Each board member is elected to a five-year term.

How many terms can a member serve?
The number of five-year terms a member wishes to serve is an individual choice, except that a person must run and win re-election for each five-year term.

How many vacancies on the board are there each year?
With five members each serving a five-year term, only one board position is up for election each year.

What is the salary for a KCS Board member?
There is no salary paid to board members, but they are reimbursed for expenses incurred while on board business, such as mileage, conference registration and so forth.

When, where and how often does the KCS Board of Education meet?
Usually the board meets twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays at either the Elementary School or the High School. These meetings start at 7:30 p.m. and last two to three hours. Occasionally, special meetings are called to focus on special topics, such as budgeting, evaluating the superintendent, construction projects, and so forth.

How do new board members become familiar with how a board operates?
After being elected, the board president and the superintendent meet with the new board member to help orient him/her, to provide relevant materials, and to answer questions. In July and September, the NYS School Boards Association provides a two-day orientation session for new school board members. Additional experience is gained by participation in actual board meetings and workshops.

Do board members have to spend a lot of extra time on KCS committees?
There are many school related organizations outside of KCS such as the New York State School Boards Association, the Genesee Valley School Boards Institute, the Orleans School Boards Association, the Western New York Education Service Council, and so forth, which hold meetings and seminars for interested school officials. However, individual KCS board members participate only if they wish to. So, extra time in these organizations is determined by the individual board member's own interests and preferences.

Gifts, Donations, Grants and Bequests

The KCS Board of Education has a policy for gifts, grants and bequests made to the District by individuals or groups. In Brief, this policy states that:

Any person or group who wishes to make a donation must notify the superintendent in writing of this intention.
The superintendent will review this intention and make a recommendation to the Board of Education.
The Board will decide to accept or reject the offer based on what the Board believes is in the best interest of the District.

Remember, only the Board may accept gifts, donations, grants and bequests offered to the District, its students or its staff. For a copy of this policy, or to discuss it in more detail, please call the District Office at 659-2741.

Ed Gaesser President 659-8739	Nadine Hanlon Vice President 659-2866	Lucille Welch Trustee 659-8009
Chris Gerken Trustee 659-8495	Charles Patt Trustee 659-2225	Kurt Hardenbrook BOCES Rep. 659-2978