Three Board of Ed Seats Up For Grabs Next Month

So you want to run for a seat on Port Washington's Board of Education? Well, all you need is a petition with 96 signatures, be at least 18 years old and be a qualified voter in the Port Washington Union Free School District. Three such seats will be available next month.

The three openings are those of board president Karen Sloan and trustees Jean-Marie Posner and William Hohauser. Sloan and Posner's terms expire on June 30 while Hohauser, who was appointed to his position to replace Susan Sturman who moved out of New York State, will retain his current seat until the election on May 18.

As the school board elections are at large, the candidate who receives the third most votes will begin his/her term on May 19, and will remain in that seat until Sturman's term would have expired on June 30, 2011. The top two vote-getters will serve from July 1, 2010, until June 30, 2013.

Posner told Port Washington Patch that she is not seeking re-election, having served on the board since 2004. "It has been a rewarding experience and I have accomplished much during my two terms of service," Posner said. "I look forward to seeing others carry forth the mission and continue the positive momentum."

However, both Sloan and Hohauser said they plan to run in the election next month. Sloan added that she would like to continue to serve as the board's president.

A prospective candidate must submit a School Board Candidate Nominating Petition to be listed on the ballot. The petition must have 96 signatures and addresses of qualified voters who are residents of the Port Washington Union Free School District. That number of signatures is required because that figure represents two percent of the votes cast in the 2009 Board of Education election. Petitions must be filed by 5 p.m. on April 19.

According to District Clerk Mary Callahan, no one outside the Board of Education has yet indicated that they will run for one of the open seats. Callahan said she typically doesn't receive petitions until the deadline, so it reamins unclear who will be running until then. "No one has requested a petition," she said. "Also, each person whose seat is up for the taking is sent a petition packet in the mail. It is up to them as to whether or not they pursue another run."

Both the seats on the Board of Education and the school district's budget will be voted on at polling locations throughout the district on Tuesday, May 18.