Dear LaFayette School Community -
 

On May 20, 2025, LaFayette Central School District voters will choose two district residents to serve on the LaFayette Board of Education from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028.

 
A school board member takes on one of the most important citizen responsibilities: overseeing the education of the community’s youth. In these challenging times for public education, school boards are seeking individuals who find excitement and satisfaction in confronting tough challenges and working collegially to rise above them and help students in their communities succeed, according to the New York State Schools Boards Association’s (NYSSBA) website.

 
The board of education is a uniquely American institution, according to NYSSBA. It ensures the public schools are flexible and responsive to the needs of the community. School boards are composed of volunteers within the community who dedicate their time to better public education. Board members are elected into their position, except for those in Yonkers and New York City.

 
With school children always their ultimate focus, school board members act officially at the board table, working with other board members to serve students and accomplish many tasks including creating a shared vision for the future of education, setting the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance,  adopting and maintaining current policies, maintaining district facilities, establishing an annual budget, and setting a tax levy.

 
Board members benefit from having the following attributes:

• Effective Communicator: Can describe what he or she wants and describe what others want; a good listener
• Consensus Builder: Capable of working toward decisions that all can support and willing to compromise to achieve goals
• Community Participant: Enjoys meeting a variety of people, can identify the community’s key communicators and reaches out to the community
• Decision Maker: Is comfortable making decisions and can support group decision-making
• Information Processor: Can organize priorities and schedules to handle large amounts of verbal and written information
• Leader: Willing to take risks, be supportive of board colleagues, district staff and community
• Team Player: Helps promote the board’s vision and goals

 
The LaFayette Central School District’s Board of Education is composed of seven school district residents elected by voters. Each board member is elected to a three-year term. Board members are not financially compensated. According to New York State Public Officers Law § 3 and New York State Education Law § 2102 candidates for the school board must meet the following qualifications:

1. Must be able to read and write;
2. Must be a qualified district voter;
3. Must be, and have been, a district resident for at least one year prior to the election, but need not be a taxpayer;
4. May be the only member of his/her household on the board;
5. May not be an employee of the board;
6. May not simultaneously hold another public office, which has been determined by law, court ruling, or Commissioner's decision to be incompatible.

 
In order to have their name placed on the ballot, each interested resident must collect 25 signatures from qualified school district voters. The signatures must be on nominating petitions that must be filed by 4:30 p.m. on April 21, 2025, in the District Clerk's office, 5955 Route 20, LaFayette. Please feel free to contact Paula Hibbert, District Clerk at 315-677-9728 if you would like a nominating petition.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Belfield
Superintendent of Schools
LaFayette Central School District
jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org
315-529-9550 (cell)