Brewster Board of Ed Seeking Applicants to Fill Pair of Open Seats
Brewster school trustees decided on Tuesday they will solicit candidates to eventually fill a pair of vacancies left open on the Board of Education due to two recent resignations.
Daniel Heintz submitted his resignation as a trustee on June 28, citing a demanding work schedule as the reason for his decision to step down. Also, on June 12, Krista Berardi resigned as a trustee amidst a backlash over social media posts she made endorsing the idea that George Floyd’s murder was staged and a separate racially-charged Facebook message where she said protestors should be “hosed.” In late June the board offered departing Trustee Glenn Niles the seat left open by the resignation of Berardi but he declined the offer.
The board did maintain the option to leave the seats unfilled until the next annual trustee election or hold a special election within 90 days of the vacancies to fill the reminder of the terms but officials decided instead to go the appointment route. Both appointees will serve until the next election, scheduled for May 18 of 2021.
“After a thorough discussion, the board has decided that it will appoint two qualified individuals to fill both positions,” a July 3 letter from the Board of Education stated.
Anyone interested in submitting a “statement of interest” to the board must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18, and a Brewster resident (although not necessarily a taxpayer) for at least one year. The statements must note reasons for interest, relevant qualities or experience and confirmation of having reviewed the scheduled board meeting dates for 2020/2021 and the board manual on the district website.
“You may also share any other information that you believe should be considered by the board in reviewing your application,” the July 3 letter explained.
Statements of interest must be submitted by July 15. The form can be found at www.brewsterschools.org/trustee-search.
On July 21, in private session, the board plans to review the statements of interest and select about five candidates for interviews. Then, a week later, on July 28, the board will interview the candidates in public. Community members can then submit comments by Aug. 5 about the interviewed candidates through www.brewsterschools.org/trustee-search.
“Please note that comments received will be considered by the board, but the decision to appoint rests solely with the Board Trustees,” the letter stated.
On Aug. 11 the board will convene privately, in executive session, to decide on appointments. The following week, on Aug. 18, the board plans to announce the appointments and swear them in at the regularly scheduled public meeting.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.