School board candidate forum Monday

School board candidate forum Monday

The League of Women Voters of Albany County is sponsoring a forum on Monday featuring four candidates who are vying for three seats on the Albany Board of Education.

The forum will be held from 7-9 p.m. Monday at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School, 100 Elbel Court (off Whitehall Road).

For the first time, board of education elections will be held on in conjunction with the annual school budget vote. Both will take place on Tuesday. The state moved the district's board elections from November to May last summer to align Albany with the vast majority of the state's public school districts, which annually hold their board elections and budget vote together on the third Tuesday in May.

Board President Sue Adler's term expires June 30 and she is not seeking re-election. The terms of board members Ellen Roach and Tabetha Wilson also expire June 30. Roach is seeking re-election for a second term; Wilson was appointed to the board in September 2017 to fill the seat vacated when Kenneth M. Bruce resigned from the board earlier that year.

There will be two four-year terms and one one-year term available May 15. Here are the candidates, listed in the order in which they will appear on the ballot:

  • Ellen Roach
  • Tabetha Wilson
  • Kenneth M. Bruce
  • Damarise Alexander-Mann

The mission of the City School District of Albany is to work in partnership with our diverse community to engage every learner in a robust educational program designed to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for success. The district serves more 9,600 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.