"I did my five years’
Brackett won’t seek second term on school board

VOORHEESVILLE – Richard Brackett, who has served on the school board for one five-year term, will not seek re-election in May.
"I did my five years," Brackett told The Enterprise this week. "It’s time for someone else to take over."

In last May’s election, the incumbent school board president was ousted – which he and others attributed to fallout from the board’s handling of the state comptroller’s assertion the former superintendent had spent school funds improperly. Brackett, however, said this had nothing to do with his decision not to seek re-election.
The job of a school-board member is "to make sure that everybody gets an education," said Brackett who is often outspoken at board meetings. The unpaid position is also one that "is very time-committing," he added.

Brackett is a self-employed electrical contractor. His wife, Colleen, is the elementary-school nurse. They have three daughters.
The time commitment includes attending the regular monthly school board meetings, special board meetings, and committee meetings. Brackett said of the commitment in relation to owning his own business, "No work, no pay."

Petitions for candidates, seeking Brackett’s seat on the seven-member board, are due on April 16. So far, two petitions have been picked up from the district office.
During his time on the board, Brackett has "made a lot of people aware that the administration takes a lot for granted when it comes to spending," he told The Enterprise.
The administration needs to be fiscally responsible, Brackett stressed. "People cannot afford to live here anymore, and they really need to start watching what they’re spending," he said.
At the start of his term, Brackett, along with Frank Faber, the chairman of the high-school’s business department, established a group of community members to wire the entire elementary school for Internet access, he said. "It saved the district a ton of money," he added.
Brackett said he is unsure why members of the community cannot be tapped more often for similar projects. "It helps everybody in the long run," he said.
He also helped bring the Relay for Life to Voorheesville. He considers the overnight walk-a-thon, which raises funds to support the American Cancer Society, to be his "biggest accomplishment" as a board member.
The third annual Relay for Life will be held at the high school on June 2 and 3, with a goal of raising $90,000. The event "brought a lot of people together for a common goal," Brackett said. "A small town can come together for a cause."
As a district, and a school board, "You’ve got to take care of everybody," Brackett said. "The kids in the middle are being left behind."

The district’s $21 million budget proposal for next year, which was unanimously approved at Monday night’s school board meeting, includes the addition of a full-time social worker. The district has never had a social worker on staff before.
The Voorheesville School District faces the same problems that other districts face, Brackett said. "These kids have no place to turn to" We’ve got to give them some outlet, so these kids can be successful," he said.
"Nobody wants to ruffle any feathers" It’s got to change," he concluded of how the schools are run.