NEW SCOTLAND — With the recent resignation of Trustee James Coffin, the Voorheesville Board of Education has decided that, of the five options presented by its attorney, the best is to solicit applications from the community and make an appointment from the pool of applicants.

The board is meant to have seven members and Coffin had served for several decades. Discussion of how to fill Coffin’s seat (see related story) took place during the board’s Aug. 17 meeting. 

New President Rachel Gilker said the board had “several options legally available to us,” and went on to read a letter from the district’s counsel laying out the options. 

The board could:

— Choose a former board member;

— Choose someone who unsuccessfully ran for a seat;

— Put out the call for letters of interest and then appoint someone from the pool of applicants;

— Hold a special election; or 

— Do nothing for 90 days and let the district superintendent of Capital Region BOCES step in and appoint someone. 

Vice President Rob Samson sought to clarify which of the choices would be best. “I think our attorney had, like, an order of preference for what is the most preferable,” Samson said, “so when you are going down the list,” in the order Gilker had read it (and in the same order as the preceding list), “like that’s per the recommendation.”

Gilker agreed that the district’s lawyer did say the best option for the board was to choose someone who’d already served because it “ensures that the person can step in without the need for training.”

She then said, “I will point out that other boards have chosen to appoint active community members or accept applications.”

No one on the board broached the subject of appointing to the board either of the recently-unsuccessful so-called parents’ choice candidates. 

Trustee Patricia Putnam asked if it were possible to hold an election on the same day as the referendum on the $25 million capital project (see related story), but was told that it was over the 90-day threshold the district has for selecting a new trustee. 

Coffin’s resignation was effective Aug. 17, which would be the very last day of the district’s 90-day cap. 

Trustee Tim Kremer ultimately leaned toward an application process.

Trustee Argi O’Leary, too, favored that process, which brought Kremer to the board. 

“Where we solicit interest, put out an application similar to the one that was used a couple of years ago, and receive applications and consider them and as a board vote and select someone,” O’Leary said. 

Trustee Robyn Willoughby, elected in May, likewise was in favor of an application-and-appointment process.

In 2019, when Michael Canfora resigned from the board, trustees were told by the district’s attorney at the time that Voorheesville’s own board policy “appears to give preference to an appointment by the board, as opposed to holding a special election.” Voorheesville’s policy gives it greater flexibility with its board appointments than other area school districts, he said. Voorheesville has always appointed members to fill vacancies rather than holding special elections, he said. 

Samson came back to the letter from Voorheesville’s attorney and counsel’s advice on appointing a former board member. “And, you know, [it] is a direct recommendation … sort of the best thing; the easiest thing for us ….” he said.

Samson said he favored the former-trustee option, if there were a former member who would be willing to take the appointment, and if not, “solicit applications from the community.”

None of the board members were in favor of an election, claiming it could complicate the capital project referendum, and voted instead to put out a call for letters.

No trustee suggested a public-interview process, as was favored by Gilker and Samson in 2019 — but wasn’t used — when Kremer was ultimately appointed to fill Canfora’s seat. The neighboring Guilderland school district has twice used a public-interview process to fill vacancies.

According to the Voorheesville district, the deadline for letters of interest is Friday, Sept. 2.

Whomever is appointed will serve until the next election, in May. Come May, the remaining two years of the term would be on the ballot, as would a four-year seat. 

Board hopefuls must be: a United States citizen; 18 or older; able to read and write; and a legal resident of the district for at least a year.

According to the district, “a board member cannot be an employee of the district or simultaneously hold another incompatible public office. They cannot live in the same household with a family member who is also on the board.”

The board hopes to make its appointment within 60 days.