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JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – Selecting a new member for a school board is an important decision that could greatly affect the district, so picking the right candidate is absolutely necessary.
In an effort to allow the public to get to know each candidate, the Jamestown School Board held a ‘Meet The Candidate’ forum Thursday night to answer questions not only asked by the district, but by those in attendance as well.
“The reason I am running for school board is I believe I have experience in so many areas that can help our district. I started off teaching at the Kindergarten through sixth grade level. I went from that to Dean of students and principal-ship and I also was director of pupil services at Chautauqua Lake school,” explained candidate John Panebianco.
Each candidate had a different perspective on the questions being asked, showcasing their unique abilities they have to offer.
“It’s a little uncomfortable to think of yourself as a role model. I will say that I have always tried to pattern myself in a manner that male kids would respect and look up to. I think that if I’ve been a role model, it’s been in the sense of volunteering and caring about what happens in my community,” said candidate Paul Abbott.
Two of the candidates recognize that COVID has had a major impact on students.
“I think one of the biggest challenges for the schools, I worked for a short period of time at Bush’s after school program and the relationship between the parents and the teachers, it’s a struggle for the teachers to get the parents in the school, especially for that time period with COVID,” said candidate Missy Paterniti.
“I think we need to look at the kids and realize that it took them a while to get back to where they should have been all along. I know that my two Kindergarten and first grade students lost a lot of socializing, something that is very early for preschool and early elementary kids,” candidate Christine Schnars explained.
On Tuesday, May 16, eligible Jamestown voters will be able to cast their ballot at Lincoln Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School or Washington Middle School from noon until 9 p.m.
In addition, the ballots will hold an option on the school’s 2023 budget to be voted on.
The full Meet The Candidate Forum will be available at wnynewsnow.com.
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