Published: July 08, 2008 11:43 pm            

NEWFANE: Kilcullen elected school board president

NEWFANE — The new guy is leading the way on the Newfane School Board.

Patrick Kilcullen, elected in May to his first term as a board of education member, was elected in a 5-2 vote Tuesday as the new school board president for the 2008-09 school year. Board member Lorie Kauffmann was elected as vice president in another 5-2 vote by the board.

Kilcullen takes over as president from board member Donna Pieszala, who served during the previous school year. Pieszala was nominated again, but only garnered her own vote and that of member David Adams. Board member Gretchen DeWitt said voting for Kilcullen could help unite a board that has been somewhat divided in the past.

“I’m voting for Patrick, but not against Donna,” DeWitt said. “Donna did a phenomenal job. But I want this board to come together.”

Kauffmann was nominated by Pieszala for vice president, and Kilcullen nominated DeWitt, who served in that position during the previous school year.

Kilcullen had the most votes in the May school board election, which consisted of four residents running for three open seats on the board. The next two vote-getters were incumbents Cynthia Ames and Carl Stieffenhofer, re-elected to three-year and one-year terms. All three were sworn in Tuesday, and then Kilcullen was sworn in as president shortly thereafter.

While running for the school board, Kilcullen often mentioned his experience working with a board of directors of more than 30 people with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, where he works.

In other school board news, the regular meetings for the summer were scheduled for July 29 and Aug. 19. The school board will also begin meeting on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, starting in the fall. During the previous school year, the school board met on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

Part of the reason for the move was to accommodate the Newfane Lions Club, which holds meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays. DeWitt said the club is very active in the community, and the meetings often conflicted with the school board meetings.

Although the board decided to meet on the first and third Tuesdays, it changed the July and August meetings. Superintendent Gary Pogorzelski said the district’s administrative team would be out of town for one board meeting and a community event on the other, and proposed the board meet Aug. 19 and 26. Pieszala recommended the board meet sooner because the time between meetings would have been too long. With both Aug. 5 and 12 meetings removed, the board would go almost six weeks without meeting.

“That’s means you cannot accept any resignations or do any hiring,” she said.

Contact reporter Joe Olenick

at 439-9222, ext. 6241.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.