4 candidates elected to Herkimer BOCES Board of Education
The Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES component school boards have approved the $3,195,750 Herkimer BOCES administrative budget for the 2020-21 school year.
Component district school boards took a vote on whether to approve the BOCES administrative budget and then cast an overall vote as a board. The 10 Herkimer BOCES component school districts conducted votes on the budget, and the 10 boards unanimously approved the budget.
School boards were originally scheduled to vote on the BOCES administrative budget on April 15, but due to the coronavirus public health crisis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave school boards extra time to conduct the vote, so some schools waited until a later date.
The Herkimer BOCES component school boards also unanimously voted for four Herkimer BOCES Board of Education members. Current members James (Bob) Schmid, representing Dolgeville Central School District; Ronald Loiacono, representing Mount Markham Central School District, and Linda Tharp, representing Owen D. Young Central School District, were re-elected to three-year terms from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023.
Deborah Kessler, representing Poland Central School District, was elected to the board for the first time. Kessler will begin her term on May 21, 2020, because she is filling a vacant seat representing Poland, and will serve through June 30, 2023.
Kessler is a graduate of Poland Central School District, Mohawk Valley Community College and Utica College. She is the president of Kessler Promotions, an event management and consultant company.
Loiacono is a graduate of the Mount Markham Central School District. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University, and he is the owner of Loiacono Farm LLC.
Schmid is a graduate of Dolgeville Central School District. He earned an associate degree in engineering science from Mohawk Valley Community College. He worked for 10 years in construction and then 33 years in the railroad industry for Conrail, which became CSX. He retired in June 2009.
Tharp is a graduate of Holland Patent Central School District, the University at Albany State University of New York, the University of Toledo and SUNY Cortland. She has held various administrative and teaching jobs at school districts including Sharon Springs, Whitesboro, Mohawk and Little Falls.