ITHACA, N.Y. — Seven candidates, including three incumbents, are in the running for a spot on the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Board of Education, according to an update by the district Wednesday night.
This year’s school board election comes amid a wave of criticism for the sitting board members due to their support for higher-than-expected increases to education spending — and as a result, higher tax bills.
The district’s budget is one of three ballot proposals and drawn additional interest in this year’s election, which has traditionally seen limited turnout. Other ballot proposals include a bid to purchase additional electric school buses and a $125 million capital project that includes upgrades to the district’s school bus maintenance facility.
The election will be held on May 21. Those who are already registered to vote in general elections do not need to register separately. Those who are registering to vote for the first time can do so at ICSD district offices weekdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. until May 7.
Candidates include incumbents Eldred Harris, Moira Lang and Adam Krantweiss and challengers Steve Cullen, Barry Derfel, Todd Fox and Emily Workman.
Prospective candidates had until Wednesday evening to submit their application along with at least 100 signatures from supporters qualified to vote within the district. The three candidates with the most votes in the election will each serve a three year term starting in July.
On Tuesday, the Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) endorsed incumbents Lang and Krantweiss as well as Workman, a newcomer and current Northeast Elementary PTA president. The union’s endorsement is typically a boon to those who receive it. During last year’s ICSD board election, all four endorsed candidates won a seat on the board.
ITA campaign manager and Fall Creek Elementary teacher Emily Snyder said the union’s endorsement was based on a scored rubric that considered candidates’ experience, stances and support for both teachers and students, among other factors.
Fox did not submit his nominating petition until Wednesday and so was not likely in the running for the ITA endorsement — though it is unlikely he would have won it had he been considered. Fox, who heads Visum Development Group, has called the district’s initial proposed budget “unsustainable.” The ITA, in contrast, has called on voters to approve the spending plan.
Notably, the ITA endorsement also passed over longtime school board member and incumbent, Eldred Harris — despite their shared support for the contentious budget.
Harris, who is vying for a seventh term, currently heads the board’s finance committee, which has sway over budget development. He has staunchly defended the district budget and has publicly decried its critics.
Asked why the ITA chose not to endorse Harris, Snyder said the union was not against Harris or any of the other candidates — the group simply chose to endorse those who scored highest.
“We have a system of the criteria that we go by, and we went for the ones with the highest marks, and he didn’t hit the highest mark,” Snyder said.
This year isn’t the first time the union has passed Harris over for endorsement, but the longtime incumbent has nevertheless managed to retain a seat on the board.
More information on the election, ballot proposals and budget is available online through the Ithaca City School District website here. Read more of The Ithaca Voice’s coverage of the ICSD budget and election here.