JOHNSTOWN — No Greater Johnstown School District residents — besides the three Board of Education members whose seats are up — formally filed to run for the board as of Wednesday’s deadline.
The three-year board seats of members Kathryn Zajicek, Ronald Beck and Susanne Fitzgerald all expire by July. But in an open process allowing district residents to file to run, district Clerk Larraina Carpenter said Wednesday they were the only ones filing.
“We have three petitions from the incumbents,” Carpenter said.
Members of the Board of Education are unpaid. The district will likely not schedule a Meet the Candidates Night since all three members are unopposed and assured re-election to new three-year seats.
The district will conduct its annual school board election from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 15 at the Johnstown High School auditorium lobby. The district will again use paper ballots.
Carpenter said voters wishing to cast a name other than the incumbents have a right to do so.
“You can always write in,” the clerk said.
Voters must be a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older. They also must be a legal resident of the Greater Johnstown School District for at least 30 days prior to the vote, and a registered voter.
The district will conduct voter registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the JHS auditorium lobby. This process is for residents of the Greater Johnstown School District not currently registered through the county Board of Elections and want to vote on May 15.
The May 15 election will also involve voting on the district’s proposed $35.8 million 2018—19 district budget.
The spending plan carries a 5 percent property tax levy hike and eliminates 13 positions. The proposed budget carries a 5.46 percent appropriations increase from the 2017—18 adopted budget. It must be adopted with a 60 percent “supermajority” approval vote. The district exceeded its negative 2.5 percent state-imposed levy tax cap.
A public hearing on the proposed budget will be conducted at 6 p.m. May 8 at the JHS Lecture Hall.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected]
