They're off and running for school board seats

By JEFF MORRIS

The elections for Board of Education seats in the two local school districts will involve contested races in one district, while the other will be uncontested.

Candidates were announced after nominating petitions were turned in to both district clerks by the Monday, April 20, deadline. 

Elections for school boards and to decide on budgets and propositions will be held Tuesday, May 19.

Katonah-Lewisboro will have five candidates running for three open seats, while Bedford Central will have two candidates for two open seats.

This election will be the mirror image of 2025, when BCSD had seven candidates vying for four open seats, while KLSD’s was uncontested, with three candidates running for three seats.

Katonah-Lewisboro

Three seats are open in KLSD owing to the decision by Jon Poffenberger to step down as a trustee, though his term ran through June 2028.

The terms that expire this year are those of board president, Lorraine Gallagher, and member Bill Swertfager. Both are running again after having first been elected in 2023.

New candidates who will be on the ballot are Nancy Bachana, Melissa Dilmaghani and Stacey Isaacson.

The recipients of the two highest vote totals will be elected to full three-year terms starting in July. The candidate who comes in third will fill the two years remaining on Poffenberger’s seat, and will be sworn in immediately following the May 19 election.

Bedford Central

In the Bedford Central district, two board seats are up for election this year. The two current trustees whose terms expire are Betsy Sharma and Leo Sposato.

Sharma was elected to a three-year term in 2023 and has decided not to run for reelection.

Sposato was a first-time candidate in 2025, when three full terms and one partial term were up for election. As a result of coming in fourth among seven candidates, Sposato filled the remainder of a term that expires this year. Now he is running for a full term.

The new candidate on the ballot will be Erin Hayes, also running for a three-year term.

Candidate forums

The Recorder is co-hosting school board candidate forums in both school districts.

There will be a KLSD candidate night Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m., at John Jay High School, in partnership with the district’s PTOs.

A “Meet the BOE Candidates” community forum for BCSD is planned and will be announced soon.

Further details, including links to live streams and recordings of the sessions will also be forthcomiing.