Bedford Central Gives Chernis Replacement Timeline

The Bedford Central School District announced Tuesday its process for filling the vacant seat left by Mark Chernis, who last Wednesday in order to avoid conflicts of interest with his education technology job at Pearson.

The board, which hopes to have a replacement appointed by Nov. 16, is accepting applications until Oct. 7, according to an announcement. There will be a public interview and meeting for residents to watch on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m., with an Oct. 10 question submission deadline for the community. Further community feedback will be solicited after the public meeting, until Oct. 25.

The appointee's term would run from the date of appointment until May 15, 2012, when the next school board elections are held.

At the recent Wednesday board meeting, school board President Susan Elion Wollin told Patch that the process would be similar to what the board did in 2009 to fill a vacancy. That seat was left vacant by the departure of then-Board Member Marc Vandenhoeck and filled by Erika Long, who went on to win a term in her own right in the May 2010 election.

The full announcement and press release for the process is below:

The Board of Education is seeking an individual to serve on the Board to fill the seat of Mr. Mark Chernis, who has resigned. The term of office will conclude on May 15, 2012, the date of the next school board election.  The Board of Education invites interested individuals to submit an application by October 7, 2011.  The Board will meet in Public Special Session to conduct interviews of all candidates on October 19th at a time not earlier than 7 pm. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be televised on BCSD-TV and on the website via live video streaming.  To assist the Board in preparing questions and to gather community input, community members are asked to submit a topic or question for consideration at the public interviews to boe@bcsdny.org no later than October 10, 2011. Following the public interview of candidates, community members may also submit input to the Board from October 19 through October 25, 2011 by email at boe@bcsdny.org.

The Board is expected to make an appointment on or about November 16, 2011. The term of office will commence with the Board’s appointment and continue until the next school board election on May 15, 2012.

To be eligible for this position, an individual must be a qualified voter of the district and have lived in the school district for at least one continuous year.  At a minimum, service on the Board requires preparation for and attendance at bimonthly Board meetings.  In addition, School Board members serve on at least one Board subcommittee, which meets monthly. 

Interested individuals may obtain an application on the district’s website www.bcsdny.org or may contact Carole LaColla, district clerk at 914-241-6011 or via email at clacolla1777@bcsdny.org.

Completed applications should be sent no later than Friday October 7, 2011 to:

Carole LaColla, District Clerk

Bedford Central School District

P.O. Box 180

Mount Kisco, New York 10549