The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 14-18 as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards.
Public schools form the bedrock of our communities and our country. Democracy thrives with educated citizens capable of critical thinking and civil discourse. And it is our local school boards who are ultimately responsible for student success.
“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Pioneer School District Superintendent Nicholas Silvaroli said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our community stakeholders expect.”
Mr. Silvaroli said the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:
• Developing a shared vision and goals for the district
• Ensuring strategies, resources, policies and programs align with district goals
• Assessing and providing accountability for student achievement
• Supporting a healthy school district culture in which to work and learn
• Evaluating the superintendent to ensure continuous improvement
• And much more!
“School board members give Pioneer citizens a voice in education decision-making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment,” Mr. Silvaroli said.
The members serving our district and their years of service are as follows:
• President Shawn Hannon (member since 2022)
• Vice President Jim Fleischman (member since 2024)
• Wendy Burch (member since 2021)
• Pat Hoffman (member since 2024)
• Melissa Nocera-Collins (member since 2010)
• Mark Kless (member since 2022)
• Kate Uhteg (member since 2024)
• Brandon Pyc (member since 2023)
• Amanda McKerrow (member since 2024)
Pioneer will be honoring board members during the Oct. 15 regular meeting.
SHOWN IN THE PHOTO: Pioneer Board of Education 2024-25. Front row: Shawn Hannon (president), left, Amanda McKerrow, Kate Uhteg, Mark Kless. Back row: Brandon Pyc, Wendy Burch, Jim Flesichman (vice president), Pat Hoffman, Melissa Nocera-Collins.