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Lowville Academy Hosting Budget Hearing and Meet the
Candidates Night for Board of Education Candidates May 13
Published: May 3, 2024 at
10:30 a.m.
 Lowville, NY- The Lowville
Academy & Central School District has scheduled their annual Budget
Hearing and Meet the Candidates night for Board of Education candidates for
this evening, May 13, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the elementary school
cafeteria, ahead of the May 21 budget vote and board elections.
The district has proposed
a 2024-25 budget of $30,718,485, an increase of $570,693 or 1.89% over the
2023-24 budget, which is largely due to increases in salaries and benefits
according to the district’s budget
newsletter. The projected tax levy will increase by 2.49
percent, below the allowable limit. Based on tentative property value
increases in the district, the true tax rate- including the current library
levy- is expected to be $6.54 per $1,000 of assessed value according to the
district. For more information and a detailed look at the specifics of the
proposed spending plan and the accompanying funding priorities of the Board
of Education you can view the district’s 2024-25 Budget
Newsletter here.
BOARD OF
EDUCATION ELECTION INFORMATION (As provided in the District’s
2024-25 Budget Newsletter)
The Lowville
Academy Board of Education is made up of nine trustees who serve three-year
terms. Board members serve as the community’s representatives in all
matters of instruction, operations and finance.
Each year, three Board of Education seats are up for election. Current
members Mr. Michael Judd and Dr. Shereen Palmer are running for reelection.
Mrs. Stacey McConnell will not run for an additional term. We wish to
express our sincere gratitude to Mrs. McConnell for her dedicated service
and commitment to the students, staff and entire
school community as a Board member over the last three years.
INCUMBENT
CANDIDATES RUNNING UNOPPOSED
Mr. Michael Judd is seeking his
fourth term as a Board member of Lowville Academy. Mr. Judd serves on the
finance/facilities and personnel committees. Mr. Judd is the Executive
Director of Beaver Camp and lives in Lowville with his wife Jeanna. They
have two children, both graduates of Lowville Academy.
Dr. Shereen
Palmer is a graduate of Hamilton College and the University of Rochester
School of Medicine. She lives in Lowville with her husband Dr. Steven
Lyndaker and their son Andrew, who is a rising senior. They have four older
daughters who also attended and graduated from Lowville Academy. Dr. Palmer
is a pediatrician at Lowville Medical Associates and a member of the
medical staff at Lewis County Health Systems. She is also actively involved
with Beaver Camp, Maple Ridge Center and the
Lowville Mennonite Church. She is running for her second term on the school
board because she wants to “advocate for the needs of our community’s
children and adolescents and support the hard work and ongoing development
of our highly committed faculty and staff.”
CANDIDATES
SEEKING ELECTION
Mr. Andrew
Jennings is running for the board seat being vacated by Mrs. Stacey
McConnell. Mr. Jennings is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor’s degree in soil science. Andrew and his wife
Heather are the parents of six children; their youngest is a current
student at LACS. Mr. Jennings is a self-employed business owner and farmer.
He enjoys skiing, sailing, hiking and carpentry and is a Republican
committee member, part-time minister in church and has also worked as an
election poll worker and substitute teacher. Andrew is interested in
serving on the board because “I am a parent of a Lowville student, and I
want to help LACS remain the excellent school that it has been for years -
providing a traditional, rigorous education in an encouraging environment
for our young citizens.”
Mr. Michael Young is running for
the board seat being vacated by Mrs. Stacey McConnell. Mr. Young is a
graduate of LACS and earned a BA from SUNY Albany and a JD from Albany Law
School. He is an attorney and partner at Young Law Office. Mike and his
wife Kathleen are the parents of six children. Mr. Young states, “My reason
for serving on the Board hasn’t changed over the past 30 plus years. I want
to be involved in the decisions that will shape the future of the Lowville
Academy and Central School District. I believe my perspective regarding
financial stability, educational opportunities, and community involvement
will be invaluable. One of my goals has always been to work together to
provide all our students with a positive educational experience that will
last a lifetime and set into motion a bright future filled with
opportunities.” Mike is also a member of the Jeff-Lewis BOCES Board of
Education, President of the Board of Managers of the Lewis County Health
System, Chairman of the Town/Village of Lowville Recreation Board and a member of the Snow Belt Housing Company
Board of Directors.
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