The person who gets the highest number of votes in the election would earn the seat that currently belongs to Douglas Lansing, who was appointed to the board in January after Martha Pritchard Spear resigned in December. The person elected to Lansing’s seat would assume office on May 17 and serve until June 30 before beginning a regular three-year term on July 1, ending on June 30, 2026. The second- and third-place vote-getters would earn the other two open seats, which currently belong to board members Joan Hallett-Valentine and Daniel Marvin. The two people elected to these seats would serve regular three-year terms beginning on July 1, ending on June 30, 2026.

People interested in running for school board first have to submit a petition for candidacy. To get a blank petition, visit the district’s website at www.lpcsd.org or email district Clerk Karen Angelopoulos at lpdistrictclerk@lakeplacidcsd.net. Petitions must be returned to Angelopoulos — either in person at the district office or by photo/scan — no later than 5 p.m. on April 18. Petitions can also be mailed to Angelopoulos at Administrative Assistant/District Clerk Lake Placid Central School, 50 Cummings Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946.

The school board’s proposed budget for the 2023-24 school year will also be on the ballot in May, but a tentative budget has yet to be formed — the board is working through scheduled budget work sessions. One work session is being held before their board meeting next week, with another tentatively scheduled on April 25. LPCSD Superintendent Timothy Seymour said he expects the board will be finalizing its tentative budget by the April meeting.

The district is holding one public hearing for its budget in Wilmington — at 6 p.m. on May 2 — and a second public hearing in Lake Placid at 6 p.m. on May 9.

If the budget is passed by voters on May 16, the school board expects to adopt the budget during its May 17 meeting.

As of now, there will be two propositions on the ballot — one would give voters the option to vote for or against the school district leasing one 24-passenger school wheelchair bus and one eight-passenger school bus for a period not to exceed five years at a cost not to exceed $40,732 per year. The other proposition would give voters the option to support or vote against a proposed increase in the district’s funding for the E.M. Cooper Memorial Library in Wilmington, from $16,090 this year to $16,735 for the 2023-24 school year.

The school board is also discussing adding a third proposition to the ballot, which would ask voters if they want to enact a new, optional state exemption offered to volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance service workers. This past December, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation creating an opt-in for state municipal and school district boards to offer a 10% property tax exemption for local fire department and ambulance service volunteers.

Local boards have to hold a public hearing on the exemption before enacting it, but the Lake Placid board of education at a meeting last week discussed placing the measure on this May’s ballot to capture “the pulse” of district voters on the issue. On March 15, Seymour also floated an alternative idea of providing an exit poll for voters, which would ask voters to fill out a poll about the issue after turning in their formal ballot. The school board also discussed asking voters about their support of a veterans service exemption, which would provide district veterans with a 15% property tax exemption and a 25% property tax exemption for combat veterans.

School board members brought up potential negatives and positives of the exemptions during their discussion last week. While the exemptions would recognize vets and volunteer workers for their service, the cost of the tax breaks would be redistributed among non-qualifying taxpayers.

To be eligible for the exemption, volunteer fire and ambulance workers would have to live in the community they serve.

The Lake Placid Village Board of Trustees has also floated the idea of opting in to the new volunteer service worker tax exemption, but the village hasn’t taken any formal steps to adopt the tax breaks.