"Utica schools are among the most diverse in the state, but minority candidates for its board have been few and far between.
With the election of Tennille Knoop and James Paul in May, the acting Utica school board welcomed its second woman and only person of color. Of the group, only two acting members have school-age children.
In the 2020-21 school year, the district's student population breakdown was 25% Black, 20% percent Hispanic, 20% Asian, 29% white and 6% multiracial, according to the New York State Education Department. Utica students speak 43 languages, according to the district.
No one from any of the city’s refugee communities has ever served on the board.
Current board members say they believe diversity on the board is a way to bring new ideas and perspectives. Six of them — recently appointed Dave Testa did not respond to requests for comment — shared their thoughts on the election results and the future of the school board.
Three new members have joined the Utica school board since school elections were held in May. James Paul and Tennille Knoop were elected to the seats previously occupied by outgoing President Louis LaPolla and Christopher Salatino, both of whom had served for years. David Testa, who ran against Paul and Knoop, was appointed to the seat vacated by Anthony LaPolla, no relation to Louis, who moved to New Hartford. Knoop is the second woman and second parent of school-aged children on the board, along with Danielle Padulla. Paul is the only person of color serving on the board.
'It's enough change to be significant'
“I think this shows exactly what the community wanted and what our district is in need of," Knoop said, "which is change."
Two long-term incumbents, Louis LaPolla and Christopher Salatino, didn’t run for re-election this year, freeing up spots on the board. The tenor of the times also played a role in the election, said newly elected board President Joseph Hobika, Jr., who is of Lebanese descent.
“I think that there’s some dissatisfaction with the administration’s approach on some issues as well as the majority of the board’s approach on issues,” he said. “And I think that came home to roost in this particular election cycle.”
Danielle Padula, who was elected board vice president, speculated that the time spent with children learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic might also have led parents to see a reason to get more involved. “It opened up a whole new world for parents,” she said.
And parents of school-age children, Knoop believes, bring an inside knowledge of what goes on in the schools on a daily basis.
“When you have a hand in there and are in there every single day, we are able to bring more to the table," she said, "which in turn brings in the community."
But a board of seven parents with kids in the schools wouldn’t be ideal either, said Hobika, emphasizing the need for different backgrounds and perspectives.
Paul, who ran unsuccessfully for the board twice before, became the first person of color on the board since Evon Ervin left in 2020.
“I think it’s enough change to be significant,” Paul said of the election results. “But I don’t think it’s enough change to truly reflect the greatness this district can offer. ...
This is the most diverse district from the student body standpoint in the state. But if anyone is watching or looking at the meetings and the board members, they can see that it doesn’t truly reflect the school district.”
How the Utica school board will make decisions
At its reorganizational meeting on July 5, the new board elected Hobika president with a 4-3 vote with Padula, Knoop, Paul and Hobika himself voting yes. Board member Donald Dawes was also nominated for the presidency and backed by himself, Robert Cardillo and Testa.
Most board members said they don’t expect 4-3 splits to become routine. “We’re going to work together,” Cardillo predicted.
Everyone on the board is there for the district and the kids, Dawes agreed. “As long as that’s our one common thread,” he said, “we’ll all be fine.”
Padula predicted more discussion, more viewpoints and fewer unanimous votes, but not two consistent voting blocs.
“Each one of us are individual human beings with our own thought processes and our own reason to vote,” Padula said.
School board members look forward to diverse future
Padula said she hopes the diversity on the board will grow in the future to include more of the races, ethnicities, religion and languages in the Utica schools.
“It really could be a trend,” Cardillo said. “I think all ideas and all people need to be represented so I do think it’s a good thing.”
There will be more opportunities for new members in the coming years. Both Dawes and Hobika said they will not run for re-election when their terms end, and Paul said he favors term limits to bring in new members and new ideas to the board on a regular basis.
“I don’t want to do this forever,” he said, “because that’s counterproductive.”
Knoop said she expects a number of people to run for the two seats that will be up for re-election next year now that people have seen her and Paul seated on the board.
“There was this idea,” she said, “that the board couldn’t be cracked.”
Source:
https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2...y/65375788007/
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Utica school board seldom reflected its schools' diversity. New board prompts change
