NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Board of Education Tuesday night accepted the resignation of board member Maddali Atallah. The Board chose not to fill the seat, which was vacated immediately, until the next regularly scheduled school district election on May 15.
When a seat is vacated, state education law provides school boards with three options that allow them to exercise their judgment as to how to best proceed. Options available to the board were:
- A majority of the remaining Board may appoint someone to serve until the next school district election;
- The Board may leave the seat vacant until the next school district election; or
- Within 90 days of the occurrence of the vacancy, a special election may be held to fill the seat.
Atallah, who had been serving in the capacity of vice president for the board, cited personal reasons for the decision which she had been considering for some time. Board member Jeffrey Hastie was chosen to serve as the new vice president through the end of the school year.
With one other seat up for election this coming May, the candidate that receives the second highest number of votes in that election will serve out the remainder of Atallah’s term, which ends June 30, 2020. The top vote-getter will be appointed to a full five-year term.