DURHAM — Voters in the Cairo-Durham Central School District will decide on a proposed $32.2 million budget when they go to the polls Tuesday.
They will also decide on a proposition to spend $665,000 on five new 65-passenger buses and one new Chevy Suburban for the district’s bus fleet.
Five candidates are running for four open seats on the Cairo-Durham Board of Education. Three seats carry three-year terms and one seat carries a one-year term.
In alphabetical order, the candidates are Brian Coletti, Elizabeth (Beth) Daly, Tonya Frickey, Carolyn Miller and Christopher O’Connell.
Brian Coletti and his wife Janette have lived in Cairo for 26 years. They have three children.
Coletti is a bookkeeper for a large dental practice in Ulster County. He also works as a state-licensed real property mold assessor.
He is currently the vice president of the Cairo-Durham Board of Education and a member of the district’s Audit Committee.
His board experience ranges from the school district’s capital projects to participating in negotiations on contracts with teachers, administrators and the CSEA. He volunteers time to the Cairo-Durham Drama Club.
Coletti said he is focused on the ongoing educational needs of Cairo-Durham students.
Coletti did not provide a photo.
Elizabeth Daly has three children. She has worked in public education for 28 years as a school counselor.
She has served on the Cairo-Durham Board of Education since 2012.
“I believe strongly that an educator should be a member of the school board,” she said. “I know where we live — the mountains are beautiful through all seasons, and being part of a small, tight-knit community where folks help each other daily is very rewarding.”
Daly has enjoyed the challenges that being a school board member brings.
“I take this responsibility seriously and only want to make our schools stronger, one student, one decision at a time,” Daly said.
Tonya Frickey grew up in Acra. She and her partner, Robert Orin, live in Round Top and have three children.
She is a graduate of Potsdam College and earned Master’s degrees from Russell Sage Graduate School and the University at Albany.
She began her teaching career in 1995 in San Antonio, Texas, and taught in the Germantown and Taconic Hills school districts. She was elected to the Taconic Hills Board of Education in 2000 and was a library media specialist at Taconic Hills.
Frickey taught English at Columbia-Greene Community College for several years. She is currently a part-time lecturer at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany.
Carolyn Miller has lived in the Cairo-Durham district since 2009. She is a lifetime Greene County resident and has two children. Miller is assistant principal of the Children’s Home in Kingston.
She served as interim assistant principal of Cairo-Durham Middle/High School.
She said it is imperative to have a fair representation of the community on the school board and believes she can bring a fresh perspective.
“While many schools remained on remote learning, our students have had the option of face-to-face education that started in July 2020,” Miller said, adding that she helped write the school’s COVID-19 policy.
“I’m committed to our community and hope to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to our students,” Miller said.
Christopher O’Connell is a lifelong resident of the Cairo-Durham school district. He lives in Cairo with his wife Kelly. They have two children.
He is a high school history teacher and has been an educator for 23 years. He has served on the Cairo-Durham Board of Education for six years.
“I’m very excited about the progress of our building project that is currently going on,” he said. “I look forward to serving on the Cairo-Durham school board for several more years.