Jamestown School Board candidates
Top Row: Paul Abbott, John Panebianco
Bottom Row: Missy Paterniti, Christine Schnars
Four candidates are running for three open seats on the Jamestown School Board.
Shelly Leathers is not seeking re-election for her seat, leaving that open for a newcomer.
Paul Abbott is seeking his sixth term. He has served as the Board of Education President since 2016. He is a JHS alumnus and graduated from Jamestown Community College, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Academy and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. He is retired as the Investigative Commander of the Jamestown Police Department and is currently employed by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department.
John Panebianco is seeking his first term on the Board of Education. He worked for Jamestown Public Schools for 14 years, retiring as director of human resources. Panebianco is a United States Air Force and Army National Guard veteran and holds an associate’s degree from JCC and a bachelor’s, master’s and two administrative degrees from SUNY Fredonia.
Missy Paterniti is also seeking her first term on the board. She graduated from Jamestown High School in 1993 and received an associate’s degree from Jamestown Community College in 1996. Paterniti previously worked for The Resource Center and Uber/Lyft rideshare services. She currently works for Ballgame Heroes. Paterniti is a member of the JPS Safety Committee.
Christine Schnars is seeking her third term on the board since returning to it in 2017. She has been a member of the BOE for 31 years. She currently serves as second vice president and Area 3 Director for the New York State School Board Association and is currently a member of the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Board. She is a past president of the Fletcher PTA and served on the State Congress of Parent and Teacher Board of Governors.
District voters will have the opportunity to approve the Jamestown Public Schools $101,475,978 budget and vote for three members of the district’s board of education on Tuesday, May 16.
A Budget Hearing will take place at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 9 at Jefferson Middle School.
For more information on the 2023-24 school budget and the board member election, visit jpsny.org/budget.
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