Jamestown School Board Meet the Candidates Forum.
Left to Right, Top to Bottom: John Panebianco, Paul Abbott, Christine Schnars, Melissa Paterniti (May 11, 2023)

Candidates for Jamestown School Board shared their experience and why they’re running for the board at a “Meet The Candidates” forum held Thursday night.

There are four candidates running for three open seats.

Parent-Teacher Organization President Joanne Dean and Treasurer Melissa Rhodes presented a series of questions submitted by the public to candidates.

New candidate John Panebianco said he’s running because of he believes his experience can help the district, “I started out teaching at the kindergarten and sixth grade level. I went from that to Dean of Students and a principalship. And I also was the Director of Pupil Services at Chautauqua Lake Schools and middle grade’s Principal. And then in Jamestown, I was also the Director of Pupil Services and then the Director of Human Resources.”

Current Board President Paul Abbott said he found while serving on the board that the problem solving involved is not too dissimilar from his career with Jamestown Police Department, “You have more time to think about stuff on the school board, but I’m used to dealing with conflict and problems and working through things. I’m from Jamestown and I’ve always been passionate about our district. And in my position as Commander of the Police Department, I was used to dealing with a lot of labor issues.”

Current Board Member Christine Schnars has been on the board for over 30 years and currently serves as second vice president and Area 3 Director for the New York State School Board Association.

She said she also is currently a member of the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Board, “The reason I decided to run again is that the last few years we’ve been through a lot here in Jamestown. A lot in this state and a lot in this country. We went through COVID and now we’re going through recovery and the recovery isn’t done. We made a lot of moves to help the students adjust and get back to where they ought to be. We’re not there yet. So, there’s a lot more work to be done and a lot more we need to do and I feel I have a lot to contribute to that work.”

New candidate Melissa Paterniti said she chose to run so her voice could be heard and be that avenue for parents who don’t know how the school board works, “So I can be that avenue for parents that don’t understand how the board works or try to teach people in the community how to get things to the board.”

Paterniti is Jamestown Community College graduate. She previously drove for Uber and Lyft; and is now employed by Ballgame Heroes.

The full Candidates Forum will be available on wrfalp.net and our Soundcloud by late Friday morning.

Jamestown School Board candidates
Top Row: Paul Abbott, John Panebianco
Bottom Row: Missy Paterniti, Christine Schnars

A “Meet the Candidates Night” will be held May 11 for the four candidates running for Jamestown School Board.

The event will take place at 6:00 p.m., Thursday May 11 in the Board Room of the Administration Building at 197 Martin Road.

The four candidates running for three seats on the school board include incumbents Paul Abbott and Christine Schnars with John Panebianco and Melissa Paterniti running for the first time. Shelly Leathers is not seeking re-election to the board.

The forum is free and open to the public.

Questions for the candidates can be sent to moderators, Parent Teacher Organization President Joanne Dean at deans@stny.rr.com, or PTO Treasurer Melissa Rhodes at msrhodes1984@gmail.com.

The deadline for question submission is May 10.

District voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 16 to vote on the school budget and school board candidates.

For more information on each candidate, visit jpsny.org/boeelections.

Jamestown High School PTSA President Joanne Dean and Treasurer Melissa Rhodes moderated a “Meet the Candidates” forum so voters could learn more about the four candidates running for two open seats on the Jamestown School Board. The candidates are Frank Galeazzo, Nina Karbacka, Krysta Rives, and Gina Sink.