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By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

GREENVILLE — Three candidates are running for two open seats on the Greenville Board of Education in Tuesday’s election.

The three candidates, in the order in which they will appear on the ballot, are Kelly Hubicki, Robert Pondiscio and Eric Herbstritt.

Herbstritt is an incumbent; Hubicki and Pondiscio are newcomers.

Each of the two open seats are for a three-year term on the board of education.

The election will be held Tuesday, May 16, from 1-9 p.m. in the cafeteria at Scott Ellis Elementary School, located at 11219 State Route 32 in Greenville.

Below are the candidates’ statements in their own words:

KELLY HUBICKI

My name is Kelly Hubicki and I am the mom of three boys — all who attend Greenville schools. My older boys are twins and in their senior year at Greenville High School and my youngest son is in kindergarten at Scott M. Ellis Elementary. 

In addition to being a mom and wife, I teach part-time at Sonshine Christian Preschool in Westerlo. I also volunteer in the Greenville School District where I serve as a parent rep on two shared-decision making committees and serve as an officer on the PTSA. I volunteer in my youngest son’s class, as well as throughout the district at events and with clubs. My other involvement in the district has been on search committees, the Code of Conduct committee and the district reopening committee during the COVID pandemic. 

I’m running for school board because I believe I can bring a good mix of perspectives to the table. I have been a parent in the district for 13 years and have another 12 to go. I have seen a lot of change in our district and in education over the years. I hope to be a voice for parents and the community as we all navigate the changes that will continue to come. 

I strongly believe that parents should be involved. Our district offers a lot of opportunities for families and I want to make sure parents know how to be a part of things. I also am appreciative of the strides that the district has made in communication with families and the community. I would like to see that continue to move forward. 

There will always be a hot topic or a big issue and I believe that board members need to hear and represent all of the families in the district they serve. 

ROBERT PONDISCIO

Robert Pondiscio lives in Medusa where he and his wife, Liza Greene, are still fixing up the house they bought 25 years ago. An active member of the community, Robert is a volunteer firefighter with the Medusa Volunteer Fire Company and president of the board of the Rensselaerville Library.

Robert hopes to put his 20 years of education experience to work on behalf of Greenville’s taxpayers, students, and families. He started as a 5th grade teacher at P.S. 277, a struggling elementary school in the South Bronx. He is currently a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on education policy and classroom practice, particularly literacy, curriculum, school culture, and civic education. He has published hundreds of articles on education and is the author of the 2019 book “How the Other Half Learns,” based on his year of classroom observations at New York City’s Success Academy, the highest-performing charter school network in the country. 

Earlier in his career, Robert worked at TIME and BusinessWeek, and spent several years in radio news throughout upstate New York. A Long Island native, he holds a B.A. from SUNY Empire State College and a masters in elementary education from Mercy College.

ERIC HERBSTRITT

I am running to be re-elected to the Board of Education because I want to continue to serve our community. I believe that every student should have the opportunity for a great education while keeping taxes reasonable.

I moved to Greenville in 1993 with my wife, Ann Holstein. We chose to live in Greenville because of the school district. Our boys were in Ellis when Ann was first elected to the Board of Education, and I became involved with the Little League and Greenville Youth Soccer. As the boys grew, I became more involved with the school district, serving on committees such as Gifted & Talented and District Planning. I coached Boys Modified and JV soccer. I was the Greenville MS/HS PTSA treasurer and president for many years. After the boys graduated from GCS in 2013 and 2015, Ann and I chose to stay involved in GCS.

Ann passed suddenly in 2018, and I stayed involved with soccer and serving on the planning committee. In 2020, I was elected to the Board of Education. When asked “Why do you get involved?” my answer is “Because it takes a village to raise our children.”  

As a BOE member, I continue to serve on the Facility Planning Committee and the Audit Committee, and I am still an assistant coach of the JV soccer team. As a parent, volunteer, and board member, I have seen this district face many different challenges. During my past three years, we have hired a superintendent, managed our way through COVID and continued to graduate our students. Despite these challenges, GCS continues to be one of the best districts in our area.

The budget vote is Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The 2023-2024 Budget on the ballot has a local tax levy increase of 2.47% with a total budget spending increase of 1.57%. When we were developing this budget, we wanted to be sure that our community’s children would have the best education possible without an unreasonable price tag.