NOMINATING PETITIONS

Board of Education Candidate Petition Packets can be obtained from Lori Sheldon, District Clerk, 21 Morgan Road, Highland Falls, NY 10928 beginning March 10, 2026.
Please be informed that the District Office hours on March 30 through April 2 (Spring Recess) will be from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm and the office will be closed on Friday, April 3rd in observance of Good Friday.

25 qualified voter signatures are required on the petition. Petitions must be returned no later than 5:00 PM, April 20, 2026.

So, are you thinking about running for the school board? Let's begin with the basics. The locally elected board of education is a uniquely American institution. It oversees and manages the community’s public school system and ensures the public schools are responsive to the needs of the community.

School boards are comprised of volunteers within the community who dedicate their time to better public education. Board members come from all walks of life, from lawyers to teachers, engineers to nurses. In New York State, with the exception of a few large city school districts, board members serve uncompensated. School board terms are most commonly three to five years. A typical tenure for a board member is between five and 10 years.

To serve, you must be willing to commit to attending board meetings, which are usually held twice per month.

• You must meet certain basic qualifications to run for school board in New York State. You must be:
  • A U.S. citizen
  • At least 18 years old
  • A qualified voter in the school district
  • Able to read and write
  • A resident of your district continuously for one year before the election. Exception: As little as 30 days or as long as three years in some city school districts.

Running for School Board? Get all your information from NYSSBA:New York State School Boards Association and OCSBA: Orange County School Boards Association below

• NYSSBA: https://www.nyssba.org/member-services/running-for-the-school-board/  
• OCSBA: https://www.ocsba.com/

 BUDGET RESULTS

  YES - 285     NO - 164

 Board of Education

*Gabe O'Connell - 332

Trevor Rhodes – 287

*Trish Kinney - 321

*Incumbant

 

REGISTER TO VOTE
In order to qualify to vote, you must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, resident of the district for 30 days immediately preceding the election and a registered voter. If you are not registered, prospective voters can still register to vote with the local county board of elections by completing an online application with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles or online through the Orange Board of Elections. Voter Registration will also be held at the Highland Falls Library on May 9, 2026. The library is located at 298 Main Street, Highland Falls, NY 10928.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Absentee Ballot Applications

• Download and print the Absentee Ballot Application or;
• By request via email to the District Clerk lori.sheldon@hffmcsd.org or;
• At the District Office Monday through Friday

Important Application  Information

• Applications are required to receive an absentee ballot.
• Absentee Ballot Applications may not be submitted more than 30 days prior to the vote/election.) NOT BEFORE APRIL 20, 2026
  Completed Applications must be received by the District Clerk by or prior to 4:00 P.M. on May 14, 2026, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter; or by or prior to 4:00 P.M. on May 18, 2026, if the ballot is to be picked up personally by the voter.
• Absentee ballots must be received by the School District Clerk no later than 5:00 P.M. on May 19, 2026.

EARLY VOTING MAIL BALLOTS

In 2024, New York State instituted early mail voting for any residents wishing to vote in this manner. Similar to absentee voting, registered voters must request a mail-in ballot in writing within 30 days of the election (that is after April 21).

• Download and print the EarlyVoter Ballot Application or;
• By request via email to the District Clerk lori.sheldon@hffmcsd.org ; or
• An Early Voter Application can be obtained at the District Office Monday through Friday; or
• Applications are required to receive an early voter ballot
• After verifying the status of the voter, the district will either mail the early mail ballot or the voter may pick it up at the district office. If a ballot is to be mailed, the request must be received at least seven days before the election.
• All completed ballots must be received back to the District Clerk by 5PM on the Budget Vote and Board of Education Election day, May 19, 2026.

Military voters must submit a separate military ballot application for each election at which they wish to cast a vote, except any necessary budget revote. Please download the Military Voter Registration Application . If you wish to register as a Military Voter with your County or State Board of Elections, please contact them directly. This application must be received by the Office of the School District Clerk, not later than 5:00 PM the day before the School District’s Board of Registration will meet to prepare the School District register (May 8, 2026).

 

 

 

 

 

 

• PTF Meeting: May 4 at 6:30 p.m., HFIS Cafeteria
• Rotary Club Meeting: May 7 at 7:30 a.m., Thayer Hotel
• Town Board Meeting: May 11 at 7:00 p.m.
• Village Board Meeting: May 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Anne Lawless                                                                                                                                      Board President                                                                                                                                  Term ends: June 30, 2028                                                                                                                 anne.lawless@hffmcsd.org                                                                                                                

Gabe O'Connell                                                                                                                                   Board Vice President                                                                                                                          Term ends: June 30, 2029                                                                                                                  gabe.oconnell@hffmcsd.org                                                                                        

Aaron Falk                                                                                                                                            Board Member                                                                                                                                    Term ends: June 30, 2027                                                                                                                  aaron.falk@hffmcsd.org

Trish Kinney                                                                                                                                        Board Member                                                                                                                                    Term ends: June 30, 2029                                                                                                                 trish.kinney@hffmcsd.org

Monique Wolf                                                                                                                                        Board Member                                                                                                                                    Term ends: June 30, 2028                                                                                                                  monique.wolf@hffmcsd.org

Kristen O'Dell                                                                                                                                      Board Member                                                                                                                                    Term ends: June 30, 2027                                                                                                                  kristen.odell@hffmcsd.org

Trevor Rhodes                                                                                                                                      Board Member                                                                                                                                    Term ends: June 30, 2029                                                                                                                  trevor.rhodes@hffmcsd.org

 Erik Mitchell                                                                                                                                        West Point Liaison                                                                                                                              erik.mitchell@hffmcsd.org

Daniel Jasnow                                                                                                                                    Garrison Liaison                                                                                                                                 djasnow@gufs.org                                                                                                                                          

 

12th Grade Representative -

11th Grade Representative - 

 

 

PUBLIC ACCESS TO RECORDS

Access to records of the District shall be consistent with the rules and regulations established by the State Committee on Open Government and shall comply with all the requirements of the New York State Public Officers Law Sections 87 and 89.

The District shall provide copies of records in the format and on the medium requested by the person filing the Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL) request if the District can reasonably do so considering burden, volume or cost of the request.

REQUESTS FOR RECORDS VIA EMAIL

The District shall accept FOIL requests submitted in the form of electronic mail and will respond to such requests by electronic mail. 

The District shall respond to the receipt of a request within five (5) business days. Should all or part of the request need to be denied, the District shall respond in the manner set forth by the rules and regulations stipulated by the State Committee on Open Government.

Written or emailed FOIL requests may be submitted to:

Dawn Storms
PO Box 287
Highland Falls, NY 10928

dawn.storms@hffmcsd.org