At the school budget vote on May 18, voters helped fill three seats on the Schalmont Board of Education. Four candidates Sandra Beloncik (749 votes), Michael DellaVilla (815 votes) and Robert Sheehan (832 votes) were elected to three three-years seats on the board. John DiCocco also ran for the board, receiving 628 votes. 

Voters were invited to learn more about the candidates at a Meet the Candidates Night on Monday, May 10, at 7 p.m. in the Schalmont Middle School LGI Room, 2 Sabre Dr. Information about each of the candidates was also posted below.

Sandra Beloncik is running for her sixth term. She is an active member of the New York State School Boards Association, where she served on the Resolutions Committee for three years. She also served as the Capital District School Board Association representative for Schalmont for 11 years. For the past two years, she has served as president of the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Board of Education. She is also a trustee for Tech Valley High School.

At Schalmont, Beloncik has served as a secretary for the Friends of Music, as an officer of Woestina Little League, and on various elementary, middle and high school parent-teacher organizations. She also has served as a fund raiser for Capital District Junior Achievement and Channel 17, an advisory board member for Rotterdam DARE, and the vice chair of the Town of Rotterdam Ethics Committee for seven years.

Beloncik graduated from Mohonasen High School and attended Brockport University. She and her husband, Michael, have two children who are Schalmont graduates.

Michael DellaVilla is running for his third term. He is a cofounder of Rockit Science Solutions and has more than 25 years of experience in information technology. He also volunteers as a coach for AAU and CYO Basketball.

After graduating from Schalmont High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Siena College. He and his wife, Debbie, have three children who all attend or attended Schalmont schools. His two daughters now attend Nazareth College, with the eldest graduating this year.

John DiCocco is running for his first term. He is a contract manager in the Global Project Operations group at General Electric. He is also a pack master for Cub Scout Pack 57. For the past two years, he has served on the Schalmont Community Budget Advisory Committee.

After graduating from Draper High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He and his wife, Brenda, have three children currently attending Schalmont schools, one at the elementary level and two at the secondary level.

Robert Sheehan is running for his third term. He is a pharmacist with the Bureau of Pharmacy Policy and Operations for the State of New York. Sheehan is also a member of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Northeast Society of Hospital Pharmacists, American Pharmaceutical Society and Professional Employee Federation. He serves as a soccer official for Section II and is a member of the Eastern Board Approved Soccer Officials Association.

After graduating from Schalmont High School, he received a bachelor’s degree from Union University, Albany College of Pharmacy. He and his wife, Sharon, have three children: two daughters, who are both Schalmont alumnae, and a son, who is a 2009 Schalmont alumnus and a freshman at Hofstra University.

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The Schalmont Board of Education is made up of seven non-paid citizens elected to serve overlapping terms of three years each. State law does not limit the number of terms a board member may serve. Together, school board members:

• Establish district policies,

• Develop an annual budget for public approval,

• Approve or disapprove the superintendent’s recommendations on personnel matters and contracts,

• Review courses of study and textbooks, and

• Act as a communication link between residents and the superintendent.