While most school districts locally and across the state on Tuesday night were able to announce their board of education election results alongside tallies for their 2025-26 budget proposals, the New Paltz Central School District (NPCSD) wasn’t so fortunate. With just one name on the school board ballot, filling all three seats came down to write-in votes.
Incumbent Jason Clark (721 votes), and write-in newcomers Amy Gillespie (374 votes) and Matthew Pilek (368 votes) were announced to fill the open seats during a meeting of the school board held on Wednesday, May 21.
Clark, a contractor, has two years of experience on the school board. A district parent and NPCSD alum, Clark’s focus includes addressing the district’s changing demographic, with the student population falling while the cost of housing continues to rise. Operational costs, sound policy around rapidly advancing technology and the recent drop in academic success of the lowest performing students after years of gains were also among the issues he said the district was facing.
Marissa Piazza, Gillespie and Pilek were endorsed as write-in candidates by the New Paltz United Teachers (NPUT). Piazza’s vote count was not announced during the school board meeting, nor were the names of any other write-in candidates receiving votes.
Gillespie taught in the Pine Bush Central School District from 2006-2015, before becoming the district’s technology intervention specialist. She left that role in July 2022 to become the Poughkeepsie Central School District’s director of instructional technology. She also served as a board member of the NPCSD’s Foundation for Student Enhancement from January 2018-January 2021. In the NPUT endorsement announcement, it was said that Gillespie is committed to fostering equity, engagement and collaboration; with a vision of restoring pride to the district to make it a family destination.
was sworn in as a trustee on Wednesday to fill a seat left open when Glenn LaPolt resigned on April 11. A lecturer in SUNY New Paltz’s chemistry department, Pilek is a member of New York State United Teachers and United University Professors. His NPUT endorsement cited his belief in “productive and constructive dialogue and fostering bilateral communication to ensure progress for all students,” with a focus on the mental and physical wellbeing of students.
Pilek has a 4.9/5 rating on the Rate My Professors website, with his top tags “hilarious,” “gives good feedback,” accessible outside class,” “respected” and “clear grading criteria.”
Just over 100 names received at least one write-in vote, including Marissa Piazza (314 votes), Kevin Borden (273 votes), Jason Friedman (223 votes), former superintendent of schools Maria Rice (135 votes) and Christina Vazquez (114 votes). And at least two celebrities received one vote apiece: Late former President Jimmy Carter and country music superstar Dolly Parton.
The NPCSD’s $76,095,330 spending plan for the 2025-26 school year was also a success on Tuesday, passing by a margin of 1,038-369.
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