District 13 appoints BOCES committee

The District 13 Board of Education appointed four district residents on December 16 to serve on the Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) Budget Advisory Committee.

Residents Jennifer Oliveri, Sarwat Paracha, Wesly Mathurin and Jay Ellis will sit on the committee with District 13 President Joseph DiSibio and Trustee Bill Stris.

“This is the first time the board has opened it up to the public,” said Stris, who said he’s been advocating for the move for several years. “The purpose is to get the community more involved in the budget process.”

He said the new members will attend meetings and have the opportunity to pose questions, which will be shared throughout the county. Stris said community members often don’t realize how significant a portion of the district’s budget goes to BOCES, so the committee is an important one and will benefit from direct participation by taxpaying residents.

Board Vice President Toni Pomerantz described the four volunteers, all parents of children in the district, as “intelligent, bright and interested.” She said they represent a cross-section of the district’s students, and appreciated their willingness to participate.

“It’s really nice because we reached out and they reached back,” she said.