June 2005
Contact: Dorothy Wills-Raftery
(845) 255-1400 xt. 1209

Len Cane Re-elected as President of Ulster County School Boards Association

The Ulster County School Boards Association (UCSBA) announced its 2005-2006 slate of officers at their recent annual reorganization meeting. Re-elected to a second term as president is Kingston resident and Ulster BOCES Board of Education member Len Cane. Cane, who has been an UCSBA member since 1976, will begin his second term on July 1. Kingston City Schools Consolidated Board member Maureen Bowers was also elected to another term as recording secretary, and Saugerties Board member Terry Parisian was elected to his first term as vice president. Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Martin Ruglis will continue to serve as executive secretary and treasurer.

With more than 25 years of school board service, Cane’s record speaks for itself. He has represented Kingston City Schools Consolidated as a member of the Ulster BOCES Board of Education for the past 22 years, serving five years as president from 1996-2001 and three years as vice president from 1993-1996. Before joining the Ulster BOCES Board, he served as a member of the Kingston City Schools Board from 1976-1981, holding the position of president for one year and vice president for two years. In October 2002, Cane’s outstanding school board service was recognized by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) when he was presented with the Statewide Distinguished Service Award. This honor is presented each year to the one current or former school board member among the 7,500 in the State who has done the most for public education and the children of his or her community.

Of his leadership plans for UCSBA, Cane says he will continue to carefully monitor legislation--particularly those promulgated in Albany--to ensure that local school districts are protected and are afforded the best possible education.

Cane also plans to continue to build upon the progress the UCSBA has made over the past year. “Closer working relationships were established amoung the county’s school districts, relevant programs featuring expert guest speakers were presented, and ongoing open forums with valuable exchanges of ideas highlighted the Association’s work for the 2004-2005 school year. It will be a priority of the UCSBA to continue to build upon this work.”

The guest speaker for the evening was District Attorney Donald Williams. Williams spoke about the various collaborations between the legal/law enforcement community and schools to address needs of today’s youth. He shared information about the many ongoing programs dealing with drug, alcohol, and violence issues that are being jointly executed and the strong collaboration that currently exists between his office and schools for the benefit of Ulster County youth.

Over 90 members strong, UCSBA meets bi-monthly and is made up of the ten public education providers in Ulster County, including Ellenville, Highland, Kingston, New Paltz, Onteora, Rondout Valley, Saugerties, Ulster BOCES, Wallkill, and West Park. One of the Association’s primary objectives is to voice the opinions of its members on legislative and other pertinent matters. Other focuses include encouraging cooperation among member boards in the interest of better education, providing for the exchange of information about and assisting its members with school problems, and working to further the mutual objectives of UCSBA and the New York State School Boards Association.

For more information about the Ulster County School Boards Association, contact Ulster BOCES District Superintendent Martin Ruglis at 845 255 3040.