Alongside casting their vote for president and congressional representatives, residents living within the Pioneer Valley Regional School District also will vote for representatives to the district’s School Committee on Election Day.

While there are six positions open on the ballot between the three towns, only three candidates have come forward — and one of them, while running, is still a write-in candidate. The district holds its election during the biennial state election every even numbered year, as laid out in the 1991 District Agreement, which was amended in 1999.

Up for grabs are a four-year term from Bernardston, two four-year terms and a two-year term from Leyden and a four-year and two-year term in Northfield. 

In all, write-in candidates will likely be elected for Bernardston’s position, one of Leyden’s four-year terms and its two-year term, as well as Northfield’s two-year term. The only write-in candidate to step forward is Leyden resident Stephanie Arroyo, who is running a write-in campaign for Leyden’s four-year term.

“I’ve recently moved to Leyden and my daughter attends Bernardston Elementary,” Arroyo said in a statement. “I hope to represent Leyden on the School Committee. Please consider writing my name in as a candidate.”

Two incumbents, though, will be running for re-election, as Leyden Town Coordinator Michele Giarusso and Northfield resident Dr. Stephen Martin are running to retain their four-year seats.

Giarusso, who has been on the committee since 2020, said she is running for re-election with the goal of finishing off the work that motivated her to join the committee in the first place: finishing a new District Agreement. The agreement was last amended a quarter of a century ago and was the focus of the HEART Committee (Honest Education and Retaining Trust) from 2017 to 2019, which Giarusso also served on.

“I care about the quality of education our children are receiving,” Giarusso said. “I want to continue to work with the students, as I have been on the Student Advisory Committee and make sure students and parents feel they are experiencing and receiving a great education in a welcoming, stable environment.”

Giarusso also has served the district through a tumultuous period, as Pioneer faced financial woes and several administrative changes over the years. At this point, she said the key to sustaining the progress the district has seen is continued collaboration between committee members and the towns of Bernardston, Leyden and Northfield.

“Collaboration has not always been the case in the past, especially when it came to school closures. We do not all have to agree on everything, but having respect for each other's opinion is so important,” Giarusso said. “I think this is the only way our small rural towns can support what needs to be done in looking at the future. There may be a lot of difficult decisions to be made and the only way to do this is to be collaborative.”

Martin is running for re-election with a motivation to support public education and bring the community together. He said this inspiration comes from when his three kids made their way through the district and it has continued with his experience working with his colleagues on the School Committee.

“During our meetings we get to see students of all ages enjoying their learning and sharing their creations. I especially love the larger community coming together to view the solar eclipse, work on the beautiful high school grounds, cheer for teams, and attend music events,” Martin said. “These are all wonderful reminders of why public education is so important. I would be grateful to be part of Pioneer's continued momentum and its deserved ‘small, but mighty’ reputation.”

If re-elected, Martin said he hopes to continue work on the financial rebound the district is currently experiencing, while also ensuring students get the full Pioneer Panther experience his children got.

“I hope to serve by focusing on the district's priorities,” Martin said. “These include continuing to demonstrate our appreciation for Pioneer teachers and staff, supporting each student's experience and sense of belonging in our schools, and helping the administration's ongoing success with district finances and their fostering of the impressive education and community that is Pioneer.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.