Burke will not seek re-election to Katonah-Lewisboro Board of Ed

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - Rory Burke, a key member of the Katonah-Lewisboro school board through multiple challenges over the past six years, will not seek re-election in May.

The South Salem resident announced his decision at the board's March 27 meeting. Encouraging residents to seek one of the three seats on this year’s ballot, Burke called his two terms of service “one of the most rewarding pursuits in my life.” 

When voters go to the polls on May 20, at least one of the trustee seats—Burke’s—will be vacant. Board President Julia Hadlock, completing nine years’ service, has not responded to a query about her intentions; Trustee Jon Poffenberger, elected last May to fill the final year of William Rifkin’s twice-extended tour of duty, has said he will seek a full three-year term this May. 

Burke has played an active role on the seven-member board, KLSD’s elected, policy-making body. Outspoken and detail-oriented, he brought business-world experience to the trustees’ table. A director of the investment-management firm Citisoft in his professional life, he chaired KLSD’s finance committee for two of his four years on it. He was also a member of the sustainability committee for five years, including two as its chair, served three years on the facilities committee and one year on the audit committee.

Since taking his seat in 2019, Burke has been part of a board responding to contentious issues. Almost immediately, it was the change of the John Jay sports teams’ nickname to “Wolves” and then the district’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the Covid crisis subsided, unhappy parents emerged on two fronts, pressing vocally for changes in the district’s handling of special needs students and the way it teaches reading. And in what would be his final year on the board, Burke was part of the search that brought Dr. Ray Blanch to KLSD as superintendent.

In his valedictory, Burke called his service “a real privilege. . . . I really enjoyed it. But I am delighted to be leaving [the district] in the capable hands of Ray, the administration, all the teachers and staff and my fellow trustees.”

He urged others to seek to succeed him in what Burke described as “one of the most important civic duties I’ve performed.”

Candidate packets for community members interested in running are available from Kimberly Monzon, the district clerk, at her Cross River office. Email kmonzon@klschools.org or call 914-763-7020 to schedule an appointment to obtain a packet. 

Some residents have picked up packets, Monzon said, but none have been returned. To appear on the May 20 ballot, candidates have until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 21, to file with the clerk a petition signed by at least 33 KLSD residents.