‘It’s hard to put into words'

I have just been so blessed from the very first day I got on the board to be working with just a phenomenal group of people.”

—Jackie Carbone

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—Jackie Carbone is resigning from her role as a trustee on the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education.

Carbone, who served as board president for 18 years and as a trustee for two decades, announced her resignation at the Sept. 15 board meeting.

“I’ve seen changes over the last 20 years, and so this is quite difficult,” Carbone said. “I have officially given my resignation to the district clerk. Between my health problems and some current housing issues that I’m going through, I think it’s time that I move away.”

Her last board meeting will be Oct. 6; her final day in the district will be Oct. 8.

“It has been the joy of a lifetime to have done this work,” Carbone said addressing the board. “You can’t do this alone, you can’t do this unless you have people with you that are all in the same direction. And I’m so proud of the board and the district for all being in the same direction and the movement that we’ve made.”

In a phone call with Yorktown News following the Sept. 15 meeting, Carbone said the issue that led her to join the board 20 years ago was a leaky roof at Mohansic Elementary School. She recalled water filling buckets across the classroom.

“I decided to get on the board and fix it,” she said.

Carbone said she never anticipated serving for two decades, but “every time you’d be up for reelection, there was more work to do.”

“There’s something about the people in Yorktown that are special,” Carbone said.

She reflected on the district’s opening day this year, and said “the happiness and joy was palpable.”

“We celebrate each other, and we celebrate the joys and the successes of others—it’s a very unique way,” she said of the district. “There’s an enjoyment and a gratitude for each other and an appreciation of what everybody does. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you contribute, there’s an appreciation of that role.”

Carbone told Yorktown News she was guided on the board by the belief that “I am only one of seven.”

“It’s not a me," she added. "It’s a we.”

The board, she said, is now “in a place where it’s stable and it has the will – not just the ability and the knowledge, but the will – to want to continue to move this district forward. I think the district’s in a really good place.”

She said she has learned to “always be willing to hear everybody’s side and to never think that you’re right, that you have to hear all the voices before forming an opinion. It isn’t one person.”

While Carbone is leaving largely because of her health, she said a recent change in her housing situation has also shifted a lot for her. She is “just figuring it out” but is looking forward to spending time with and being closer to family.

Her journey on the school board has been profoundly impactful for the community and for her personally, making it difficult to say farewell.

“I have just been so blessed from the very first day I got on the board to be working with just a phenomenal group of people,” Carbone said. “I’m grateful that we were able, in the very beginning, to start this journey of stability, because without stability, there’s no growth.”

“You know, it's hard to put into words, 20 years,” Carbone said. “The people here are just so special.”

Earlier this year, Lisa Rolle, a trustee who joined the board in 2018, was sworn in as board president, taking over the leadership role Carbone had held for 18 years. At the time, Carbone said she chose not to continue in the leadership capacity due to health reasons.

The BOE held a special meeting Thursday, Sept. 25, to discuss the seat that will be left vacant by Carbone’s resignation, effective Oct. 8, and decided to move forward with the appointment process. Members were in agreement that the process made the most sense at this point in the school year and for the board.

The board will meet next on Oct. 6 and plans to discuss how the appointment will be handled, including dates and details. If members feel ready to announce those details that night, they will; if not, the board will likely do so at its Oct. 27 meeting.

According to board policy, vacancies may be filled by special election, by appointment within 90 days, or at the annual budget vote and trustee election. A majority vote of the full board is required for an appointment. An appointed member serves until the next annual election (May 2026), when voters elect someone to complete the remainder of the term.

Trustee Cheryl Reynolds thanked Carbone for her years of service, saying she “gave back to our community.”

Board Vice President Reshmi Bose said she worked with Carbone for nine years and learned a great deal during that time. Other board members echoed those sentiments, highlighting Carbone’s dedication and wishing her well.

For Rolle, the Sept. 15 meeting was particularly emotional, as she will not be present at Carbone’s final meeting on Oct. 6.

“You were the constant beacon that whole time,” Rolle said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without you and I can just only hope to continue on the work that you started with the foundation that you built.”

Updated Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, at 10:32 a.m. to include information from the BOE’s Sept. 25 special meeting.