Hoben resigns from Board of Education

SHRUB OAK, N.Y.—Bryan Hoben has resigned from his position as trustee of the Lakeland Central School District.

Hoben shared the following message addressed to the district's Board of Education, including the president, vice president and other members.

In a message to the district, he wrote:

“This is to inform you that, effective immediately, I resign my position as trustee of the Lakeland Central School District. I am grateful for the time I have had to contribute to the board’s work, and it has been an honor to serve our community in this role.”

Reached by Yorktown News, Hoben declined to say why he was quitting. He referred us to his message to the district and emphasized that, on the advice of counsel, he would not be making a more detailed statement at this time.

Hoben is a Cortlandt Manor resident and a Peekskill-based attorney. When running for the board in 2023, he told Yorktown News he “witnessed the transformative power of public education in the lives of my two visually impaired children, adopted from China six years ago and now thriving. I understand the value of the services our district provides. However, I recognize the system can be challenging to navigate, creating an unnecessary barrier to many remarkable services.”

He said then that if elected, he would work to “preserve the existing quality of services but seek ways to make the process easier for families.”

Hoben was elected in 2023 to a three-year term that was scheduled to expire in May 2026. As of press time, the district had not returned requests for comment. It was not immediately clear whether a special election will be held to fill the vacant seat, whether the board will appoint someone, or whether the seat will remain vacant until May 2026.

Lakeland Residents in Support of Education, the political advocacy group known on social media as Lakeland Rise, is backing a petition on Change.org, calling on the district to hold a special election.

The petition said, “A school board is meant to be a direct representation of the public’s will. By filling this seat through appointment, the Board would deny the community its democratic right to choose a leader who aligns with its values and priorities. Furthermore, leaving the seat open for months compromises the Board’s ability to effectively govern and make decisions that impact our children's education.”

Those leading the petition explicitly stated in the issues section of the website that the school district must both hold and fund the special election, adding, “There is vast public interest in this issue and a powerful desire for transparency and accountability. We need a special election to be held immediately. A special election will ensure that the person who fills this critical role is chosen by a broad consensus of the people they will serve, not by a select few. It is the only truly democratic and fair way to proceed.”

Reach Miranda Ferrante at ferrante@halstonmedia.com.