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Dharam Hitlall
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Dharam Hitlall is an at-large representative on the Schenectady City School District school board in New York. First elected in 2014, Hitlall won a new term in the at-large general election on May 16, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view his responses.
Elections
2017
Three of the seven seats on the Schenectady City School District school board in New York were up for at-large general election on May 16, 2017. Board members Dharam Hitlall and Tanya Hull filed for re-election and faced four challengers: Kanema Haynes, Janelle Hooks, Bernice Rivera, and Katherine Stephens. Incumbent Hitlall and challengers Rivera and Stephens won the election.[1][2]
Results
| Schenectady City School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Bernice Rivera |
27.59% | 866 |
| Katherine Stephens |
22.14% | 695 |
| Dharam Hitlall Incumbent |
19.82% | 622 |
| Tanya Hull Incumbent | 14.62% | 459 |
| Kanema Haynes | 8.70% | 273 |
| Janelle Hooks | 7.14% | 224 |
| Total Votes | 3,139 | |
| Source: Schenectady City School District, "Board of Education Meeting, Wednesday May 17, 2017," accessed September 6, 2017 | ||
Funding
All school board candidates in New York who raise or spend more than $50 are required to file campaign finance reports. If candidates raise or spend less than $1,000 they are required to file with their city or county's board of elections. If they raise or spend over $1,000 they must file with the New York State Board of Elections. Candidates who raise or spend less than $50 (including their own personal funds) do not have to file any reports. If this occurs, candidates are required to file an exemption statement with the appropriate board of elections.[3]
2014
Hitlall, incumbent Cheryl Nechamen, and challenger Tanya Hull ran unopposed and won the three at-large seats in the general election on May 20, 2014.
Incumbent Ron Lindsay did not file for re-election, and no other candidates filed for the third seat vacated by former board member Ed Kosiur in February 2014. Since write-in candidate Hitlall received the most votes, she won the third seat. If no write-in candidates had received votes, the school board would have decided whether to leave the seat vacant, appoint a new member, or hold a special election.[4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Cheryl Nechamen Incumbent |
47.7% | 981 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tanya Hull |
45.4% | 934 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dharam Hitlall (Write-in) |
6.9% | 142 | |
| Total Votes | 2,057 | |||
| Source: Schenectady City School District, "Home," accessed May 20, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Hitlall did not file a campaign finance report with the New York State Board of Elections during the election.[5][6]
Endorsements
Hitlall did not receive any endorsements during the election.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Dharam Hitlall participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 14, 2017:
| “ | Schenectady is a very diverse city and that is reflected in our schools; I take great pride in being able to represent the various demographics for the past three years. I ultimately would like to see higher graduation rates and full Kindergarten in the school district.. I will continue to fight for more funding for our schools.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in New York. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Blank | |
| “ | NA[9] | ” |
| —DHARAM HITLALL (May 14, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| NA |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement |
See also
- Schenectady City School District, New York
- Schenectady City School District elections (2017)
- Schenectady City School District elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Schenectady City School District, "THANK YOU! BUDGET PROPOSAL AND CAPITAL PROJECT REFERENDUM ARE APPROVED BY VOTERS!" accessed May 17, 2017These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Martha Morris, Board clerk," April 29, 2017
- ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed May 8, 2017
- ↑ Schenectady City School District, "2014 School Board Election," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Contribution Search," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Expenditure Search," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Dharam Hitlall's responses," May 14, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Schenectady City School District elections in 2017 | |
| Schenectady County, New York | |
| Election date: | May 16, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Dharam Hitlall • Incumbent, Tanya Hull • Kanema Haynes • Janelle Hooks • Bernice Rivera • Katherine Stephens |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
