All nine seats on the Buffalo Public Schools school board in New York are up for general election on May 7, 2019. Three at-large seats and six by-district seats are on the ballot. At-large members are elected to five-year terms, and by-district members are elected to three-year terms. The filing deadline was April 9.

 

Five incumbents are seeking another term; they all hold by-district seats. All three at-large seats and the East Seat are open. Four incumbents are unopposed, and one incumbent faces a challenger. Louis Petrucci was appointed to the Park Seat in 2018 after previously serving in the district from 2007 to 2013. He faces Austin Harig, who previously ran for the seat in 2016.

 

The three open at-large seats drew eight candidates, and the East Seat drew two candidates. If Harig wins election to the Park Seat, five newcomers—a majority on the Board of Education—will be sworn in. If Petrucci wins, incumbents will retain a majority on the board.

 

During the district’s last election in 2016, the six by-district seats were on the ballot. Four incumbents sought re-election, and 1.5 candidates filed per seat compared to the 1.78 per seat in 2019. No race had more than two candidates on the ballot. Three incumbents and three newcomers were elected to the board. The 2014 election had the three at-large seats on the ballot, and two incumbents sought re-election. A total of 13 candidates, or 4.33 per seat, were on the ballot. One incumbent and two challengers were elected to the board.

 

Buffalo Public Schools served 34,293 students during the 2016-2017 school year.