The Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) will hold its Information Meeting at 7PM on Tuesday, October 28, in room 110 at Seely Place School. Edgemont residents are welcome to attend. At the meeting, the history and procedures of the SBNC will be reviewed, and residents will have an opportunity to express their views on desirable qualities for school board members and the areas and concerns a potential school board member should be able to address. Community members are encouraged to attend and share their perspectives with the committee.
For more information on the SBNC, including its membership for the 2025-2026 cycle, please visit www.edgemontecc.org/sbnc. To learn more about the background of the SBNC and the work it does, please see the below remarks, which I presented at the October 21, 2025 Edgemont School Board meeting.
Sharyn Lewis
SBNC Chair, 2025-2026
Sharyn Lewis, SBNC Chair
Remarks at the BoE meeting on Oct 21, 2025My name is Sharyn Lewis, and I have the privilege of serving as Chair of the Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee for the 2025-2026 cycle. I’m here tonight to provide the community with some background on our committee and the work it does.
The School Board Nominating Committee is sponsored by the Edgemont Community Council, which underwrites our expenses, facilitates the nomination process for our members, manages any necessary elections for SBNC membership, and is charged with interpreting and enforcing our Rules and Procedures. The ECC’s website (edgemontecc.org) hosts an SBNC section that contains the names and respective neighborhoods of each committee member, the minutes of all public SBNC meetings, the SBNC Rules and Regulations, a history of the SBNC, and lots of other important information.
I’m proud to share that this year’s SBNC is fully staffed and comprises three members from each of Edgemont’s eight neighborhoods, plus an EHS representative. This twenty-five person committee will attend school board meetings, review materials about nominees, conduct interviews with all nominees, receive feedback from Edgemont residents, and meet multiple times throughout the year to identify, evaluate, and ultimately recommend the most qualified candidates for Edgemont’s school board. No SBNC member may serve more than two consecutive years, ensuring regular turnover and fresh perspectives. The committee’s work is inclusive, deliberative, thoughtful, and rooted in civic responsibility.
This year, we will recommend two candidates, as Ms. Jennifer DeMarrais is completing her second term of service on the school board, and Ms. Heather Stern is completing her first term. Even incumbents must go through the SBNC process in order to be recommended for a subsequent term.
The Committee’s work began last week, with our Organizational Meeting, which was open to the public. I encourage community members who weren’t able to attend to read the minutes of our October 14 meeting, which are posted on the ECC website.
Our second meeting is also public, and all interested community members are welcome. This Information Meeting will be held on October 28 at 7pm at Seely Place School in room 110. At this meeting, we’ll briefly review the history and procedure of the SBNC, and then the committee wants to hear from you, the Edgemont community. The main purpose of this meeting is to listen to any Edgemont residents who would like to express their views on desirable qualities for School Board members and the areas and concerns a potential School Board member should be able to address. This meeting is your chance to tell the SBNC what you think is important to look for in school board members. And it’s the SBNC’s chance to hear from residents on this topic. Please join us at this important opportunity for sharing. Again, the meeting will be held on October 28, at 7pm at Seely Place School in room 110.
No process is perfect, but the SBNC was built by and for this community over ninety years ago to promote participation and reduce the acrimony and polarization that can come from elections that are focused on single issues, personal attacks, or false promises. I’m proud to have served on the SBNC in the past, and I’m especially proud to be guiding this year’s SBNC members through this year’s process as chair. If you have any questions or thoughts, or would like to serve on the SBNC in the future, please email me at SBNC@EdgemontECC.org.
Thank you.