During the May 17 school budget vote, qualified residents will elect two people to the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education. Incumbents Robert Becker and Stephen Syzdek are not seeking re-election. The two candidates who receive the most votes on May 17 will be elected to serve five-year terms beginning July 1, 2022.
Residents will have the opportunity to meet the candidates during the school budget hearing and candidates forum, which starts at 7 p.m. Monday, May 9 in the Margaret Robin Blowers Auditorium at BPHS. The school budget vote and board election will take place 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 17 in the Robert C. Munn Gymnasium at BPHS. Click here for more information about voting.
The candidates are listed below in the order they will appear on the ballot.
Vincent Arcuri
Vincent Arcuri is seeking his first term on the board. He and his wife, Carrie, have three children — Josie, Ella, and Grace — all of whom attend Broadalbin-Perth schools. He has lived in the district for six years.
Arcuri holds an associates degree in civil engineering from Mohawk Valley Community College and bachelor’s degrees in industrial and mechanical engineering from SUNY IT. He currently works as a program developer for National Grid.
Arcuri is an active volunteer and supporter of Broadalbin-Perth’s girls modified basketball and track and field teams, as well as the elementary school band.
Jacob Dutcher
Jacob Dutcher is seeking his first term on the board. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children — Roman, Arianna, and Maria — all of whom attend Broadalbin-Perth schools. He has lived in the district for six years.
Dutcher attended Hudson Valley Community College and Excelsior College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing, and he earned a master’s degree in anesthesia from Albany Medical College. He currently works at St. Mary’s Hospital where he administers anesthesia as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).
Lori Harlan
Lori Harlan is seeking her first term on the board. She and her husband, Gary, have two adult children, and a 10-year-old grandson who is home-schooled. She has lived in the Broadalbin-Perth school district for the past 40 years.
After graduating from the former Perth Central School District, Harlan earned her associates degree in physical therapy from Maria College. For the past 30 years, she has worked as a physical therapy assistant at the Greater Amsterdam School District (GASD), where she works with children who have delays in their gross motor skills to help improve their skills, balance, and strength so they can be functional in the school environment.
Harlan serves on a number of GASD committees, including as president of the district’s Relay for Life team.
Emily Behnke
Emily Behnke is seeking her first term on the board. She has two children, Hazel and Lucy, who attend B-P Elementary School. She has lived in the district for nearly five years.
Behnke earned both a bachelor’s degree in English and an MBA in information technology management from the University at Albany. She is currently the director of sponsored programs for SUNY Empire State College. In that role, Behnke manages the college’s grant portfolio, and she has been in charge of the disbursement and reporting for all $28 million of SUNY Empire’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funding.
Behnke is an active volunteer with Broadalbin-Perth’s PTO, assisting with nearly every PTO event and serving as a classroom representative for both of her daughters’ classes. She and her family are also active members of the Broadalbin First Presbyterian Church.
Allison Goodspeed
Allison Goodspeed is seeking her first term on the board. She and her husband, Ryan Sinness, have two children: Christopher is currently in kindergarten at B-P Elementary School, and Julia will start pre-K in the fall. She moved back to Broadalbin last year after growing up in the community and graduating from B-P.
A recently retired veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Goodspeed earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University at Albany, an MBA from Touro University, and a master’s degree in engineering physics from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Goodspeed currently works as a senior scientist for Applied Research Associates, where she leads weapons effect test programs supporting the U.S. Department of Defense to counter and deter weapons of mass destruction and emerging threats.
Goodspeed is a member of the Broadalbin-Perth PTO and has served on the PTO’s mini-grants committee. She is also a member of the American Legion.
Samantha Gallup
Samantha Gallup is seeking her first term on the board. She and her husband, Adam, have three children — Camden, Roman, and Palmer — all of whom attend B-P Elementary School. She has lived in the school district for the past 10 years.
A graduate of Fonda-Fultonville High School, Gallup earned a bachelor’s degree in health science and a doctorate in physical therapy from Utica College of Syracuse University. Gallup is self-employed as a pediatric physical therapist. In that role, she treats patients with various diagnoses with goals of rehabilitation and gross-motor milestones to achieve optimal function and independence.
Gallup is a member of the Broadalbin-Perth PTO, and has served as a classroom volunteer. She has also volunteered as a coach with the Broadalbin Youth Commission.