Paul Abbott, an incumbent, is seeking his fourth term, having started on the board in July 2008. Mr. Abbott is currently serving as the Board of Education President. Mr. Abbott is a Jamestown High School alumnus and graduated from Jamestown Community College, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Academy and the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. He recently retired as the Investigative Commander of the Jamestown Police Department and is currently employed by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department. Mr. Abbott and his wife, Jennifer, have two daughters: Kelsey, a 2013 graduate of JHS and Hannah who is a senior at JHS.

Fannell Leeper is seeking her first full term on the Board of Education. Ms. Leeper and her three daughters are JHS alumni. She currently has two grandchildren attending Washington Middle School. Ms. Leeper is retired from The Resource Center and worked as a children’s counselor at the Randolph Children’s Home and Gustavus Adolphus (G.A.) Family Services. She also worked for two years at the Chautauqua County Jail. Ms. Leeper attended Empire State College for Human Services. She is an ordained minister at the Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Frank Galeazzo is seeking his first full term on the Board of Education. Mr. Galeazzo and his wife, Elizabeth, have been City of Jamestown residents for almost 13 years and have two children: Bradley, a 7th grader at Washington Middle School, and Ashlyn, a 4th grader at Ring Elementary School. Mr. Galeazzo is a graduate of SUNY Alfred State and is currently the Information Services Manager at the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. He is also a member of the Jamestown City Council PTSA, Ring School PTA and the Southwestern Region PTA Board.

Rachelle “Shelly” Leathers, an incumbent, is seeking her second full term on the Board of Education. Mrs. Leathers, her husband, David, and their two children, Eric and Alyssa, are all JHS graduates. Mrs. Leathers is a graduate of Jamestown Community College and the University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Accounting. She earned her Master’s in Education from the State University of New York, at Buffalo. Mrs. Leathers is currently an accountant for Assured SKCG, Inc. LJ Stein Division in Lakewood.

Fannell Leeper

Christine Schnars started her involvement in education in PTA. She is a past president of the Fletcher PTA and served on the NYSPTA Board of Governors. Mrs. Schnars was a member of the Jamestown BOE for 25 years. She is currently a member of the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Board and serves as the Area 3 Director for the NYS School Boards Association. Mrs. Schnars, her husband Jim and their four children are all JHS alumni. She currently has three grandchildren in the Jamestown schools.

For more information on the JPS Board of Education elections or the 2017-18 Proposed Budget please visit www.jamestownpublicschools.org or call the District Clerk at 483-4420.

Frank Galeazzo

Shelly Leathers

Christine Schnars