Paul Abbott, an incumbent, is seeking his fifth 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 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 a 2017 JHS graduate.

Shelly Leathers, an incumbent, is seeking her third 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.

Christine Schnars, an incumbent, has been on the Board of Education for more than 25 years. She started her involvement in education in PTA. She is a past president of the Fletcher PTA and served on the NYSPTA Board of Governors.

Shelly Leathers

She is currently a member of the Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Board. She also serves as the Area 3 Director for the New York School Boards Association (NYSSBA) and is a member of the NYSSBA executive committee.

Mrs. Schnars, her husband Jim and their four children are all JHS alumni. She currently has eight grandchildren: one who is a graduate of JHS, three who are currently enrolled in the district, and one who will be entering pre-kindergarten when school reopens.