Who is running for school board this year?

Ten candidates will run for five open seats on the Riverhead and Shoreham-Wading River school boards this May.

Riverhead Central School District

The seats of incumbent school board trustees Laurie Downs and Elizabeth Silva are up for grabs.

Both incumbents will seek re-election with challenges from newcomers Jerome J. Bost and Matthew Wallace.

Mr. Wallace, 48, of Calverton is a firefighter in Wading River, where he has served as a commissioner.

Mr. Bost, 35, who created a Facebook page for his campaign, sits on the Suffolk County Community College Board of Trustees as the student trustee. He was elected to that post by the student body and his term ends June 30, 2019.

Ms. Downs has served on the school board since 2016. Ms. Silva was elected to a one-year term in 2018.

Shoreham-Wading River  

After board trustee Erin Hunt resigned from her position in March, a total of three seats are open in the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District.

The full terms of board members Michael Lewis and Kimberly Roff will end this year. Ms. Roff did not seek re-election.

Mr. Lewis will face five challengers: former member William McGrath, Edward Grandshaw, Jennifer Kitchen, Meghan Tepfenhardt and Thomas Sheridan.

Only two of the three available seats are for a full three-year term. The third highest vote getter would serve the final year of Ms. Hunt’s term.

Ms. Hunt, who joined the board two years ago, cited recent changes in her professional life as the reason for her resignation. In a statement she made in March, she said she plans to “continue to advocate for what is in the best interest of our students from the other side of the podium.”

This year’s school board elections and budget votes are scheduled for May 21.