Three Candidates Vie For Briarcliff School Board

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. – Three Briarcliff Manor residents with very different backgrounds are hoping to fill the seat left open after Briarcliff Board of Education Vice President Rosella Ranno announced her resignation June 30.

Jonathan Satran, Wei Zhao and John Zade interviewed for the position Wednesday night at Briarcliff Middle School during the school board’s special meeting. The board is set to appoint one candidate during another special meeting at 9 a.m. Friday in the district’s conference room. 

Satran has a financial background and volunteered on the district’s ad hoc facilities committee last year. Zhao has a background in computer science and business management. Zade is a graduate of Briarcliff High School who recently graduated from SUNY-Binghamton and is attending New York Medical College as a first-year medical student.

Satran is hoping to help improve the district’s safety, deal with declining enrollment and provide financial expertise to the budget.

“I’m volunteering to join the board to make sure the school district remains the strong educational foundation it has been since we moved here,” Satran said. He said he has attended board meetings for more than three years and chaired the finance subcommittee that proposed the recently approved $10 million school bond. “The last 10 years I’ve spent working as a financial analyst so I’m confident I bring a strong financial background.”

Zhao wants to use her management skills from working with groups on Wall Street and around the state.

“I really want to pour more of my time and services to help develop the school district a little better,” Zhao said, adding that she holds a doctorate in computer science, works in IBM Research and owns her own software company. “I really want to see what would be the best balance for the kids to learn more about scientifically hard curriculum and software skills.”

Zade said his role as a student could add a new perspective to the school board.

“I think a lot of what I learned at Briarcliff helped me aspire to my educational goals,” he said. “I think that I could provide the perspective of the current student and the resources that a current student needs to prosper.”

Anyone interested in providing input on any of the candidates is asked to email school board members before 9 a.m. Friday. A list of email addresses is available on the Board of Education’s webpage. 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Briarcliff and receive free news updates.