Incumbent Sue Carvelli and challenger Felicia James Williams outline priorities at Rome school board forum

Incumbent Sue Carvelli and challenger Felicia James Williams presented competing priorities and similar themes — student supports, equity and increased community engagement — at a Rome NAACP–hosted school board candidate forum.

Carvelli, who has served on the board in prior terms and is currently a member, said the district’s strengths include “the breadth of our teaching staff” and a cohesive administrative team. She identified elementary overcrowding as her top priority and said planned capital work, including a sixth-grade academy, should ease transitions and reduce pressure on elementary schools. “We have school psychologists. We have counselors. We have connected community schools,” Carvelli said when describing how the district intervenes with at-risk students.

Felicia James Williams, who introduced herself as a program administrator with the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), focused on communication and outreach. Williams called for more direct engagement with students and families, warning that many residents get information from social media and miss board meetings: “These children are our future,” she said, adding that the board should invest in programs students actually want.

On diversity, equity and inclusion, Carvelli described equity as ensuring students across schools have comparable opportunities and curricula, noting that district budgeting includes equalized school-sponsored field trips and new coursework proposed by the superintendent. Williams said DEI means including diverse students and staff and urged the board to start by listening to students about what they want.

Both candidates said the board should maintain a collaborative, but accountable, relationship with district leadership. Carvelli emphasized the board’s role in hiring and annually evaluating the superintendent; Williams said effective communication and clarity about the board’s duties are important to her approach.

Audience questions ranged from confidentiality versus transparency to how schools intervene with students showing early signs of problems. Carvelli stressed legal limits on what the board may disclose about student matters and described executive sessions and privacy protections; Williams drew on OPWDD practice to explain why some details cannot be public while still prioritizing family notification and student safety.

The forum closed with one-minute statements. Carvelli said she had “enjoyed serving on the board” and cited recent district improvements; Williams reiterated her emphasis on student-centered investment.

Moderators and the host urged attendees to vote in the upcoming school board election and to participate in budget meetings; the NAACP noted the event did not endorse any candidate.