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Cohoes Board reorganizes: Richard Jackson named president; Ashley Simmons sworn in as district clerk
Summary
At its July 8 reorganization meeting, the Cohoes City School District Board of Education elected Rick (Richard) Jackson as president, named a vice president amid a naming discrepancy, appointed Ashley Simmons as district clerk and Stacy Mackey as deputy clerk, and then moved into executive session to discuss personnel and legal matters.
The Cohoes City School District Board of Education completed its July 8 reorganization, electing Rick (Richard) Jackson president for the 2026–2027 school year and approving several clerk appointments before moving into executive session.
The board opened nominations and voted to elect Rick Jackson as board president for 2026–2027. The board then administered the oath for the president's office and adjourned the reorganization portion of the meeting to begin regular business.
The board moved to appoint Ashley Simmons as district clerk for the 2026–2027 school year. Ashley Simmons recited the oath for her new role, saying, "I, Ashley Simmons, do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of The United States and the constitution of the state of New York, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of district clerk for the 02/2027 senior according to the best of my ability." The board also approved Stacy Mackey as deputy district clerk and administered the oath to that appointee.
A nomination for vice president introduced the name Sarah Grumoff; the subsequent motion and roll call referenced Sarah Burwell as the person to be elected vice president. The transcript records both names during the vice-presidential process; the board proceeded with the motion as recorded on the agenda and closed nominations. (Transcript contains both the nomination of "Sarah Grumoff" and a motion naming "Sarah Burwell"; the record does not resolve the discrepancy.)
The board adopted the reorganization consent resolutions listed on the July 8 reorganization agenda and then called the regular business meeting to order. Later in the evening, the board voted to enter executive session at 7:05 p.m. to discuss personnel actions (appointment/promotion/discipline/dismissal/removal), a legal matter and a student matter; the board stated it did not plan to return to public session that evening.
Why this matters: The reorganization sets the board's leadership and official clerical appointments for the coming school year and authorizes the officers who will handle district governance, public records and formal agenda procedures. The executive-session topics the board identified—personnel, legal and a student matter—are routine grounds for private deliberation under New York law.
What to watch: The board recorded both a nomination of "Sarah Grumoff" and a motion naming "Sarah Burwell" during the vice-presidential process; anyone verifying whom the board intends to seat should consult the official minutes or district clerk's certification. The board also listed future business-meeting dates and moved on to substantive agenda items after reorganization.
