Who’s running for the board?
On May 15, a Meet-the-Candidates Night was held in the high school’s library. Each candidate gave a speech about themselves before participating in an informal meet-and-greet gathering within the high school library. Audience members were able to personally meet each candidate and ask them questions for a one-one-conversation. Below is a recording of the candidates’ speeches.
Residents will be asked to elect two candidates to serve three-years terms on the board. Candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot
Lisa Morse a 21-year resident of the district is seeking a third term on the board. She has served as board president and on numerous board
committees. She also volunteers on the BH-BL Field Hockey Booster Club as its treasurer and immediate past president, and on the Softball Booster Club as the secretary. Lisa lives in Glenville with her husband and daughter, who will be the last of their five children to graduate from BH-BL (in 2025). She is employed as a licensed insurance producer, with prior work experience in the Ballston Spa Central School District, Capital District YMCA and Greater Glenville YMCA. Her education includes associate and paralegal degrees from SUNY Herkimer. *See Lisa’s position statement below.
“I am running again for the privilege of continuing to support this wonderful school district and the path it is on to become even better. I believe to accomplish this we need to keep alignment with our district’s mission statement and our student-centered, decision-making process. This is additionally important at a time when we may soon need to replace up to five senior administrators. If and when this happens, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the process of identifying future leaders who possess the qualities we value and need – all while keeping true to our tradition of creating an educational environment that supports opportunities for learning, personal growth and social responsibility.
During my tenure, I have served as the board president, Finance Committee Chairperson, Audit Committee member, Education Foundation representative as well as a member of the 2013, 2018 and the 2023 Capital Project Committees. In this time frame, the board has also successfully worked to construct the STEAM addition at the high school, dedicate Centennial Field, build our Transportation Building, and fully renovate the Arthur Mengel Auditorium. I will bring this relevant experience and institutional knowledge to this next term and continue to be a strong voice for the residents of the district.
I will continue to support our teachers and administrators in their quest to effectively educate our children, and work to identify new learning and professional development opportunities for students and staff.
I will also continue to be a responsible steward of district finances, celebrate the numerous successes of our students and staff, and continue the search for new and better ways to connect our entire community to the district and our schools.
I am extremely grateful and honored to have been chosen to represent our community on the BH-BL School Board for the last two terms and respectfully ask for your support to serve the district and its stakeholders for a third.”
Kevin J. Bearce is seeking his first term on the board. He and his wife, Lindy, have lived in Charlton for 13 years and have three children who attend the high school. Kevin works for Fluor Marine Propulsion at Knolls Atomic Power Lab as a Construction Subcontractor Technical Representative. He is also a local 
business owner of the Spartan Machine Shop. Kevin earned a mechanical engineering degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and also served with the U.S. Army Reserves Combat Engineers. He was a member of BH-BL’s 2013 Capital Project Committee and shares his mechanical engineering expertise in a variety of ways, such as mentoring the high school Robotics Team and introducing middle school students to the field of underwater robotics. *See Kevin’s position statement below.
“It would be an honor to receive your vote for a position on the BH-BL Board of Education, and represent the community.
Thirteen years ago, my wife and I put our oldest child on the school bus to Charlton Heights Elementary for his first day of kindergarten. This June, he will graduate and head to the University at Buffalo to study Aerospace Engineering. His BH-BL education has given him a solid foundation and I’m confident he will do well in college and beyond. My other children, currently a freshman and junior at the high school, also thrive academically and I know their accomplishments didn’t happen in a vacuum. This district and community are truly top notch, and it shows in the student body which is why I want to ensure continued excellence in the programs and opportunities afforded to all students.
Throughout the years, I have been able to give back to the community by mentoring the high school’s robotics team by lending them technical help during robot builds. I served on the district’s hiring committee as a parent representative selecting the administrator to oversee the high school STEAM addition and programs. I have also volunteered for the Fluor Marine Propulsion Sea Perch program helping middle school students build and navigate underwater robots.
My greatest strength as a potential board member is to lend technical knowledge to future district modernization and infrastructure improvements with almost three decades of construction project management and field experience under my belt. For the past 13 years, I have overseen projects involving new buildings, utility services, and infrastructure renovations at KAPL in support of the U.S. Navy, while employed by Fluor Marine Propulsion. Before working for Fluor, I was a project manager overseeing the bidding and installation of large energy efficiency retrofit projects for school districts, Universities, and DOE while employed by Siemens Building Technologies or Johnson Controls.
I’m also the owner of a local small business called Spartan Machine Shop LLC. I have built up a customer base helping other local businesses with repairs and custom fabrication projects. I pay close attention to the quality of my work, timely delivery, and cost when taking on work.
I feel my experience managing complex construction projects, along with hands on business and technical skills running a local machine shop, provides a unique perspective to evaluate topics brought before the school board and find collaborative solutions.
In closing, I am proud to be part of the BH-BL community and hope to gain your support in allowing me to serve the district and community as a school board member.”
James Robertson is seeking his first term on the Board of Education. He and his wife Leigh Ann have been district residents for 13 years. They have two children who attend Stevens and Charlton Heights Elementary Schools. James attended Kansas State University and is a mechanical engineer for Knolls
Atomic Power Laboratory. James has been involved in a variety of district and community organizations over the years, including being a FIRST Lego League coach, a Girls Wrestling Booster Club member, and a 2023 Capital Project Committee member. For the past 20 years he has been a blood donor with the American Red Cross and a volunteer SCUBA diver for local Sea Perch competitions. *See James’ position statement below.
“My career started 20+ years ago as an engineer with Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. I moved to Burnt Hills 13 years ago after hearing BH-BL was a great school district. Little did I know how important this school district would be when we started our family. BH-BL has been amazing for the growth of our kids and it would be a pleasure to give back to the community by serving on the Board of Education.
Last year, I was fortunate to participate on the 2023 Capital Improvement Committee as a parent representative from Charlton Heights. It was an incredible experience being able to see the spaces our students spend their day in, meet the teachers and administrators that give their best to our kids every day, and getting to know other members of the community. This great school district is a reflection of the great community we live in. Our district has challenges, a big one is that we are simply out of space. The demands on our district to provide services to our students have grown over time, however, the size of our teaching space has not. Kudos to our teachers and administrators for making the best out of the situation but, our kids should have the right space to make sure they are getting the best education possible. I’m proud of the work the Capital Improvement Committee did and the recommendation made to the Board of Education. This is an example of being able to face and solve the district’s challenges when we work together.
BH-BL has a great legacy of listening to the community and providing an education that we can be proud of. I am also proud of how inclusive our district is. This has been demonstrated in the support of our new girls wrestling program and also by the team of therapists and counselors dedicated to each student in the district. Continuing this legacy is only possible by putting in the work and I would be honored to have the opportunity to do my part.
If elected, I will work with the administration and faculty to create a long-range vision for our buildings that support the growing size of our student population, ensuring BH-BL continues to provide the best education for our kids. I will also listen to the community, administration, and faculty, striking the right balance of all those involved to resolve new challenges. I respectfully ask for your vote and I thank you for your time.”
* The statements to the right of each candidate’s bio were written by the candidates. The opinions contained within are theirs and may not reflect the opinions or views of BH-BL School District leaders or the Board of Education.