When Fayetteville-Manlius School District residents vote on May 19 on the proposed 2026-27 school budget, they will also elect three individuals to the F-M Board of Education.
Two candidates filed nominating petitions for the three available seats. Candidates’ names are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot.
- Robert J. Spencer
- Kristen Purcell
Since only two candidates submitted petitions by the 5 p.m. April 20 deadline, the individual with the most write-in votes will be elected for the third open board seat.
Each term is for three years and will begin on July 1, 2026.
The board is the official policy-making body of the school district. It is responsible for carrying out the laws and regulations pertaining to the education of the community’s children. It adopts school district policy, curriculum and programs of study, approves the hiring of all personnel and establishes the conditions of employment.
The board also has the responsibility of maintaining facilities, establishing an annual budget and setting a tax levy. The school board adopts a proposed operating budget each year at a public meeting, and eligible residents then have the opportunity to vote upon the proposal.
The F-M Board of Education is made up of nine school district residents who are elected by voters in an annual election. Terms are staggered so that three members are elected each year. Board members are not compensated for their work.
Photos and candidate profiles based on information submitted by the candidates to the district are below.
Robert J. Spencer
Robert J. Spencer, of Manlius, is seeking his first term on the Fayetteville-Manlius School District Board of Education. He is an 11-year district resident, and he and his wife Ana have two children in the district.
A Hammondsport Central School District graduate, Spencer received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in both History and European Studies from Hobart and William Colleges and a Juris Doctor Degree from Boston College Law School.
Spencer is a Supervising Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. He oversees six judges, and his office is responsible for 22 counties
throughout Upstate New York, handling upwards to 1,000 cases a year focusing on child welfare cases, primarily alleged neglect and abuse.
He comes from a family of educators. His wife has been a Spanish teacher for 22 years, with 19 at F-M, and both of his parents had careers in education, as does his sister. He has been a volunteer soccer coach at the recreational and club level for the past 10 years, serving as a Fayetteville-Manlius Soccer Club coach and a coach with the Invictus Soccer Club at the high school level.
Kristen Purcell
Kristen Purcell, of Fayetteville, is seeking her second term on the Fayetteville-Manlius School District Board of Education. She is an 11-year district resident, and she and her husband Eric Boye have one child in the district.
A Jamesville-DeWitt High School graduate, Purcell received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, a Master of Science Degree in Elementary Education and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Building and District Administration from Syracuse University.
Purcell is the director of the Central New York/Oswego County Teacher Center, which supports 25 school districts by providing educational resources and designing and delivering professional learning opportunities to strengthen instructional practices and elevate student learning experiences.
She serves on the board of directors for the New York State Alliance for Learning & Leading, is a leader for the Central New York affiliate of the New York State Association for Women in Administration and is involved with the F-M Backstage Backers, F-M All Sports Booster Club and volunteers with the F-M High School Home and School Association. She is also the chair of the Board of Education’s Community Relations Committee and is a member of the district’s Mental Health Task Force.