Please Note: The Meet the Candidates Forum, originally scheduled for May 14, has been canceled. The League of Women Voters does not host a forum when the race is not contested.
The candidates for the Board of Education, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are Natalya Lakhtakia, Leigh Wilton, and Ashley Fogarty. Learn more about the candidates:
- Natalya Lakhtakia was elected to the Board of Education in 2019 and is running for her third term on the school board. She is a speech-language pathologist at a public elementary school. She is married and has one child. Natalya holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Penn State and a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Utah. Her community involvement includes volunteering with Saratoga Stronger, community organizing with CDDSA, and volunteering within the Division Street PTA, in addition to supporting the district at the Board level.
- Leigh Wilton is running for her first term on the Board of Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University. Leigh currently serves as an Associate Professor at Skidmore College, where she has been actively involved in educational leadership and service. In addition to her work in higher education, she serves as the Regional Coordinator for Princeton Alumni Interviewers.
- Ashley Fogarty is running for her first term on the Board of Education. She is a 2001 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School. Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Siena College and a master’s degree in Special Education from the College of St. Joseph. She has worked as a special education teacher in Boston and New York City and most recently served as the Director of Universal Pre-Kindergarten at the Saratoga Regional YMCA. Her past community involvement includes volunteering with the Special Olympics and the I Can Bike program.