Lyndonville picks Patrick Whipple as new Board of Education president

Board was deadlocked in July on electing a president, VP

Photos by Tom Rivers: Patrick Whipple led the Board of Education meeting last week in Lyndonville after he was elected to be the group’s president in a 4-3 vote.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Board of Education picked a president and vice president to lead the group for the 2025-26 school year.

The election happened about a month later than usual after the board was tied in 3-3 votes on July 15.

Last week the board had all seven members in attendance and Patrick Whipple was elected the president and George Avery is the vice president. They each received four votes.

Whipple will succeed Jerod Thurber as president. Thurber didn’t seek to continue as the board leader due to increased commitments in his professional life. Avery succeeds Megan Bruning as VP.

On July 15, the president’s position was between Whipple and board newcomer, Joanne Suhr. They each received three votes.

On Aug. 19, it was Whipple and Megan Bruning vying for the top spot. Whipple received votes from himself, Thurber, Vern Fonda and George Avery, while Bruning was backed by herself, James Houseman and Suhr.

Whipple thanked the board for backing him. He also welcomed the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Heather Lyon, and said he supports her push for data-driven analysis. The new superintendent said she will do a deep dive each month on statistics measuring student performance. Last week she went over Lyndonville’s most recent grades 3-8 state testing results.

Whipple works as the director of professional learning services for the Genesee Valley BOCES. Two of his children are Lyndonville graduates.

For vice president, Whipple’s supporters all backed Avery. Joanne Suhr was backed for vice president with three votes – from herself, Bruning and Houseman.

Suhr is a retired teacher from Lyndonville. Her husband Harold served on the board for 21 years. His term ended on June 30.

Bruning said Mrs. Suhr would bring a new balance to the board’s leadership with perspective as a long-time teacher at Lyndonville.

Mrs. Suhr said the board leadership needs to consider the opinions of all board members and strive to be transparent in its decision-making for the full board.

Avery said he is honored to serve as vice president.

“I will try to ensure the best team possible and that we’re doing the right things for the district,” he said.

Vern Fonda takes the oath of office as a member of the Board of Education. The oath was administered by Megan Bruning, a member of the board.