2026-2027 District Budget

I’m Jessica Stephens and I’m running for the Sweet Home Board of Education. I believe that music and art are important pieces of our children’s education, and that those programs should never be cut. I also believe that our teachers should be heard. I would like better transparency and a healthy working relationship between administration, staff, and parents in order to give our children the tools they need to succeed.

I was educated in public school, and attended the University at Buffalo for Environmental Geography/Chemistry. I worked as a technical writer/environmental scientist before starting a family with my husband. Together we have two children in the Sweet Home School District, including a daughter in Middle School, and a daughter in High School.

I have been volunteering for our district in various ways since my youngest was in preschool. I have served in various board positions in the district’s PTO/PTSAs. During those terms I’ve helped to run many school events. I brought Science Night and Multicultural Night to Willow Ridge Elementary. In 2021, I was awarded the Leon C. (Sid) Oberacker Award, presented annually for “Outstanding Voluntary Service to School and Community,” and was a finalist for the WNY InfoTech Good Neighbor Award. I served on a sub-committee for the district’s 2020-2021 Re-Opening Plan, and on the June 2021 Re-Opening Committee as a parent representative. I served on the Willow Ridge Building Leadership Team (BLT), as well as the Remote Academy BLT (during remote learning). I also served as a board member on the Sweet Home Education Foundation (SHEF).

In 2021 I officially started my own business, giving part time work to community members, and  offering donations for every local non-profit that reaches out.

I believe we should strive to learn better, do better, and be better.

My name is Peter Bellanti, and it is with much enthusiasm that I have declared my interest in running for a second term on the Sweet Home  Board of Education. I have lived in the Sweet Home School District for most of my life. I grew up in the Maplemere neighborhood and when my wife, Erin, and I decided to start our family, we settled in the Sweet Home District. We are the proud parents of two extraordinary children, Frankie (2025 graduate) and Paige (9th grade). As a resident of the district, a former student, a current parent, and a high school special education teacher at Erie 1 BOCES, I am confident that I can provide the background and educational experience to be a contributing and effective decision maker on behalf of our residents and students at Sweet Home.

I have worked as a special education teacher for 21 years. During that time, I have served on many committees including a search committee for interviewing and hiring members of the District Administration, working with local lawmakers to establish funding and policies for districts, developing and implementing training courses for teachers as Director of the WNY Teacher Center, and establishing both district and building budgets and policies.

Outside of my educational career I have previously served as a youth hockey coach with Amherst Youth Hockey and a youth baseball coach with Mel Ott Little League. I have also previously served as a Board Member acting as Board Secretary and Director of Travel Baseball for Mel Ott Little League.

I am confident that I can continue to work together with the other members of the Board of Education to create and maintain a positive and lasting impact on the students and the district. I am fully committed to helping our students reach their full potential educationally, emotionally, and physically.