William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman former Hudson school district administrator Steven Spicer has been elected president of the Kingston School Board. Spicer was chosen over serving president James Shuaghnessy on July 6, in a 7 to 2 vote. Shaughnessy has been a member of the board since 2006 and had served five non-consecutive years as president. Spicer served as the board's vice president for the past two years. He was unsuccessful in his bid for president last year. Spicer was first appointed to fill a board vacancy in February 2019, and three months later, he won a full term. He was then re-elected to a second full term in May. Spicer said the district needs to remedy the adverse effects of remote learning during the pandemic. “Our leading goal is serving the superintendent and his staff, the principals and the teachers toward closing the COVID-learning gap,” he said. Spicer said the major challenge lies mostly at the elementary and middle school level, adding that the high school graduation rate did increase in some demographic areas despite difficulties during the past two years. Spicer retired from the Hudson district in 2018, after 14 years of service. His job as principal of John L. Edwards Primary School was eliminated after that building was closed. Before serving in that role, he spent seven years as the principal of Hudson High School, from 2004 until 2011. Spicer has been a resident of Ulster County for more than 30 years. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.