NISKAYUNA — Five candidates are running for two seats on the Niskayuna Board of Education in Tuesday’s election.

There are two incumbents, Terry Weiner and Deborah Oriola, who are seeking to retain their seats. Weiner is looking for his seventh term, Oriola is seeking her first full term, having won a one-year remainder of a term last year.

Challenging the incumbents are General Electric finance manager Ronald Anzalone, former state schools auditor Robert Gardner and a former Gloversville schools administrator, Peter S. Glaser.

All five will be on the ballot Tuesday, along with the district’s budget. The 2008-2009 spending plan calls for a tax levy increase of just under 3.5 percent.

Expenditures would increase 3.88 percent in the budget, which totals $65,682,182. Add new debt related to the building project and the total budget would be $70,086,420. The new debt is expected to be covered by state aid. That would leave an increase to the tax levy at 3.48 percent, for a total of $45.46 million.

Anzalone, 61, of Windsor Drive, said he hopes to bring his financial background with General Electric to the board. He has been with the company for 34 years, and he has lived in the district for 18 years.

“Driving consensus and working together as a team, that’s what GE is all about,” he said. “I think I would be an asset for the school board.”

Gardner, 61, of Lisha Kill Road, owned and operated a distribution business. He’s been retired for eight years. Before that, he audited schools for the state and served as comptroller for a residential school for the disabled.

He said he believes his background would help the board, especially through difficult economic times.

“It’ll be a challenge over the next three years,” he said, “but I’m one that likes to have a challenge.”

Glaser, 60, of Baker Avenue, retired last year as principal of the Gloversville Middle School. He commuted there from Niskayuna, where he’s lived for 34 years.

He said his school experience and curriculum experience would help the district. “I know how important lower class sizes are,” he said.

Oriola, 47, of Viewmont Drive, is completing the term of a board member who resigned. She has been a program manager at the University of Albany’s office of continuing education and a member of the Rosendale Elementary PTO.

She said she wants to continue her work to “strive for the best quality education for our children.”

Weiner, of Dublin Drive, is a professor of political science and sociology at Union College. He is also one of the longest serving members on the board.

He said he wants to see through the facilities project, which he helped put together. He noted that three current board members have less than two years experience.

“This is an election year and people talk about change, but you still have to balance that with people who have experience,” he said.