The HUUSD School Board met in person (with an option for remote participation) last Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
The meeting began with time for public comment. No comments were offered.
Board Reports:
- Leadership Report
- Superintendent - Dr. Leichliter reported on the beginning of the school year and outlined some upcoming projects.
- Director of Finance - Lisa Estler provided some highlights, and Ray Daigle added information related to facilities work either completed or underway.
Topics for discussion:
- First read of policies - Danielle explained the process followed by the committee in reviewing policies; she noted that these are all required policies and are based upon model policies. She and the Superintendent then outlined the proposed changes for each of the policies listed below. These will be moved forward to a second reading/adoption.
- The Role of Policy
- Policy Development and Adoption
- Board Member Education
- Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements
- Teacher Negotiations - Having Pietro Lynn serve as lead negotiator and JB Weir serve as lead negotiator were discussed separately, and Board member participation was outlined.
- Superintendent Evaluation Committee - The Superintendent outlined aspects of a beneficial evaluation process, and the formation of a committee to develop supporting materials was discussed. Ben Clark had already expressed an interest in the committee and others were invited to join.
In action items, the Board:
- Approved a motion to adopt Superintendent’s Goals for FY 2023-2024.
- Approved a motion to adopt Policy E24: Access Control and Visitor Management and Policy E23: Fire and Emergency Preparedness Drills.
- Approved a motion to affirm the appointment of Justina Boyden as Principal of the Fayston School.
- Approved a motion to approve the Professional Staff Employment and Change in Status of the individual(s) listed per the effective date for the 2023-2024 school year.
Board Members present: Ben Clark (Moretown), Danielle Dukette (Fayston), Kelley Hackett (Waterbury), Jake Pitman (Waterbury), Kristen Rodgers (Moretown), Bobbi Rood (Waitsfield), Cindy Senning (Duxbury), Tori Taravella (Waterbury), JB Weir (Waitsfield), Ashley Woods (Warren), Jonathan Young (Warren), Mike Bishop (Fayston), Life LeGeros (Duxbury), Marlena Tucker-Fishman (Waterbury)
The Board welcomes feedback from our community and one of the easiest ways to share your thoughts is to send an email to [email protected], which will go to every Board member. Additionally, at the beginning of each Board meeting we invite public comment. Alternately, reach out to one of your neighbors who is on the school board and share your thoughts in a personal email or phone call (see a list of Board members and contact information at https://tinyurl.com/523wtrnj).
The Board’s next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Community members may attend in person in the Harwood library or remotely via zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007#success), or watch it broadcast live on Youtube (http://tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live). Agendas and other related documents are available at huusd.org.