Another seat to fill: Fayston member to leave school board
April 30, 2022 | By Lisa ScagliottiFilling all of the seats on Harwood’s school board continues to be a challenge as a new resignation announcement opens another vacancy, this time in Fayston.
Just two weeks after the board appointed Kim Laidlaw to represent Fayston, the town’s veteran member on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board submitted her letter of “retirement,” effective May 11.
Theresa Membrino, who has served on the Harwood board since 2018, said she believes the timing is right for her to step down now. “I feel that I have done what I set out to do,” she wrote to fellow board members on April 26.
She noted how circumstances and school district leadership have evolved during the time she has served. She said she’s optimistic given the recently chosen new leaders on the school board, Chair Kristen Rodgers of Moretown and Vice Chair Kelley Hackett of Waterbury. She mentioned Mike Leichliter in the wings as the district’s new superintendent who will start in July as current Superintendent Brigid Nease steps down after 13 years. And she praised the cohort of other school board members now serving.
“When I look across this enhanced landscape, I am proud of these changes and feel content. We are in good hands,” Membrino wrote.
Membrino has served on board committees for finance, community engagement, and district performance over the past four years. She noted that she initially joined the board motivated by concerns regarding potential school consolidation following the district’s 2017 merger. What she came to believe was of bigger importance, however, is students leaving the district. “My point of view has always been that the biggest financial issue we face is the increasing velocity of students voluntarily leaving in the upper grades (attrition) – which started years before COVID,” she wrote.
Asked about that issue now, Membrino said she believes it has become a priority. “I do think it's now being recognized and acknowledged more and more. I am sincere in that I think we are on the right path and hopeful it can be fixed,” she said in an email to Waterbury Roundabout.
Three seats to fill
The 14-seat Harwood school board has two seats for five of the district’s communities – Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren – and four seats for Waterbury representatives. All seats carry three-year terms.
Membrino’s decision now makes three seats for the board to fill by appointment until the 2023 Town Meeting Day election.
The board currently has a vacancy in Duxbury for which no candidate ran in the recent March election. Rodgers this week said she has not received any letters of interest yet for that position. That seat is open after Torrey Smith ended her term in March and did not seek re-election. If the board appoints someone to that seat this year, Duxbury voters would then be able to fill it for the remaining two years next March.
The board also is in the process of filling a vacant Waterbury seat. Jacqueline Kelleher was elected as a write-in candidate in March, but she stepped down two weeks later. The board has one applicant for the position. Following the process to fill a vacancy by appointment, the Waterbury Select Board will interview the applicant to potentially make a recommendation to the school board in time for its May 11 meeting.
The select board meets Monday and will interview Iana Gabriela Fraser who has applied to represent Waterbury on the school board until next March. That term would have one year remaining to be filled by voters in the 2023 election.
Membrino’s term representing Fayston expires in 2024. Voters next March would fill that seat for the remaining year.
Below is Fayston School Director Theresa Membrino’s letter of resignation.
LETTER: HUUSD Board retirement
April 26, 2022
To my Board Colleagues and the District Community:
I am writing to let you know I have submitted my resignation to the Board Chair, effective at the close of the May 11th, 2022 meeting. While many reasons factor into this decision, the simplest one is this: I feel that I have done what I set out to do.
Those that have been following know I joined the Board in an extremely divisive time and was in the voting minority for my first three years. However, I believe my work was always to give voice to the plurality or more of our public that felt like our District was focused on the wrong things and the many who saw more community engagement as the path to get us on the right track.
Related to the above, my primary motivation for joining the Board originally was because I strongly disagreed (and still do) with the various consolidation/ school closing proposals that the Board was pursuing in the name of "tax savings". My point of view has always been that the biggest financial issue we face is the increasing velocity of students voluntarily leaving in the upper grades (attrition)- which started years before COVID. Fewer students = higher taxes*. Is there organic population decline in our district over the last 20+ years? Absolutely. But it is modest and the attrition is much more impactful. I firmly believe the various proposals put forward in those early post Act 46 years would have accelerated student decline, further increasing taxes.
Fast forward a couple years and it feels we are in a new Board era. Despite recent setbacks, I truly believe the District overall is going in the right direction:
With Kristen Rodgers and Kelley Hackett as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, we have two leaders who are passionate about and committed to deep community engagement and leading towards our District's vision. (Additional credit to former Chair Torrey Smith and Vice Chair Tim Jones for getting the ball rolling here).
I am incredibly excited about our new Superintendent Dr Mike Leichliter. His humble commitment to service in our community, his deep understanding of school climate levers and dedication to student outcomes make him a great fit for the next phase of our District.
Lastly, this most recent Board mix is made of interesting, smart, sincere people with diverse experiences across education, community engagement, mental health, services and trades – and many have a decade or more of serving our communities across different channels. It's a terrific group that our District deserves.
When I look across this enhanced landscape, I am proud of these changes and feel content. We are in good hands.
I've always believed there are some jobs where your goal should be to not be needed any more. I'm pleased to say, this is one of those times.
Two quick notes before I sign off:
If you have ever thought about joining the School Board, now is a great time. Besides my seat, there are open seats in Waterbury and Duxbury. I'd be happy to chat if you are interested. Feel free to reach out to theresa.membrino2@gmail.com
There are many people to thank. For now I will start with my awesome husband and kids who always supported me and kept me going. More to come. ;)
*Per the District Business Manager, +/- 10 students = -/+ .01 cent on the tax rate.
Theresa Membrino
Fayston school director