Oct. 27: School board holds final bond info session; looks to launch superintendent search; adjusts its voting system

October 23, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti

With the Nov. 2 vote on the proposed $59.5 million construction bond fast approaching, the Harwood Unified Union School Board will devote more than an hour this week to discussing details of the project and answering questions from the public. 

The board also will continue to refine its plan for conducting a search for a new superintendent which will be put in motion in November with a goal of offering the job to Superintendent Brigid Nease’s replacement in February. 

Nease herself is back after taking several weeks’ leave this fall. She is expected to have an update on enrollment this school year. 

Also on the board’s agenda to decide on Wednesday is whether to adjust the weighted system by which the board votes to reflect shifts in population documented by the 2020 U.S. Census. 

Bond public information 

The school board is required to hold a public hearing prior to an election and Wednesday’s meeting will fulfill that requirement ahead of the Nov. 2 vote on the $59,545,312 bond proposal. The measure would pay for major renovations and updates to Harwood Union High School including a new roof, new infrastructure systems like heating and ventilation and windows; $5.7 million would add a second gymnasium and another $2.88 million would rebuild the running track; $6 million would add a new wing to Crossett Brook Middle School to accommodate combining all seventh- and eighth-grade classes in the district (adding the approximate 90 students from Harwood Middle School there).

The school board has collected numerous items of background information on the bond proposal including designs, breakdowns of spending, a video presentation, and project history which is collected on the district’s website under the heading Bond Plan. Board leaders also have done several question-and-answer sessions in the past several weeks that were recorded and are available to view on the district’s YouTube channel.

Ballots are available now from town clerks across the district. Voters may vote in person at their town clerk’s office through Nov. 2 or call or email to have a ballot sent by mail. On Nov. 2, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in each community -- all but Waitsfield will be town office locations; Waitsfield Elementary School is the polling place there. 

Superintendent search

At its Oct. 13 meeting, the board reviewed the schedule set out for the superintendent search that’s to start in earnest in November. The board has contracted with the national recruiting firm MacPherson & Jacobson based in Omaha, Nebraska, to lead the effort. John Gratto, the firm’s lead consultant who is working with the Harwood district, attended the school board meeting to answer questions and discuss the various elements of the process ahead. 

A former school superintendent himself, Gratto has worked on searches in Vermont for school districts including Burlington and Champlain Valley Union. He told the Harwood board he would expect to get about two dozen applicants and advised that the board offer an attractive salary that’s at least what the outgoing superintendent is paid. Nease currently earns just over $148,000 annually. 

“There’s competition for good candidates,” he said. “Your competition is not just in Vermont but also in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.” 

The timeline calls for gathering input from various groups including the public, finalizing the job description and proposed contract next month; advertising for applicants in December; reviewing applications and conducting interviews in January. The board is aiming to select and hire a new superintendent by early February. The new superintendent would start July 1 as Superintendent Nease’s contract ends June 30, 2022.  

Gratto described a series of video conference sessions using Zoom to get input from district teaching staff, support staff, administrators, high school students and community members regarding qualifications for a new superintendent. This part of the process would also include a survey for those who cannot attend those meetings. 

The board adjusted the schedule slightly moving up the date to begin advertising for applicants from mid-December to the end of November after members suggested a two-week window over the holidays wasn’t sufficient. 

Details on the search process have been put onto a separate page of the school district’s website, HUUSD.org under the heading Superintendent Search. 

The board still needs to appoint a subcommittee of its members as the search committee that will oversee the process that ultimately will bring finalist applicants to the full board for consideration in January. The board currently has three student representatives and is considering what their role will be. 

Adjusting board weighted voting 

The board’s meeting packet for this week summarizes the proposed changes to the percentages each of the 14 board members votes will represent based on changes in population since 2010 recorded by the U.S. Census in 2020.

Five of the district’s six communities -- Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren -- have two representatives each on the board; Waterbury has four. No changes are proposed to the makeup of the board. 

The proposal which the board discussed at its Oct. 13 meeting, would not change the weight of votes for the Duxbury and Waitsfield members (5.2% and 6.7% respectively). Weights for Fayston, Moretown and Waterbury would all go down: Fayston from 5.25% to 5.0%; Moretown from 6.45% to 6.4%; Waterbury from 9.85% to 9.75%. 

Warren would be the only town whose representatives gain more weight -- 6.7% to 7.2% each. The 2020 Census data shows the largest proportion of population increase for Warren among the six communities. It gained 272 people which reflects a 16% jump in its population to 1,977 from 1,705. Waterbury’s population grew by more people -- 267 according to the census -- but that represents just a 5.3% increase bringing its population to 5,331 up from 5,064 in 2010. 

The population data and proposal for updating the board member voting weights is linked from this week’s meeting information packet in the leadership report. 

The drop in voting weight for Waterbury members would mean 0.4% less weight than the town’s four members have combined now. Warren’s increase would be 1% bringing its two members to 14.4% combined.

Wednesday’s board meeting begins at 6 p.m. as a hybrid meeting with the board in person in the library at Harwood Union High School. The public may attend in person -- masks are required -- or join in via Zoom or watch on YouTube. Links for online access are on the meeting agenda.