2022-09-28 HUUSD Board Meeting Recap
- October 3, 2022
- Ed
- 3.5 Minute Read
The HUUSD School Board met in person (with an option for remote participation) last Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
The meeting began with public comment. Brian Fleischer of Waitsfield provided general comments regarding the District and the Board. Laurie Hardie of Waterbury provided comments regarding COVID mitigation in schools, asking for a plan to deploy mitigation tools during surges and outbreaks. Amy Coach-Dietz of Waterbury provided comments regarding restraint and seclusion practices, urging the Board Committee to solicit community input and recommendations from experts.
The board did hold an executive session.
Kristen Rodgers highlighted recent school activities across the district and reported on a successful series of summer Superintendent Meet and Greets.
Three reports were offered to the Board:
- Student Representatives: Jeswin and Maise reported on fall activities at Harwood, student input on the changed schedule, and recruitment/roles for student School Board representatives. They invited Board members to be part of the process of selecting two Juniors to serve as additional student representatives.
- Superintendent: Mike asked Jeswin to report on an upcoming visit to the District by Senator Leahy, and then Mike provided highlights/updates related to items in the written report he had provided. A question was asked about how data was being collected on COVID cases, and Mike responded that COVID cases are treated like other infectious diseases: when a case is reported to a nurse, they report it to the Vermont Department of Health.
- Director of Finance: Lisa highlighted items included in her preliminary Profit and Loss Report for FY22. A question was asked about the timing of budgeting being out of step with the setting of Board goals. Mike noted that he and Lisa were working on a proposal for a three-year budgeting process that they would bring to the Board.
It was decided that logistics and details regarding a process for generally updating Board policies will be determined in the spring, following Town Meeting.
In action items, the Board:
- Approved a motion warning of Policy C6 and F24 to adopt at the the 10/26/22 meeting.
- Approved a motion to designate the Times Argus as a newspaper of record.
- Approved a motion to approve $2000 for School and Staff Appreciation at each school.
- Approved a motion to hire Lynn, Lynn, & Blackman for the purpose of Support Staff negotiations.
- Approved a motion to appoint the following Board members to the Restraint and Seclusion Policy Subcommittee: Cindy Senning, Bobbi Rood, Tori Taravella, Ashley Woods, and Marlena Tucker-Fishman .
The School Board will host a Zoom Q&A/Meet the Superintendent with Dr. Mike Leichliter on Tuesday, October 25th from 7:00-8:00 PM. This will be a chance for community members unable to attend the in-person events to ask questions and share comments.
- To participate please use this link:
- To view live, use this link: .
You can always email your questions for the Superintendent ahead of time to Board Chair Kristen Rodgers at [email protected]. In the subject line, please type “Zoom Q&A.” We will try to answer as many questions as possible.
There is an open Board seat for a Waterbury representative. Letters of interest can be sent to Board Chair Kristen Rodgers at [email protected] and are due by Wednesday, October 12.
As always, the Board welcomes feedback from our community. One of the easiest ways to share your thoughts is to send an email to [email protected], which will go to every Board member. There is also time at every Board meeting for public comment. Alternately, reach out to one of your neighbors who is on the Board and share your thoughts in a personal email or phone call (see a list of Board members and contact information at).
The Board’s next meeting will be the annual retreat on Wednesday, October 12, 5:00-9:00 at Mad River Barn. No actions will be taken at this meeting and virtual participation will not be available.
The Board’s next regular meeting will be Wednesday, October 26, at 6:00 PM. Community members may attend in person in the Harwood library or remotely via zoom (), or watch it broadcast live on Youtube (). Agendas and other related documents are available at huusd.org.