The Harwood Unified Union School District is getting a new superintendent this July. Mike Leichliter will replace Brigid Nease who has served the district for 13 years.
The Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board worked hard to create an open and iterative process for the public to be involved in the search for and selection of a new superintendent.
The board created a community survey and had a series of community meetings to finalize the job description, with the consultants honing in on how community members view the school, the community and what is important in a new superintendent.
Three finalists were interviewed in executive session by the board last week and also participated in public interviews. Those interviews were shared online with community members, who were also asked to comment on the three finalists.
That kind of public outreach and inclusion is admirable. The school board and district administration deserve credit for making the process so open and accessible.
And not to rain on anyone’s parade at this time – it needs to be pointed out that this process – which has been remarkably open and transparent – had a flaw at the end when the board met in executive session on February 3 to select a finalist.
Vermont’s Open Meeting Law requires that when boards take action such as selecting a finalist and authorizing the board chair to negotiate with that candidate, that they do so in open meeting.
The Valley Reporter and Waterbury Record raised that question and discussed this with Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos who concurred that the board should have come into open meeting to take the action it did.
Board chair Torrey Smith said that the board exercised its best judgment and felt the decision could be made in closed-door session. Condos explained that the board should have entered open session and authorized Smith to negotiate with the preferred candidate – without naming him or her.
Vermont’s Open Meeting Law is very clear and spells out a very specific process that must be followed. That didn’t happen in this case. And while Condos said the board does not need to take any action other than explaining what it did, process always matters.
Welcome Mike Leichliter!
