Another member of the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board has resigned. Waterbury representative Michael Frank submitted his resignation to school board chair Torrey Smith, Duxbury, on June 27.
Frank was elected to his seat at Town Meeting this year after filling that seat formerly held by James Grace since Grace resigned.
“Thank you to the Waterbury voters for putting your faith in me and selecting me to represent Waterbury. I am hopeful for the future of HUUSD and am really looking forward to the bond being approved for the long-needed renovations at Harwood. I am really excited about how the board is working together to further the bond and the betterment of the district with near unanimous support for the Harwood bond and middle school plan. Thank you to the HUUSD leadership for their excellent work through very difficult times and I look forward to seeing the continued great work from the other side of the table. I am looking forward to spending more time with my children and being able to tuck them into bed on Wednesday nights,” Frank wrote in a statement to The Valley Reporter.
Frank’s is the second recent resignation from the board, Brian Dalla Mura, Duxbury, resigned from the board on June 9 as he has accepted a special education teaching job at Brookside Primary School, formerly known as Thatcher Brook Primary School.
The HUUSD Board had scheduled a July 14 special meeting to appoint a new representative from Duxbury and will likely need to schedule a second special meeting to appoint a new Waterbury representative.
“It does not appear that the timeframe of 20 days posted notice of the vacancy and the 30-days for the appointment will fit in with the timeline we are using to fill the seat from Duxbury, so we may need a second special meeting to appoint a new person from Waterbury,” said Smith.
In a statement originally posted in response to Dalla Mura’s resignation and now updated to include Frank’s, the board encouraged community members to apply to fill either seat until Town Meeting next year.
“It’s an interesting time to be on the school board -- especially as we head towards putting a bond before voters in November, hire a new superintendent and continue to plan for the long-term configuration of schools in the district. Members of the current school board (which could include you!) will make decisions in the coming months that will set the course for our district for years to come.
“The school board typically meets two to three times per month on Wednesday evenings for about three hours at a time. There is often a couple hours of reading prep in advance of each meeting. Meetings will return to being mostly in-person for board members and are held in the library at Harwood. No previous board experience is necessary, but an open mind and interest in learning about the way school boards work are important!
“Being on the school board can be a challenging volunteer experience at the same time that it offers a chance to make a meaningful difference for residents and families in all six of our towns. School boards are an important part of Vermont’s local governance tradition as well as an important way that we keep Vermont’s current governing structures vital and effective. School board members learn a lot about our community, education funding and policy, and the democratic process.”
Duxbury residents who are interested in filling the seat are asked to apply by July 10. Waterbury residents who are interested are asked to apply by July 20. Interested applicants should send a letter of interest to Smith (
