VERGENNES — Although voters chose the members of the Addison Northwest School District (ANWSD) board a year ago, there remains some unfinished business for voters on Tuesday and for the boards at Ferrisburgh and Addison central schools and Vergennes union high and elementary schools.
Those four boards will legally operate through the end of 2017, although the ANWSD board is set to fully assume district operations as of July 1. One local educator said the type of thing that could require the attention of an outgoing board after July 1 is a strange issue with a property deed, for instance.
ANWSD Superintendent JoAn Canning said it is not likely the local school boards will have much to do after June.
“They will have no business after June 30, so there is no need to meet after June 30 unless the SD board would like them to address a certain unresolved topic,” she said.
But a collective total of 11 terms on those four boards are set to expire on March 7. Candidates for six of those openings, almost all incumbents, filed paperwork in January to appear on the ballot. Panton’s VUES director, Jason Fearon, has reportedly said he would an accept a nomination from the floor of town meeting to return to his post.
Three other incumbent directors, all in Addison, did not file petitions, Michele Kelly and Eugene Stearns from the ACS board and Laurie Childers from the VUHS board. However, Canning said all three are mounting write-in campaigns to stay on the job until the boards dissolve.
State law requires a write-in candidate to receive votes from 1 percent of a town’s checklist to be elected. According to Addison town officials, that means the trio will need 11 votes apiece to keep their seats.
In Vergennes, no one has reportedly expressed interest in a VUHS vacancy. If no one receives 18 write-in votes there, the Vergennes City Council can appoint a VUHS director.
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].