New Head For LES Board

By LEO GRAHAM, courtesy of the Vermont Journal

LUDLOW - Beth Merrill has stepped down as Chair of the Ludlow Elementary School (LES) Board. She has been replaced by Susan Barton. Barton, in turn, has resigned from her seat as an LES representative to the Rutland-Windsor Supervisory Board. Merrill, in turn will take her seat there.

Merrill said she felt compelled to step down as Chair because she has taken a new job with a group that does educational consulting and evaluation. Her new job could  call for Merrill to be working with and evaluating teachers at LES. Because for the appearance of a potential for conflict of interest Merrill asked the rest of the Board (Gary Pollender was absent) if they were “comfortable with having me on the Board,” Merrill’s decision was supported by LES Principal Karen Trimboli who observed that “If there was a decision made [either by Merrill in her capacity as an educational consultant or Board Chair], there will always be someone to question” any decision made.

Angie Benson-Cuifo, also a member of the Board didn’t think Merrill’s request for Board approval to remain on the Board was appropriate. “That’s not a decision for us to make, that’s a decision you have to make,” Benson-Cuifo said to Merrill. By this time it was clear that Merrill wanted to remain on the LES Board and was looking for something between permission and guidance to do so. But she repeated her belief that staying in the Chair, “didn’t feel right.”

The new Rutland-Windsor Supervisory Union Superintendent of Schools Judy Pullinen stated her belief that Merrill was natively “sensitive enough” to make the right decisions about when she should or should not participate in Board votes. Pullinen appeared to support having Merrill remain on the Board. Merrill then resigned as Chair but not as a member of the Board. The Board had to reorganize at once.

With Pullinen temporarily running the meeting, Board Member Doug Ficken said, “I will nominate Angie [Benson-Cuifo].” He got an immediate response from the nominee herself: “Angie declines.” Benson-Cuifo cited the pressure of her own work and because of that “My fear is that I wouldn’t do a good job.”

Benson-Cuifo did have other another idea: “I nominate Susan [Barton].” She went on to say that she would “be a very supportive vice-chair (a roll she fills now).” Benson-Cuifo told Barton she knew Barton worked out of town and said she would fill in for any meetings Barton may have to miss because of her job in Rutland. Barton demurred for a time and then, in a negotiation both public and quick, agreed to take the Chair, resign from the RWSU Board, have Merrill replace her on that Board and then had Merrill replace her as clerk of the Board. Barton handed Merrill the notebook being used to record the minutes and took over the meeting.

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