HARDWICK – The Mountain View Union Elementary School District (MVUESD) meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 24, began with the election of a new moderator.
Steven Freihofner was nominated and elected as long-time Moderator Orise Ainsworth was unable to preside. Moderator Freihofner then presided over the meeting, read the warning and established ground rules for the meeting, noting that the assembly consisted of legal voters from the four member towns (Hardwick, Greensboro, Woodbury and Stannard), however residents from the Town of Stannard were unable to vote as their town clerk was not present to validate the voters against the town voter rolls.
Freihofner requested nominations for district clerk, but received none. Incumbent Kevin Moore declined to be nominated so the MVUESD board will need to appoint a district clerk at a future meeting.
Tonia Chase, of Hardwick, was nominated by Kim Greaves of Greensboro to serve as district treasurer and elected on a voice vote to serve for the coming year.
Adam Gann, of Hardwick, was nominated by Ashley Foster, also of Hardwick, for the position of alternate district treasurer and elected via voice vote.
Ashley Foster, of Hardwick, nominated Emily Michaud of Greensboro and Erika Karp, of Greensboro, nominated Samantha Friend of Greensboro to serve as the Greensboro School District Director for a three-year term. Friend was elected with 27 votes to Michaud’s 13 votes.
Hillary Seal, of Hardwick, nominated Juliana Swank, of Greensboro to serve as school district director for one year remaining on a vacant three-year term and elected on a voice vote.
Tonia Chase, of Hardwick, nominated Meghan Shatney, of Hardwick to serve as school district director for a three-year term. Shatney was elected on a voice vote.
Ashley Foster, of Hardwick, nominated Adam Gann, of Hardwick to serve as school district director for a three-year term. Neil Yurick, of Hardwick, nominated Laura Cannon, of Hardwick, who declined the nomination. Foster was elected on a voice vote.
Yurick then nominated Cannon to serve the one year remaining on a three-year term for school district director and Cannon was elected on a voice vote.
Cindy Gordon, of Woodbury, nominated Darren Usinowicz, of Woodbury, who was elected to serve as school district director for a term of three years.
Salaries for the officers and directors of the school district were set at $750 per year for officers, $500 per year for directors, $2,500 for the treasurer and $25 per hour for the alternate district treasurer, and $50 per day worked for the district clerk.
Tess Martin, of Hardwick, moved to adopt Article 3. Seconded by Stephen Murphy, of Woodbury.
The motion was briefly discussed and subsequently passed via voice vote.
The budget of $9,173,292.42 will result in per pupil education spending of $16,525.79, which is 6.05% higher than per pupil education spending for the current year and was voted on by Australian ballot on town meeting day.
On a voice vote, the annual school meeting date was then changed to the third Tuesday of the month of February beginning in 2027 before the meeting was adjourned
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
