The HUUSD School Board met remotely on Wednesday, April 28. The Superintendent and Finance Director answered Board questions. Student representatives shared an update on Harwood happenings. The district’s administrative team shared a letter in support of flying the Black Lives Matter flag and answered questions about ongoing anti-racism work in our schools.
Much of the meeting was devoted to questions around long-term planning for the district.
First, Harwood Principals Laurie Greenberg, Meg McDonough and Duane Pierson made a presentation and answered questions regarding the most recent plans towards a possible Harwood bond request in the fall. The current work is modeled around the building operating as a 9-12 campus, instead of the 7-12 campus it is now. You can take a look at the most current thinking here: https://tinyurl.com/56kcdmfv
Later, Crossett Brook Principal Tom Drake and Harwood Middle School Principal Duane Pierson answered Board questions regarding facilities needs to support the planned merger of the 7th and 8th grades in the fall of 2022 at CBMS. After answering facilities-specific questions, the line of questioning opened up more broadly, to topics such as class sizes, staffing needs, educational experience for students and whether there would be a cost savings with the merger. (Hear their detailed responses to questions by reviewing the meeting on YouTube, starting around the 1 hour 30 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_rVnSPhxSw)
In the next week or so, the Board will be developing and publishing a brief survey to collect feedback on the facilities options being considered at Crossett Brook. (A detailed report on the options the Board is considering can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/ymp3rdnr
We invite you to (and hope you will!) take a few moments to fill out the survey when we are able to share it through FPF and school newsletters. There will also be extended time for public comment at the meetings on May 12 and 26th before the Board’s vote about these matters on May 26. Anytime prior to the vote, we encourage community members to email the Board with their thoughts by writing to cen-huusdboard@huusd.org.
The last part of the meeting was dedicated to a lengthy deliberation regarding a complaint of wrongful termination. The Board voted to hire a third-party to conduct an investigation into the events leading up to and including the termination.
As always, the Board welcomes feedback from our community. One of the easiest ways to share your thoughts is to send an email to cen-huusdboard@huusd.org, which will go to every Board member. There is also time at every Board meeting for public comment. Alternately, reach out to one of your neighbors who is on the school board and share your thoughts in a personal email or phone call (see a list of Board members and contact information at https://docs.google.com/document/d/12bzeVf75bYYP01HvJA0FhigQU1vVqycVJfoXg-PIhEs/edit).
The Board will meet next, remotely, on Wednesday May 12th at 6PM. Find links to agendas and meetings at huusd.org. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007#success