On May 2, 2018

Back to Square One in Cavendish principal search

By Stephen Seitz

CAVENDISH — Cavendish Town Elementary School is once again looking for an interim principal.

The position became available with the retirement of current principal George Thomson, who will remain on the job until June 30.

“We went through the search process for an interim principal,” said Meg Powden, the superintendent for the Two Rivers Supervisory Union. “We had two finalists, but one withdrew from consideration. The board offered the position to the other finalist, but she declined. Now the board has to determine next steps.”

The situation arises as Cavendish and the other towns in the new Green Mountain Unified School District – Andover, Baltimore, and Chester – are preparing for when the district officially takes over on July 1.

As the GMUSD board developed its first budget, it decided to have a dean of students rather than a principal. The dean of students would answer to Chester-Andover Elementary School Principal Katherine Fogg.

A number of Cavendish residents object to this and on April 23 launched an online petition, as well as postings in town offices and local businesses. They also sent an e-mail to Powden, who then forwarded it to the GMUHS board chair, Marilyn Mahusky, who scheduled a special meeting for April 30 to discuss the matter.

The e-mail reads:

Meg Powden,

In response to the lack of effective candidates brought to the Cavendish community in the search of the interim CTES principal, along with the outcome of the only remaining candidate not accepting the offer, we are asking you as the Superintendent to immediately reinstate the CTES principal position as Permanent and Full-Time.

We released a petition online as well as within local business and town offices in Cavendish, Chester, Baltimore, and Andover, which asks people to sign if they align to this statement:

“As a resident in a community that is part of the Green Mountain Unified School District, I am signing this petition to ask the board to immediately and publicly reinstate the position of principal at Cavendish Town Elementary School to a permanent, full-time position, and to re-open the search for candidates for this position.”

After only a few days, we have over 200 signatures and counting. With each passing day, the groundswell of those adding their names to the petition grows. Reinstating a permanent principal position is clearly the will of the voters.

The role of principal is critical to promoting a sense of community; consistency for parents, students and teachers; excellence in education; and minimizing the negative effects of the changes our district has seen with the Act 46 consolidation.

You have the chance to gain the support of the community by doing what we know is right for our school and our town. Therefore, we request that you immediately change the job posting to full-time and permanent, dropping “interim.”

If this is a GMUSD decision, we ask that you call an emergency GMUSD board meeting this week to approve of this change.

Regards,
Denise Reilly-Hughes, Margo Caulfield, Carolyn Solzhenitsyn, Sara Stowell, Sara Cook, Abraham Gross, Amanda Gross, Kevin Hughes, Julia Gignoux, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Robert Naess.

Those wishing to keep up with news regarding this should keep an eye on the local e-newsletter, Cavendish Connects at cavendishconnects.com.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Local road construction plans for 4th of July week

July 2, 2025
The following is a weekly report that lists its planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of June 30. Most construction projects will pause work for the 4th of July `Local roads in Rutland and Windsor County, include:     I-89 Royalton Construction continues Monday through…

Ribbon cuttings in Ludlow and Proctorsville highlight local business growth

July 2, 2025
A pair of ribbon cuttings on June 20 held by the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC) marked a day of celebration for two local businesses and offered a boost of momentum to the region’s small business economy. In Ludlow, Aubuchon ACE Hardware unveiled its newly renovated store on Main Street with a grand…

Cirque Series celebrates successful Killington debut

July 2, 2025
By Polly Mikula The Cirque Series broke trail in New England with two new races. On June 7, runners raced up Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire and this past Saturday, June 28, they tackled “The Beast of the East,” Killington Mountain. Cirque is also adding Crystal Mountain, Washington, to its national lineup of eight…

Rutland Sculpture Trail announces 14th installation

July 2, 2025
The 14th addition to the Rutland Sculpture Trail will honor the community’s giving spirit, volunteerism, and inspiration - and the national record for donating blood. Organizers have commissioned a piece honoring Rutland’s Gift-of-Life Marathon (GOLM), which still holds the one-day U.S. record for blood donations 12 years after setting the record and continues to inspire…