Deborah Stanford, Matt Schibley and Jessica Everlith want to keep serving on the Windham Southeast School District Board.
The three candidates will appear on the March 4 ballot in Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford and Putney with no opposition. They're each seeking a one-year term.
Everlith of Dummerston, a parent of two children who was appointed to the board in January after Eva Nolan resigned, said she's running to "serve my community and the stakeholders in the district."
"I will focus on upholding values of safety and belonging to promote an educational environment where all students are supported," she said.
Based on her skills and experience, she's interested in serving on the Policy and Amendments Committee and the Communications Council. She said she's worked in communications and fundraising for nonprofits and small businesses since 2013.
"This combined with my service as clerk on the Branford, Conn., Representative Town Meeting and my local volunteer efforts match nicely to the role and responsibility of WSESD board director," she said.
Schibley has two children in the district, who attend Green Street School and Brattleboro Area Middle School. He said he's running to "continue supporting the high-quality education our exceptional teachers and staff provide every day."
"I witness their passion and dedication firsthand and want to ensure they have the support they need to help all our children thrive and receive an outstanding education," he said. "I remain deeply aware of the fiscal challenges facing education in Vermont, particularly with declining enrollment. I also care immensely about the overall wellness of our students -- past and present -- as well as the larger community, including their mental health and physical safety."
With issues such as depression, anxiety and substance use on the rise, Schibley said he believes it's "essential for the board to stay actively engaged with these concerns." He also foresees the need for continued local level engagement with the Vermont Legislature and the Agency of Education on school structural proposals being put forward.
His hope is to continue to be the board clerk and to serve on the Communications Committee and leadership councils.
"I also plan on occasionally supporting the work of the policy committee as I have this year on key policies relating to student safety, climate and culture," he said, adding that he continues to see the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union as "the strongest of the four" Windham County supervisory unions. "I'd like to take a moment again to thank the teachers and staff in our district, as well as [Superintendent] Mark Speno and the administration, for their tireless efforts and dedication for our children."
Schibley described being "appreciative of the work" the board has accomplished during his tenure. He was appointed to fill a vacancy when Lana Dever resigned in 2023 then he was elected to a one-year seat last year.
Schibley is a licensed clinical mental health counselor with experience in various settings since 2008. Currently, he serves as executive director of the NEARI School, a small therapeutic day school in Easthampton, Mass.
Stanford said she's "committed to the education and well-being of children and young adults."
"After 35 years actively teaching critical reading, writing and grammar as conduits of effective communication, now I am applying my lifelong lessons to support the children and the adults in our schools," she said.
She ran for a seat on the board in 2022 when the district was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Immediately upon election, I resurrected the Policy and Amendments Committee, concerned that pivotal policies needed to be evaluated and updated," she said. "I wanted to ensure that what was posted on the district's website represented the values and ethics of every adult in our schools."
Stanford said her colleagues on the committee must have seen value in her "meticulous commitment to detail," as they immediately elected her chairperson of what she called "this significant committee."
"I was honored by their trust, which is renewed every year," she said. "And I continue to be honored."
In 2023, Stanford was elected vice chairperson of the board. Last year, she was elected chairperson.
Her responsibilities have increased, she said. She's now on the WSESU Board and regularly audits WSESD Finance Committee meetings.
"I take my responsibilities as an elected board member seriously from code of conduct to fiduciary responsibility, from Open Meeting Law to Robert's Rules of Order, from the inner workings of our school communities to the legislative issues that we must anticipate long before they are enacted as laws," she said, adding that she's "wholeheartedly committed to public sector rural education. I am a perfect fit for this job -- always the quintessential student, always ready for the next challenge, unafraid of a learning curve no matter how steep."
Stanford recounted being "stymied" by Open Meeting Law and Robert's Rules of Order when she first started serving on the board. Now, she said she's "firmly grounded in the intricacies of both."
"Like every good student, I know to reach out to others for support and assistance," she said.
Stanford described witnessing "an increased degree of civility and collaboration" in board and committee meetings since her term began. She said she knows "how to create bridges when there seems to be only disagreement."
"And I value those difficult conversations that invite discovering a middle ground that in retrospect is the best approach," she said. "I value civil, courteous discourse in which we listen to each other with respect and with sensitivity. I know that every administrator is fully committed to the care and well-being of their charges, the children and the adults in their schools -- and I know that every board member sits at the table with a high degree of integrity, determined to do their very best in carrying out their responsibilities mandated by law and by personal commitment."
In asking for another term, Stanford said she'll "continue to give my all to my community."