After the resignation of member Sheila Reardon Spalding, there is a vacancy on the Newburyport School Committee. Pursuant to the City Charter Section 4-6, the City Council President has convened a joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee at which the new member will be chosen. The meeting will be held on October 20, 2022 at City Hall Auditorium, 60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport at 6:00 pm. The School Committee and City Council together will review applicants for this interim office and allow them an opportunity at this meeting to present their credentials to this joint body for their consideration.
The individual selected by the City Council and School Committee will fill the position for the remainder of this term ending December 31, 2023. If they want to continue to serve on the School Committee beyond this interim period, they will then have to run for election in the fall of 2023 for the new term starting in January 2024.
The Clerk’s office will be accepting letters of interest and resumes from residents interested in filling the unexpired term. Interested residents can file their letter with the City Clerk’s office in City Hall on or before Friday, October 14, 2022 at Noon.
Newburyport School Committee member resigns; city seeks replacement
Oct. 3—NEWBURYPORT — School Committee member Sheila Spalding has resigned and the city clerk’s office is collecting resumes and cover letters for her replacement.
Spalding submitted her resignation, effective immediately, to the clerk’s office Sept. 22, according to City Clerk Richard Jones. Jones said the city now has 30 days to call a joint meeting of the School Committee and City Council to fill her seat.
Mayor Sean Reardon is expected to preside over an Oct. 20 joint meeting at City Hall to hear the candidates speak.
“It’s basically a job interview. You get five minutes to give a personal talk about yourself and then you will field questions from the group,” Reardon said.
Potential candidates for the School Committee seat must be registered Newburyport voters and will need to submit a letter of interest and resume to the city clerk’s office at City Hall by noon on Friday, Oct. 14.
“It’s a simple majority vote and the person with the most votes takes the seat at the end of the meeting,” Reardon said.
Spalding was elected to a four-year term in 2019 and her successor will fill her seat until Dec. 31, 2023.
Jones said if her successor wishes to remain on the committee after that date, he or she would have to run for reelection next fall.
“This is an opportunity to be a part of the solution,” Jones said.
Reardon, a former School Committee member, said he and Spalding served three years together on the committee and enjoyed the time they spent together.
Spalding’s work with the School Committee’s policy subcommittee was particularly strong, the mayor added.
“It’s a time commitment when you run for office and Sheila put a lot into it,” he said. “I got to know her really well and I thought she was wonderful on the School Committee. I appreciate all of her efforts and wish her well as she moves forward. But it is a great opportunity for somebody else to come on and join the group as well.”
The mayor said serving on the School Committee is a “great opportunity” for people looking to become more involved in city government.
“I worked in education, I was a teacher here in Newburyport and I worked in (the Triton Regional School District), and I also had been working with school districts across the state. So I was happy to lend a voice and bring my experience to the School Committee,” he said. “But you don’t have to have that experience to serve. If you are an active parent who is interested in what is going on in the schools, the School Committee is a great way to get involved.”
Spalding did not elaborate further on why she was resigning in her resignation letter and did not return calls for comment.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.
