The Halifax School Committee has appointed Jody Goyette, an attorney for the state, to fill a vacant position on the five-member board following interviews with two candidates during a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Aug. 25.
Goyette was selected over Lauren Marie Brouwer, a special educator and current president of the Silver Lake Regional High School PTO, in a unanimous vote by both boards. The appointment fills a vacant seat until the next Annual Town Election.
“I am interested in joining the school committee. The education, I think, of our children is very important, and therefore the Halifax Elementary School is very important,” Goyette said during her opening statement. “I am hoping to get more involved in the town.”
Goyette emphasized her legal background as a key qualification for the role. She works as a hearings officer and review examiner, conducting hearings daily.
“The skills that I would bring to the table is really listening to the different issues that there are, and the information that needs to be decided, you know, and viewed, and look at that information impartially, look to find the information, and seek the information that’s needed to make best decisions,” she said.
Brouwer, who has served as PTO president for three years and sits on the school council, brought 20 years of experience as a special educator and board-certified behavior analyst to her candidacy. She currently has a child at Halifax Elementary and recently watched her older daughter graduate from Silver Lake Regional High School.
“I feel that I have a unique perspective as far as the function of how an educational system would work, where resources could come from, but also where they’re especially needed,” Brouwer said during her presentation.
The interview process included questions about the district’s four strategic goals, budget challenges, and how candidates would handle disagreements and public pressure. Both candidates were asked why they had not run for the position during the regular May election.
Goyette explained that joining the school committee was not on her radar in May, as her oldest child was just finishing kindergarten preparation. “Once they did their whole graduation thing, the summer hit, I said, OK, I want to get involved. Where do I want to most get involved? In the school system, because this is where my kids are going to go to school,” she said.
Brouwer had originally planned to run in May but said life circumstances led her to postpone the decision. When the vacancy arose, she saw it as an opportunity to serve.
School Committee chair Lauren Laws noted the difficulty of the decision, saying both candidates had made the choice “really difficult tonight.” However, committee member Karyn Townsend highlighted the value of legal expertise for the board’s policy work.
“I feel that as an educator myself you would think that they would go hand in hand but really the role of a school committee member is so far removed from the world of making decisions about education,” Townsend said. “I think rather understanding law and policy which is really our role is a greater strength for that so I just feel that having an attorney on board here to help us with lots of policy decisions we make I think would be an advantage.”
The appointment comes at a challenging time for the district, with budget pressures and staffing needs creating ongoing concerns. During the meeting, new Principal Brian Prehna reported current enrollment at 535 students, including 81 kindergarteners, and noted several staff vacancies including positions for a school psychologist, behaviorist, school library media teacher, and two cafeteria aides.
Goyette will serve in the interim position until the next regular election in May, when the seat will be up for election. Both candidates were encouraged to consider running at that time regardless of Monday’s outcome.
The school committee also addressed several other matters during the meeting, including approval of a new three-year contract with the Halifax Teachers Association and discussion of a potential memorial for Richard Bayramshian, a recently deceased staff member.
Superintendent Jill Proulx provided updates on summer professional development programs and outlined the district’s strategic goals for the upcoming year, including strengthening community connections, implementing high expectations for all students, continuing curriculum review, and examining full regionalization possibilities.
The district continues to work with the Collins Center on a regionalization study that could potentially change how Halifax Elementary operates within the broader Silver Lake Regional School District structure. The study, which involves representatives from school communities and towns, aims to provide financial forecasting and analysis of potential costs and benefits of full regionalization.
“We anticipate that this process will take about a year to conduct the research going into it,” Proulx said, with results potentially available by next summer.
The school committee also approved a revised budget timeline aimed at presenting a votable budget to members by December rather than the traditional January timeline, allowing more time for discussion and refinement before the March deadline for submission to the town.
Goyette’s appointment takes effect immediately, and she will participate in upcoming school committee meetings as the district prepares for the new school year, which began Aug. 27.