HUTCHINSON, Kan. – At the June 12, 2023, Hutchinson Public Schools Board of Education meeting, board members appointed Darcie Canfield-Riggs to fill the unexpired term vacated by Greg Meredith.
Applications were accepted after Greg Meredith’s resignation in late April. In total, 11 applications were received. During the May 22nd Board of Education meeting, the board narrowed the field to five. These five candidates were interviewed during the meeting held tonight.
During her interview, Canfield-Riggs expressed that she has worked with various people from all backgrounds during her current role as Youth Services Librarian with the Hutchinson Public Library and looks forward to drawing on that experience if appointed.
Before accepting a nomination for a candidate, Board President, Kail Dennison asked the board to discuss the general qualities they were looking for in a candidate. “I feel that a person who brings a diverse perspective to the board would be valuable,” board member Valarie Smith Gibson stated.
“I would say I’m looking for someone who’s really looking ahead to the future and has a vision for where the district can go,” board member Laura Corey added.
Addressing the candidates, Dennison said, “I will say that you five, in fact, all eleven, who put in your applications for the vacant seat have not made this an easy job on us, which is absolutely fantastic because I would rather have a hard decision tonight because you are all very qualified and do care. It would be a very different situation if we had candidates that we didn’t think were this strong. So, thank you for that.”
Ron Fisher made the nomination for Canfield-Riggs, which was carried by a 5-1 vote. Cheryl Thompson was the lone nay vote.
Ms. Canfield-Riggs will be sworn in at the next regular meeting on June 26th, 2023, at 6 pm at the USD 308 Administrative Center.
Other business in front of the board included an executive session for approximately 45 minutes to discuss negotiations and non-elected personnel. Another item on the agenda included the approval of personnel changes which can be viewed here: http://go.boarddocs.com/ks/usd308/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CHRMFB5A3D55
