The ConVal School Board met Tuesday for the first time following district elections on March 11.

The board voted Michael Hoyt,  school board representative from Bennington, as the new chair of the board.

Hoyt succeeds longtime chair Dick Dunning, who did not run for reelection. Dunning had served ConVal for 51 years as a teacher, principal of South Meadow School, School Board representative for Peterborough and chair of of  School Board. 

Hoyt worked for 40 years in the Franklin School District, as a high school teacher, special education director  and administrator in the office of the superintendent, where he managed all state and federal programs for the district.  Hoyt was also the principal of a school for kindergarten through second grade for 17 years. 

Hoyt chaired the district’s Feasibility Study Committee in 2024.

Curtis Hamilton of Greenfield, who was reelected to a two-year term, replaces Hoyt as vice chair of the board. Hamilton, a small-business owner, is the father of two young children, one of whom attends Greenfield Elementary School. Hamilton serves on the communications and budget and property committees. 

Newly elected members of the school board are Carl Mabbs-Zeno of Peterborough, who fills the slot left by Dunning, Sarah Edwards and Kat Foecking of Antrim, who replace Erin Pils Martin and Bill Bryk, and John Wood of Dublin, who fills the space left by Alan Edlekind. 

Special education costs to be addressed

ConVal Special Education Director Ben Moenter, who was scheduled to speak to the board about rising transportation costs Tuesday night but had to reschedule, will address the board at the next meeting regarding the rising cost of special education transportation. 

ConVal’s cost for special education transportation has risen $500,000 in recent months.

Jim Kingston, School Board representative from Temple, said he would like a breakdown of why these costs are so high.

“I know this is what we are being charged by the transportation provider, and I am not questioning that. What I would like to know is exactly how this cost breaks down. How much are we being charged for mile by the transportation provider, how many students, how many trips per mile?” Kingston said.

Janine Lesser, a School Board representative from Peterborough, said that she has spoken to school board representatives from other districts who are facing similar challenges.

“It’s not just us; a lot of other districts are struggling with these costs right now,” she said. 

Hoyt said the cost for out-of-district special education placement has increased substanti ally in recent years.