School Committee Chair John Ruark announced at Monday’s meeting that he does not intend to run for a second term in May’s Town Election. He urged his fellow committee members to encourage candidates who might be interested in running for the open seat.
Ruark has served on the School Committee since 2017 and has been its chair since the beginning of 2019, when SusanMary Redinger stepped down from the position to become chair of the School Building Committee. Ruark also served on several subcommittees within the School Committee.
In a later email explaining his decision, Ruark wrote, “It’s been an honor to serve the students, the families, the administration and staff, my fellow committee members, and the town for three years. I’ve had some changes in my work demands and in my personal life that make it challenging for me to be able to invest the time and energy required to properly serve the schools and all the talented, passionate people working so hard to provide a great education for our students.”
Also at Monday’s meeting, School Superintendent Linda Dwight said the district had begun the search for a new facilities director. She had already informed the School Committee by email that Jon Snyer had announced his resignation, effective March 4.
Snyer came to the Harvard School District as facilities director in June 2018. In a recent communication to the Finance Committee, Dwight said he had “saved the district tens of thousands of dollars” with the repairs and improvements he was able to do himself, rather than outsourcing the work.
Dwight said more than 15 applicants had expressed interest so far in the facilities director position. Principals Scott Hoffman and Josh Myler, Business Manager Aziz Aghayev, and Dwight will begin interviewing selected candidates this week.
