North Middlesex school committee elects Lisa Martin chair; Randy Rush named vice chair

The North Middlesex Regional School District School Committee elected Lisa Martin chair and named Randy Rush vice chair during its organizational meeting May 5.

Martin won the chair election by a 5-4 ballot tally after nominations and a brief speech period. Randy Rush was elected vice chair by the same margin. The committee also reappointed Michael Hartnett as district treasurer and approved the superintendent’s recommendation to reappoint Robin Ivy as school committee secretary.

The committee approved two law firms to serve as district counsel: Sullivan, Nuttall, McEvoy & Lyons PC for special-education matters and Valerio Delaniello & Hillman LLC for labor and general public-education matters. Committee members asked for additional clarity about how those contracts are billed; a member said the total cost is “shockingly small” but the exact retainer and fee schedule were not specified during the meeting.

Nut graf: The organizational votes set leadership and legal support for the coming school year and included discussion about roles and policy responsibilities that the incoming chair signaled she would emphasize.

Martin, who received the most votes, told the committee she intends to focus on “policy vigilance” and restoring more consistent in-person engagement: “I think we may need more calmness going forward and more bringing our communities back together,” she said. Rush, a long-serving committee member, outlined his institutional experience and work with committee policy.

Committee members read policy DBD, which defines the chair’s duties, during nominations and noted policy JIB (student involvement and decision making) as an item that needs to be updated to reflect recent changes in law. The committee confirmed that the chair has the same voting powers as any member but also has duties such as signing instruments, consulting with the superintendent on agendas, appointing subcommittees (subject to committee approval), and acting as the committee’s public spokesperson per policy DBD.

On the treasurer motion, a member moved to appoint Michael Hartnett as district treasurer for the 2025–26 school year; another member seconded the motion and the committee approved it by voice vote. The superintendent’s recommendation to reappoint Robin Ivy as secretary passed after a second and voice vote.

The committee accepted a motion to approve the listed district counsel firms for the 2025–26 year after members raised questions about retainer structures. A member said counsel firms notify the district of annual increases and that the firms set a base rate plus additional fees for extra services.

Ending: The leadership and appointments concluded the formal organizational business; the committee then moved to set subcommittees, discuss the meeting calendar and hybrid participation, and review training opportunities.