Bennington board accepts Christy Ryan resignation; counsel outlines 45‑day appointment window under state law

The Bennington Public Schools Board on May 12 unanimously accepted the resignation of board member Christy (Christie) Ryan, who moved outside district boundaries, and began discussion of how to fill the vacancy.

Justin, the board’s attorney, told the board the controlling statute is 32‑570 and explained the practical options: the remaining board members may appoint a qualified resident by majority vote within 45 days of the resignation; if the board fails to appoint, the county may call a special election (paid for by the district). “Now that the board has taken action to accept the resignation, the board has 45 days to appoint a replacement,” Justin said during his explanation.

Board members discussed trade‑offs between appointment and election: appointment can avoid the estimated $20,000–$25,000 cost of a special election, but some members favored a broader application/interview process for transparency. The board settled on a two‑step plan: (1) authorize the superintendent and board president to approach likely candidates (the board discussed contacting a recent former member) to determine willingness to accept an appointment; and (2) if no viable candidate accepts, the board will open a formal application and public interview process and hold any required votes in public session.

The board voted to authorize the superintendent and board president to develop and distribute an application, set interview timeframes and to reach out to prospective candidates; the motion and related procedural steps passed on roll call. The authorized steps included publishing the required notice of vacancy in the newspaper as part of statutory requirements.