Vermilion Local board votes 5-0 to hire Wendy Cowhert as SMS principal

The Vermilion Local School District Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to hire Wendy Cowhert as principal at SMS by a 5-0 roll call vote during a special meeting on May 29, 2024.

The superintendent recommended the board approve Cowhert for the position, saying the hire would be a three-year contract beginning Aug. 1, 2024, at year 10 on the administrator salary schedule. A motion to approve the superintendent's recommendation was made and seconded on the record and later approved by roll call.

Before the vote, the board invited Cowhert to introduce herself. Cowhert summarized roughly 30 years in education, saying she has taught special education, elementary grades and middle school language arts, and has served previously as a middle-school principal at Greenfield and later at Greenview. She described that most recently she spent time in a 47-building configuration, and said she is "excited to be here" and looks forward to serving the district.

Clerk roll call confirmed all five board members present and voting in favor; the clerk recorded the outcome as "Motion approved 5 0." No public commenters were registered to speak on the agenda items. The board then moved to adjourn and recorded unanimous approval to end the meeting at 4:34 p.m.

The contract details noted on the record were: three-year term starting 08/01/2024 and placement at year 10 on the administrator salary schedule. The transcript uses the abbreviation "SMS" for the school; the transcript did not specify the full school name represented by that abbreviation.