By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—On Friday, November 3, Neshobe Principal Vicki Wells submitted a letter to RNESU Superintendent Kristin Hubert stating her intention to resign at the end of the current academic year.
In an email sent to families and staff over the weekend, Principal Wells stated that “it was not an easy decision” and that she had been contemplating it for months.
Ms. Wells attributed the decision to the difficulty that she has had recovering from a recent bout of bronchitis and a desire to take care of her health.
“When I weighed all options, I made the difficult decision that it was in my best interest to focus on my health as my top priority,” Ms. Wells wrote.
“It has been a pleasure working with you and your children over the past few years!” she continued. “Please know I remain committed to continuing to move Neshobe forward for the remainder of the year and will support the transition to a new leader when the time comes.”
Ms. Wells has been at Neshobe since 2021, having taken the position after the retirement of Judy Pulsifer. Before Neshobe, Ms. Wells was the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at Addison Central Supervisory Union in Middlebury. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.
In an email to The Reporter, RNESU Superintendent Kristin Hubert stated that Ms. Wells had been in conversation with RNESU Central Office about her departure for several months.
Ms. Hubert also said that the job posting will go up within the week and that the District anticipates beginning interviews in late December or early January. If the search process continues beyond the current school year, RNESU has “a chain of command and succession protocols” that will be implemented, though the District “[doesn’t] envision this happening,” Ms. Hubert said.
One staff member at Neshobe expressed concern to The Reporter that “there is a very shallow hiring pool of qualified candidates seeking positions like this.” Ms. Wells’s career at Neshobe has been short—only 2 years—but she is currently the longest-serving principal in the RNESU School District.
Superintendent Hubert assured The Reporter, however, that “new administrators are also given formal mentors and coaches who help them acclimate to our organization and communities.”
Ms. Wells experienced some public criticism after an incident last spring when 2 students threatened acts of violence at school. Some parents felt that the principal’s office did not communicate the threats quickly enough to Neshobe families. A letter to the editor in The Reporter even called for Ms. Wells to resign.
Emails seeking comment from Ms. Wells and from Laurie Bertrand, Chair of the OVUUS Board, were not answered at press time.
