Kingston School Committee Fills Vacancy with Experienced Member

Sheila Vaughn appointed to serve until May 2025 election as budget season approaches

KINGSTON, MA - August 27 - The Kingston School Committee and Board of Selectmen jointly appointed Sheila Vaughn to fill a vacancy on the school committee Tuesday night. Vaughn will serve until the next election in May 2025.

Vaughn, a Kingston resident for over 20 years, brings nine years of previous experience on the Elementary School Committee to the role. She was selected over Ron Litif, who also interviewed for the position.

"I'm happy to step in for the remainder of [Tim’s] term and be able to help out with the budget and understand the background of what happens, capital planning, the roofs, kind of have a lot of background, understanding the background of the budget and going forward," Vaughn said during her interview.

The upcoming budget season was cited as an important factor in the decision. School Committee member Jeanne Coleman said, "My concern going into the season is absolutely that we're going to all need to understand how to just go with the budget season this year. We're going to need to be able to digest what happened last year and figure out what we're working with this year, and it comes fast."

Vaughn highlighted her experience with budgets and understanding of school issues. "I think it's good for someone who's kind of been in it can understand, because it's going to go into budget season and understand kind of the budget and how it goes," she said.

The vote for Vaughn's appointment was unanimous among both the School Committee and Board of Selectmen members present.

While not selected, Litif was encouraged by several officials to stay involved and consider running for election in the spring. "I think the solar on the roof will be a game changer," Litif said, referring to one of his ideas for the schools.

School Committee Chair Megan Cannon thanked both candidates for their interest, noting the difficulty in filling such positions. "These seats can be hard to fill," she said.

The appointment comes as the school district faces challenges, including large class sizes. Litif mentioned his son's incoming kindergarten class has 31 students, which he called "an awful lot."

Vaughn will join the committee as it prepares to enter budget discussions for the upcoming year. She emphasized her readiness to "fight for what their needs are" when it comes to school budgets.

The next Kingston School Committee election will be held in May 2025, at which time the seat filled by Vaughn will be on the ballot for a full three-year term.