Members

Ward 1

Gary Golden, Committee: Curriculum
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 802-735-6058 | Email
Gary Golden is serving as the East District School Commissioner for Wards 1 and 8. A 28-year resident of the Old East End, his daughter attended school at the Edmunds campus and BHS. A USAF veteran (musician), former college chaplain, former school social worker and long-distance kayaker, Gary is interested in serving Burlington families and students as we build a new high school and deal with the aftershocks of COVID-19. “I hope to ask a lot of questions and learn about where we are as a community. Can’t wait!”

Ward 2- Integrated Arts Academy

Polly Vanderputten, Committee: Policy & Governance
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 802-578-8653| Email

Polly Vanderputten is a full-time public high school teacher with over 20 years’ experience. She has taught in public schools in Chittenden County, in preschools in Vermont and in France, and in night classes for adults in New York City. She is a graduate of McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in Littérature française and Religious Studies (1999), and she holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from UVM (2011). She currently teaches German and French at South Burlington High School.

Polly is also a cellist, performing anything from traditional classical repertoire to deconstructed, purely improvisational music. While her creative pursuits are primarily through music, she is passionate about the arts in general.

Polly has lived in the Old North End since 2006. She has a daughter who attends one of the BSD middle schools, and connections through her to many families in the neighborhood. She sees all of her neighbors as stakeholders in the public schools in Burlington, whether they are raising children now, have children who are grown, or do not have children, and she is honored to serve her dynamic, vibrant community as School Commissioner.

Ward 3- Sustainability Academy

Heather Amato
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 970-376-2102 | Email

Heather has called Vermont home for the past eight years, first settling in Burlington’s South End before putting down roots in the Old North End, where she and her husband and daughters are proud to be part of this vibrant community. Prior to moving to Vermont, she spent 27 years in New York City, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a deep appreciation for what makes tight-knit neighborhoods thrive.

With a 25 year career in the beauty industry, Heather knows what it takes to build something great — and she’s excited to bring that same energy, dedication, and collaborative spirit to the work of making Burlington’s schools the best they can be.

As the mother of two daughters — one at Champlain Elementary and one at Edmunds Middle School — she has a personal and daily investment in Burlington’s public schools, and is dedicated to ensuring all families across every neighborhood feel seen, supported, and heard.

Ward 4- Flynn

Melissa Zygmant
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 917-912-4711 | Email

Melissa Zygmant is a proud resident of Burlington’s Ward 4. A long‑time advocate for public education, she has been an active member of PTOs and school advisory committees at Burlington Public schools. She is committed to partnering with her fellow board members and the district to ensure our schools continue to serve every student in equitable and sustainable ways that will benefit the greater Burlington Community, and is eager to hear from Ward 4 residents about their experiences, priorities, and hopes for our schools.

Ward 5- Champlain

Lucia Campriello, Board Clerk, Committee: Policy & Governance
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 802-391-0079 | Email

Lucia lives in Burlington’s South End with her husband Joe and two young daughters Angeline and Sofia. Outside of business hours Lucia and her family can be found traveling as a four-pack between the bike path, beaches, playgrounds, waterfront, Bolton Valley and Centennial Field (season depending)!

Professionally, Lucia’s children and their team of exceptional early childhood educators at Pine Forest Children’s Center inspire her advocacy for equity, affordability, and quality in Vermont’s child care system within Let’s Grow Kids’ campaign to solve Vermont’s child care crisis by 2025. More broadly Lucia’s career over the past two decades has included advocacy, policy, and philanthropy with a focus on supporting children and vulnerable populations.

Lucia enjoys volunteering her time supporting causes that are important to her, including board service with Generator, a makerspace in Burlington and with Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, a statewide membership organization for early childhood educators. She is a former Steering Committee member with the Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Assembly, and she is entirely honored to represent her Ward 5 community as School Board Commissioner.

Lucia received an MS in public affairs from the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at University of Massachusetts Boston and a BA from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Ward 6- Edmunds Middle School & Champlain

Clare Wool, Board Chair, Committee: Finance & Facilities
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 917-912-4333 | Email

Clare is the Chairwoman of the Board. For over a decade Clare served as the PTO leader at Edmunds Elementary School and Edmunds Middle School where she worked for positive outcomes for all students, faculty, staff, and families. As Chair of Burlington High School’s Seahorse Pride, Clare worked to expand the support organization beyond athletics to encompass academics, arts, and student enrichments. Clare’s day-to-day experience in the schools motivated her to run for the school board. Drawing on her career as a Producer in the entertainment industry with over twenty years at Viacom Networks, Clare is committed to model best business practices and professionalism with the ultimate goal of excellence in education. Clare and her husband Sam feel extremely fortunate their three children are students in the Burlington public schools.

Ward 7- Hunt Middle School & CP Smith

Polly Ericksen, Committee: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 802-304-8718 | Email

Polly Ericksen is the mother of a Hunt Middle School student. She is proud product of Philadelphia public schools and hence has a deep commitment to public education. Before moving to Burlington, she lived and worked in many countries in the global South, and this lived experience has shaped her profoundly. She brings her considerable experience working and living in many cultures, along with budget and project management skills, to her role on the school board. She directs a research institute at UVM.

Ward 8- Edmunds Elementary School

Jacqueline “Nikki” O’Toole
Term Ends: 2028
Tel: 203-913-4897 | Email

I moved to Burlington from Southern CT in April 2021 with my husband Michael and our two daughters Maia and Eden. My life has been dedicated to family; first managing a family restaurant on the Upper Westside of NYC together with my twin sister, then a family consignment shop in Westport, CT before putting my paralegal and administrative skills to the task of serving our private practice, together with my husband, serving as the office manager for three Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in CT and VT. We chose the City of Burlington to raise our children for the sense of community, the people’s grit and compassion, and the sublime green mountains, farms and lake. It is our hope to advance together, and work to forge strategic alliances in support of local education and healthcare initiatives, role-modeling core values of empathy, discipline and respect.

District Central- Integrated Arts Academy & Sustainability Academy

Jean Waltz, Committee: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Term Ends: 2027
Tel: 802-355-7856 | Email

Jean Waltz, known as Jeannie, has lived in the Old North End since 1987 and has taught at the Rock Point School since 2000. A parent and foster parent of daughters who attended Burlington’s schools, she served as vice-president of the H.O. Wheeler PTO. She also served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in the schools for three years and coordinates “The Ramble,” the O.N.E.’s yearly celebration of creativity and community. Jeannie works to address the challenges in our diverse neighborhood while respecting neighbors’ multiple points of view.

District East- Edmunds Middle & Elementary Schools

Matthew Price
Term Ends: 2027
Tel: 802-735-6058 | Email

Matthew Price is a Ward 1 resident and parent of two children in the district’s schools. As a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Vermont, Matt has dedicated his career to supporting resilience and recovery after trauma, understanding firsthand how public schools equip students to overcome life’s challenges. Matt is committed to ensuring every child receives the tools they need to thrive. Inspired by his mother, an elementary school teacher, he deeply values educators’ dedication and is eager to collaborate with families, teachers, and district leadership to strengthen our schools.

District North- Flynn, CP Smith, and Hunt Middle School

Kendra Sowers, Committee: Finance & Facilities
Term Ends: 2027
Tel: 1-802-598-2346 | Email

Kendra lives in the New North End with her husband, Charles, and her three children since she moved to Vermont in 2011. She has been active in the Burlington public schools for the past 17 years while her children attended CP Smith, IAA, Hunt, and BHS. Kendra served on the Burlington Finance Committee, as President of the Robin’s Nest Children’s Center Board for 7 years, and on various school PTOs. Kendra is passionate about ensuring our schools empower, educate, and equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful, engaged citizens.

Kendra has a B.S. in Political Science from Bates College and an M.S. in Information Management. She is currently the co-owner of Artemis Fitness in South Burlington.

District South- Champlain

Jeff Wick, Board Vice Chair, Committee: Policy & Governance
Term Ends: 2027
Tel: 1-917-282-5256 | Email

Jeff presently serves as Vice Chair of the school board. Jeff is a local lawyer, is married, and is the father of three children in the Burlington schools. In addition to a law degree, Jeff has an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in finance. Jeff believes deeply in public schools and community service. Prior to serving on the school board, Jeff served on the following City of Burlington boards and commissions: Tax Appeals Board (3 years), Airport Commission (4 years), and Pension Board (5 years).

Jeff also runs, on a volunteer basis, a local middle school math program for students who are interested in accelerating and maximizing their math and problem-solving skills. Jeff believes that we owe each and every one of our city’s children the opportunity for a rigorous and challenging individualized K-12 education and that every child should be given an opportunity to succeed at that child’s highest ability level. Jeff coaches Little League baseball and has volunteered as a summer math coach at the local non-profit, the King Street Center.

Student Representatives to the School Board

Idris Garvey-Ibrahim Email

My name is Idris Garvey-Ibrahim, I am currently a junior at Burlington High School. I am part of the BHS boys basketball team, as well as participating in philosophy and creative writing clubs. I have always been drawn to leadership positions which is why I have been serving on the Superintendent’s study advisory board for the last five years, where we address community and school issues. I am also a peer tutor for chemistry one students at BHS. I have completed the school district´s Racial Justice Academy where we tackled issues of inequalities present in our community. I have been in the school district since I was in kindergarten, and am looking forward to bringing my experience and perspective as a student to the school board.

Anne Harte Email

My name is Annie Harte and I am a junior at BHS. I love my community and am determined to make others feel similarly. I am on the BHS women’s soccer team, junior class representative, and the leader of the Hippocampus tutoring center. At the tutoring center, we work to connect upperclassmen and underclassmen through our open door tutoring program and quarterly events. We also work to make resources available to everyone to take the barriers off of education and college prep opportunities. In addition to soccer, I also love to write and create. For the past two years I have written and directed/acted in two one-act plays for the drama club. I am also a proud member of philosophy club, Model UN, and I’m the managing editor of the BHS register! I’ve been in the Burlington School District since I was five years old. I have great pride in my community and love working to make it the best place it can be for everyone!