By Carol Britton Meyer

School committee member Regan Yakubian has resigned in order to apply for a nursing job within the school district. She is the second elected official to unexpectedly step down in the past two months.

The school committee would like to fill as soon as possible the vacancy resulting from the August 11 resignation, Superintendent of Schools Michael Jette said last Thursday, August 14, during a brief meeting of the remaining school committee members over the Google Meet platform

“I have decided to step down to pursue the opportunity to apply for the newly vacant position of school nurse at the Jacobs School,” Yakubian wrote in her letter of resignation. “This opportunity will allow me to continue to serve the district and its students, while also utilizing the skills and knowledge I have gained as a nurse over the past 15 years. I have great confidence in the members of our school committee and look forward to watching them continue to lead our district in a positive and meaningful direction.”

The board voted unanimously to send notice of the vacancy to the select board and to request a joint meeting as soon as possible to interview candidates to fill the vacancy until the May 2026 town election, when Yakubian’s term expires. She was first elected in 2023 as a write-in candidate.

In selecting the new school committee member, each of the five select board and four remaining school committee members has a vote.

The vacancy has been posted on the town’s website and is advertised in this week’s edition of the Times, including the three key roles of school committee members: “financial oversight, hire and collaborate with school superintendent, and set district policies.”

“We need to make formal notice to the select board to initiate the process,” Jette said, following the usual practice of holding joint meetings to fill openings on when an incumbent resigns before his or her term expires.

Jette set forth a timeline for appointing Yakubian’s replacement, leaving it to the committee to decide if it was “too aggressive.”

In response, Chair Kyle Conley, Brendan Kilroe – who participated from Albania, where his family was vacationing – Courtney Littlefield, and Liliana Hedrick agreed time is of the essence and accepted the proposed timeline.

Anyone interested in serving on the committee is asked to submit a resume and letter of interest to Town Clerk Lori West by Monday, September 8, the same deadline set for applications for the other current vacancy on a town board – a seat on the Hull Redevelopment Authority.

“I recognize this is a quick, aggressive timeline, but we’ve got a lot of things to take care of to get the school year [started],” Conley said. “If we need to, we can make an adjustment based on interest in the vacancy, or if no one steps forward … in which case we would have to promote the vacancy more … or if we hear [something different] from the public.”

Conley praised Yakubian's contributions to the school committee.

“Regan did a fantastic job and was a real asset to all of our initiatives and work,” she said. “It’s sad as a school committee to lose her as one of our own, but I’m thrilled she’s going to apply for a position with [the Hull Public Schools].”

On a nomination from Hedrick, the board elected Littlefield as secretary, a position formerly held by Yakubian.

“I hope you've been taking good notes!” Conley quipped.

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