New Milford native to fill vacancy on school board
NEW MILFORD — For nearly 30 years, lifelong resident Sarah Herring taught in the New Milford school district. As of this week, she’s a member of the school board.
The Town Council appointed Herring to fill the Republican vacancy left by former school board member Keith Swanhall, who resigned from the board Feb. 1, after serving since November 2021.
“As a teacher, I was always interested in the workings of the Board of Education,” Herring said. “Now as a retired teacher, former student, parent and taxpayer, I’m very interested in providing a quality education for New Milford students.”
Herring’s term on the board ends Nov. 30.
Herring said public service runs in her family. She said her grandfather, Walter Conn, was first selectman of New Milford in the 1950s, and her father, Walter J. Conn, was six-term state representative for the 67th District in New Milford.
Herring said she hopes to make board members aware of a teacher’s point of view because “I don’t think they hear that too often and I think they need to hear about the needs of the school system as seen through the eyes of a teacher.”
Herring said she’s concerned about the district’s disciplinary needs and structure for making students successful, as well as ensuring that the overall school curriculum is appropriate for students.
Herring was a substitute teacher in Brookfield before working in New Milford. She started as a substitute in New Milford in 1991 and became a teacher under contract in 1994.
“It was very special,” Herring said. “It felt very special to come back to the schools that I loved and be able to teach there.”
Herring said throughout her teaching career, she taught fifth grade for 14 years, first grade for a year and at the former Experiential Center for Early Learning Inclusive Preschool Program for part of a school year.
Additionally, she taught fifth grade at the former John Pettibone School and Sarah Noble Intermediate School — both of which she attended as a New Milford student. She also taught first grade at Hill and Plain Elementary School.
At this time, fifth grade is taught solely at Sarah Noble Intermediate School while preschool and first grade are taught at both Hill and Plain Elementary School and at Northville Elementary School.
Herring’s last post was teaching seventh grade math for 13 years at Schaghticoke Middle School before retiring in June 2021.
Herring said her retirement from the New Milford school district was “very bittersweet.”
“Part of me was sad, but part of me was looking forward to new adventures,” Herring said.
After graduating from New Milford, Herring attended Western Connecticut State University in Danbury where she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in Spanish and a master’s degree in curriculum.
All five of her children graduated from New Milford schools and four of her grandchildren are students in the New Milford school district.