Joint boards appoint Durgin-Sicree to fill School Committee vacancy in 7-2 vote

SUDBURY — December 9, 2025 — Sudbury joint boards appoint Julie Durgin-Sicree to fill School Committee vacancy. The Select Board and School Committee voted 7-2 Tuesday to seat the Takeda HR executive and longtime Sudbury parent through Annual Town Meeting in May 2026, choosing her over Ellen Lederer-DeFrancesco and former committee member Tyler Steffey. Both no votes — Select Board member Daniel Carty and School Committee member Nicole Bernard — favored Steffey on grounds of continuity through the district's $1.6 million budget shortfall and active union negotiations. "Where Tyler has already been through the budget process and negotiations, he can dive right in," Bernard said. School Committee Chair Karen Jones nominated Durgin-Sicree, citing her organizational-effectiveness background and language of "balancing empathy with accountability." Durgin-Sicree and Lederer-DeFrancesco both said they will pull papers Jan. 8 to run for the full three-year term; Steffey said he will not.