Exit interview: Brigid Nease in her own words
July 2, 2022 | Special from the Valley Reporter
Harwood Superintendent Brigid Nease in 2009. File photo by Gordon Miller
June 30 marks a mid-year transition in many circumstances, one, in particular, being the final day of the academic year for Vermont schools. As the 2021-22 school year came to a close, many transitions were underway. For some support staff, classroom teachers, and school administrators, it signaled the end of their employment contract with new prospects ahead.
Superintendent Brigid Nease was among those whose tenure with the Harwood Unified Union School District ended with the school year. Much has transpired in the 13 years since the former veteran principal at Johnson Elementary School came on as leader of what in 2009 was Washington West Supervisory Union. The district’s seven school boards eventually merged into one unified board in 2017 under Act 46, the state law that required districts to combine.
Nease agreed to a rare interview with The Valley Reporter Editor Lisa Loomis in June. The conversation covered much ground with Nease for the first time sharing her personal opinions on charged issues such as Act 46, school board dynamics, and situations she said she might change in hindsight. Her candid observations were shared in two lengthy question-and-answer format pieces published by the newspaper in print and online.
Below are some highlights shared with permission. Scroll to the bottom for links to the full pieces.
~ Lisa Scagliotti, Waterbury Roundabout editor
On her arrival in 2009 as the district’s first and only woman superintendent:
“The district was in disarray. … I took my lead from the Washington West board. I remember vividly a retreat we had at the old Small Dog building where we locked up for about seven hours, they explained to me what they thought their challenges and needs were and what needed attention and we did collaborative goal setting.”
On how her relationships with the seven school boards changed after the Act 46 consolidation of the district and the boards into one body:
“It was a friendly, collaborative, respectful situation. And then that all went away. …Looking back, my experience was that the board was culturally and politically divided. They quickly established themselves as an A team and a B team, and I was stuck in a vice grip of a tug of war game. …In three years, 24 board members left the board.”
On the white paper that outlined school realignment and recommended closing Fayston Elementary School:
“I couldn’t get out from under the infamous white paper. …These were all ideas that we’d talked about. We thought it would be a positive catalyst and it would generate crowds coming out and groups coming together and it had the direct opposite effect.”
On communicating:
“I think if I could figure out a way to do it all over again, I certainly would have done things differently and communication would have been first and foremost because the amount of time that things were just blatantly false or miscommunicated and the record never able to be corrected because of paths that we chose or board leadership chose. It didn’t serve the communities and didn’t get us ahead in the way that people wanted it to.”
On interacting with the public:
“The difference is that before Act 46 people felt safe and comfortable speaking their mind. After 46 things got off track, what people tell me is that they didn’t feel comfortable coming out in public and speaking their minds.
“I should have had my own forums — superintendent forums— where we don’t have to play by the same rules. Come on out, let’s sit in a circle and let’s chat. …That would have changed the tenor and that would have changed the communication, and it would have taken it out of the boxy, tight, not-human boardroom.”
On Act 46 overall:
“I think it was a disaster. … So, if certain tenets of Act 46 are just never going to be palatable and workable for this district, then get out of it. Figure out a way to get out of it. It has never worked for us.”
On the 2016 car-crash tragedy that claimed the lives of five local teenagers including four Harwood students:
“This was a life-altering event for every person. It was absolutely a life-altering event for me.”
On the COVID-19 pandemic, which required constant pivoting and decision-making.
“It was round the clock. …We have wonderful administrators. They’re highly collaborative. Decision-making is all shared. We were able to quickly mobilize. …I’m proud of how we handled the pandemic.”
On her departure and the handoff to a new administration:
Superintendent Nease at Harwood Union High Schools June graduation ceremony. Photo by Andy Bishop
“I leave sad. I leave sad for a number of reasons, but most important is financial stress that I think we’re in right now, some by our hands, some not by our hands. I’m wishing and hoping and trying to do everything I can to set up [new superintendent Mike Leichliter] in a way to succeed. …I want district to succeed, to rise up up, and would love to see Harwood become the flagship. I like Mike (Leichliter) and we meet three hours a week and email daily. I’m very hopeful for his leadership and success going forward.”
Read the full printed interview online at The Valley Reporter. The articles are posted in the website’s News section. Here is a link to Part 1 and a link to Part 2.