School board: Leaders bid farewell, 2024-25 calendar set, and more
February 23, 2024 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
The 2024-25 school calendar will have students off for Election Day on Nov. 5. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Harwood school district’s calendar for the 2024-25 school year has just been set and it includes a schedule juggle in November that gives students Election Day off.
At the Feb. 21 meeting of the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board, Superintendent Mike Leichliter shared the recently completed calendar for the 2024-25 school year. The first day of school is Aug. 27 and the last scheduled day is June 13.
One key difference from this year is that the week of Thanksgiving has Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 27-29, as days off for the holiday. This year the district had the entire week off for the first time.
It also designates Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 4-5, as non-student days: Nov. 4 for family conferences, and Nov. 5 as a staff development day. Nov. 5 is also Election Day and the day off allows for Brookside Primary School in Waterbury to be used as the town’s polling place without having students in attendance.
The shift in the schedule was made to accommodate a request from Waterbury town officials who would like to hold the November general election at Brookside. Given that it’s a presidential election year, high voter turnout is anticipated and Waterbury with just under 4,400 registered, has the largest number of voters of all the towns in the school district.
The request included asking whether the district could accommodate using the building for the election while also not having school in session for the day. In November 2022 for the general midterm election, both school and town election officials had concerns about security and multiple parents voiced concerns over having the building open to the general public all day while classes were in session.
On typical school days, entry to the building is tightly controlled with a security system where visitors need to use a buzzer and sign in. On election day, there was high foot traffic as people came and went freely throughout the day.
In December 2022 when Leichliter was new in his role as superintendent, he visited the Waterbury Select Board as an introduction. Town Clerk Karen Petrovic then shared some of the concerns from the election that had taken place just a few weeks prior.
Leichliter this January told the school board that he had asked the towns that typically rely on voting in their schools if they could make arrangements to use other community buildings in November this year. Officials in Waitsfield and Warren said they would use other buildings this November. Warren plans to use its town hall and Waitsfield can use a church, according to town clerks in those communities.
Without a public building in town comparable to Brookside school in size and accessibiilty, Waterbury requested the primary school location, preferably without classes in session, Petrovic explained in an email to the school board on Feb. 1. The town select board followed by giving the request its unanimous support at its Feb. 5 meeting.
Leichliter cited challenges to scheduling the day off for students including having all of the district schools on the same schedule, sharing a calendar with the Central Vermont Career Center, and a desire to not push the last day of the school year too late into June.
By this week, however, Leichliter told the School Board that the matter was resolved by limiting the days off around the Thanksgiving holiday. Staff feedback on the calendar supported the final version that he presented on Wednesday. He said the calendar will be shared with staff and families and posted on the district’s website HUUSD.org soon.
Petrovic earlier this week told the Waterbury Select Board that she had gotten word from the superintendent that the school would be available for the Nov. 5 election. In an email to Leichliter, she thanked him for accommodating the town’s request. “I am very grateful,” she said.
Departing members bid farewell
Five of the School Board’s 14 members are ending their terms with the upcoming March 5 election. Warren member Jonathan Young and Fayston member Mike Bishop are on the ballot unopposed for re-election. Board Chair Kristen Rodgers of Moretown, Vice Chair Kelley Hackett and member Marlena Tucker-Fishman, both of Waterbury, are not running again.
In Moretown, there is one candidate for Rodgers’ seat, newcomer Steven Rosenberg. No candidates are on the ballot for the Waterbury positions although candidates still may run as write-ins for any of the seats up to election day. In Waterbury, a write-in needs 30 votes to win election.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Rodgers, Hackett and Tucker-Fishman all took a few minutes to offer some remarks at what was their final regular board meeting of their terms.
Tucker-Fishman, who is completing a three-year term, commented on her three years on the board saying she’s watched the “tone and stage continue to be reset for open dialogue” and there’s been a growing commitment to community engagement. She praised the involvement of Harwood high school student representatives on the board. “It’s been a real joy to watch that same commitment and engagement happen with the new student reps,” she said. “I’ll be looking forward to watching from the outside.”
Being on the school board attracted curiosity, questions and conversations in unexpected places, Tucker-Fishman noted. “I’m surprised how many people are interested to know what it’s like to be on the school board in line at the grocery store, or while pumping gas, or waiting in line for creemees – and that’s just to name a few,” she remarked.
And while community members can participate by sending board members emails or commenting at meetings, she urged people to consider a greater commitment. “Being on the school board for the past three years has been a great way to engage from within. I would encourage others to do the same,” she said.
Harwood School Board leaders Kristen Rodgers and Kelley Hackett are ending their terms on March 5. Courtesy photo
First elected in 2020, Hackett acknowledged that serving on the board isn’t always an easy role. “My experience has been much like a rainbow, ranging from dark moments of conflict and hostility, to a state of anxiousness and unpredictability, to yellow of cognizance and certainty,” she shared. “I have come to understand that the work we are doing is hard. It is hard because we will never make everyone happy.”
She said she enjoyed meeting and working with many people who care about schools, and Hackett thanked fellow board members. “While we may not always agree, I am proud of the board that I am leaving behind as we have established a good working relationship and respect for one another,” she said.
Hackett laughed, reflecting on how she and Rodgers in 2022 accepted board leadership positions not knowing entirely what to expect. “We took it on together and supported one another,” she said.
She praised Rodgers’ “unwavering leadership and dedication” to the school district. “You have undoubtedly led our district to a place where we can converse respectfully with one another and get work done,” Hackett said.
She also acknowledged Leichliter and Finance Manager Lisa Estler, who both joined the district in 2022. “It’s been a tremendous honor working with both of you. Our district is lucky to have the two of you working and advocating for our schools. Your dedication to education and your experienced perspective has aligned our district and community to collaborate and flourish,” Hackett said.
Rodgers spoke last offering a frank, unvarnished, and at times emotional reflection on her school board service. She began with an anecdote of going on a rollercoaster ride with her son last year at Universal Studios – from excitement, nervousness, anticipation and self-doubt to the thrill and enjoyment of the ride.
“That is how I would describe and sum up the last five years for me on this school board – exactly like a rollercoaster – definitely ups and downs, wondering if I made the right decisions along the way, and at times questioning why I was even on the school board. That was fleeting, but came when it was really hard to walk through those doors and sit at this table,” she confessed. “But at the same time, I also experienced and I was part of some pretty cool and awesome things, too. I would say I got the full rollercoaster ride.”
Looking around the table, Rodgers said she is proud of the board today and that she has learned from each of its members. “This is not easy work, and those who choose to step up and take a seat at the table know that it is a thankless job,” she said, later extending that thanks to board members’ families including her own.
She praised Hackett as the other half of “the Dream Team” – a nickname board member Young assigned them a year ago. “You are an amazing board member, person, and friend,” she said.
Rodgers also acknowledged the superintendent. “You have changed the district and because of you, I finally feel it is OK to pass the torch to somebody else,” she said, adding that she plans to take a short break, but would like to apply to be a substitute school nurse in the near future.
Waitsfield board member Bobbi Rood, who joined the board in 2022 said the outgoing leaders were an example. “What a wonderful intro to a school board – having both of you as the ‘Dream Team’ – you really were,” she said. “And I hope we can duplicate that in March.”
The board will reorganize choosing new officers at its first meeting following Town Meeting Day. That would be March 13 unless the board opts to reschedule and meet sooner.
Outgoing Harwood School Board Chair Kristen Rodgers of Moretown was honored at a Moretown Elementary School assembly this week. L to R: Principal Kate Liptak, staff member & artist Liz Harris, Rodgers (with art by Harris), and Superintendent Mike Leichliter. Photo by Brenda Hartshorn
Other business
A number of other issues were addressed at the Feb. 21 board meeting.
Union contract nears completion: Leichliter told the board that a tentative agreement has been reached with the school district’s support staff union. The previous contract expired June 30, 2023 and negotiations have dragged for months. Leichliter said the membership was expected to vote on it soon. The school board agreed to hold a special Zoom-only meeting during school break week next Wednesday, Feb. 28, to accept the contract so that the administration could expedite processing back pay to staff as soon as possible. See a separate story on the labor agreement here.
Union grievance: At the top of Wednesday’s meeting agenda was an executive session to address a grievance from the Harwood Union Education Association. The board went into a closed-door meeting for more than two hours with Leichliter, Estler, teachers’ union representatives Jess Deane, Whitney Doenges, and Matt Henchen and a lawyer for the school district, Sean Toohey. The board did not take any action regarding the matter when it returned to public session.
Student travels: Student members on the board shared an update about events at Harwood Union High School including a recent visit by exchange students from Denmark; a group of Harwood students is planning to visit Denmark in April. Also, a Harwood student group is currently on a travel-study trip in Rwanda. A study trip to India is planned for this spring as well.
Student input on Harwood renovations: Student reps reported on recent discussion groups at the high school regarding building needs at Harwood Union MS/HS. Students were asked to weigh in on elements to include in future renovations. The most support was for the proposed general compliance category that covers building systems such as heating/cooling, electrical, plumbing, and the school roof. Students also had strong support for adding and replacing windows, upgrading the auditorium, adding a second gymnasium and upgrading the track and field facility.
Pink the Rink (and the court): Student reps noted that the winter sports teams held a cancer awareness fundraising effort this month where girls and boys hockey and basketball teams sported pink jerseys. According to Athletic Director Ian Fraunfelder, the teams at their fundraiser games donated admission fees, 50/50 raffle and Chuck a Puck proceeds to Officials vs. Cancer, an organization that fundraises for Vermont cancer charities. The combined effort donated approximately $4,000 to the Central Vermont Medical Center’s Branches of Hope fund.