Pierson tapped for co-principal role at Crossett Brook Middle School
Jan. 28, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Crossett Brook Middle School. File photo by Gordon Miller
Crossett Brook Middle School already has a new principal lined up for next school year, according to an announcement made on Friday.
Superintendent Mike Leichliter said longtime Harwood district administrator Duane Pierson’s next move will be the Duxbury school to succeed Principal Tom Drake who announced just one week ago that he would step down at the end of June.
In a letter to staff and families in the district, Harwood Unified Union Superintendent Leichliter said he would be recommending Pierson to the School Board to fill the position starting on July 1.
Pierson currently is assistant principal at Harwood Union Middle/High School. Since 2002, he has taken on a number of roles in the district including principal at Harwood and at Moretown Elementary School.
Drake has been principal at Crossett Brook since 2009. He presently is the main administrator at the school. The assistant principal position there is vacant after Kellie Klasen started in that job last fall but resigned by November.
Looking ahead, Leichliter said that “a seasoned administrator with knowledge of the school district is critical at this moment” as the district will aim to fill both leadership roles at Crossett Brook. Pierson, he said, suggested a restructuring somewhat.
“The district is fortunate that Mr. Pierson is willing to step into this position, from his current Assistant Principal position at Harwood, after the long tenure of Mr. Drake who has done an excellent job of building the culture of this middle school,” Leichliter said in his memo. “Due to the administrative shortage in the state of Vermont, a long-term individual in an assistant principal position has been difficult to maintain for a number of years.”
Pierson, he said, offered to serve as a co-principal “in order to attract an outstanding candidate that would then share administrative responsibilities.”
Wearing Harwood’s school tartan, Duane Pierson raps in a kilt during commencement remarks to Harwood Union High School graduates in 2012. File photo by Gordon Miller
Drake said he was thrilled that the school will have co-principals and that Pierson will be one of them. “Duane’s HUUSD experience and historical knowledge will no doubt help to smooth the transition to a new CBMS administrative team. This timing will allow Duane to be involved in that hiring process, which will be a big boost to creating a well-rounded team,” Drake said.
As principals of the two middle schools, Drake said he and Pierson already communicate almost every day. “With five months until the transition, I feel very assured that CBMS will be in great administrative hands going forward,” he said.
The next steps are already underway, he noted. “The district is in the process of advertising the position and establishing a search committee with representation from school board members, students, parents, teachers, support staff, and administrators. The co-principal position will be posted in the next few days with the goal of identifying a finalist by the end of March.”
In addition, Leichliter added, the assistant principal position at Harwood that Pierson leaves will also be advertised in order to fill that job for next fall.
In the meantime, Leichliter said that Drake and Pierson will begin to work on “a smooth transition” in the remaining half of this school year.
Two decades ago, Pierson joined the district as a special educator at Harwood Union High School. He moved on to director of special education and director of student services before becoming principal of the high school in 2006. In 2011, he moved to Moretown as principal where he in 2017 was named Vermont’s elementary school principal of the year by the Vermont Principals Association. After that, Pierson returned to Harwood where he has worked as assistant principal, leading the middle school.
Waterbury Roundabout was not able to reach Pierson on Friday.