The first of several public sessions to discuss public school funding for next year drew about two dozen people last week and more online as Harwood school officials answered questions and shared details of the draft proposal that will eventually appear on the Town Meeting Day ballot in March.

The Harwood Unified Union School District School Board will host a special public informational session on Thursday about the process to build a proposed 2025-26 school budget that voters will consider next spring. 

Vermont adolescents and teens are reporting less risky behavior when it comes to drug, alcohol and tobacco use while many young people say they are grappling with mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety and depression. 

Public education in Vermont is in the spotlight this year and multiple efforts are under way by state and local education leaders to take stock of Vermont’s K-12 education system from its design to its costs and funding mechanisms. Here are details on three opportunities for the public to get involved.

A transition took place last week at Harwood Union High School that restructured the administration team as Co-Principal Laurie Greenberg stepped down and staffer Jessica Deane was promoted to assistant principal. 

An outbreak of the fatal Marburg virus has led Harwood Union High School to cancel its plans for the annual student trip to Rwanda in early 2025. 

All is well at Waitsfield Elementary School after school officials worked with Vermont State Police this morning to investigate what they quickly determined to be a hoax threat directed at multiple schools.

As the new school year settles into a routine, students at Harwood Union Middle/High School are getting accustomed to having cellphones away during the school day.  But some school board members have pushed back on spending $21,000 for the phone pouches in use and even more favor the district creating a formal policy addressing cellphones in all schools. 

Harwood’s plan to go cellphone-free this school year has hit a slight bump in the road. Special cases for students to store phones during the school day have not arrived in time for the start of the school year.

With the new school year about to begin, one big hurdle for the Harwood Unified Union School District has been cleared -- the union and school board have reached a three-year contract agreement that increases compensation in an effort to attract and retain teachers in a competitive job market. 

In a letter sent to Harwood Union Middle/High School families this week, Co-Principal Laurie Greenberg announced that she will be stepping down from her position with her final day being Thursday, October 10. 

New – and fewer – school bus routes are in effect for the 2024-25 school year. 

With the first day of school less than a month away, principals at Harwood Union Middle/High School have announced details for the new school policy to keep students’ cell phones locked away during the school day in an effort to reduce distractions and improve learning and socializing.

The newly created Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont begins its work this morning and Harwood’s superintendent is one of the commission members.

Some savvy shopping and buying has helped the food service program in the Harwood Unified Union School District qualify for state grant funding to help pay for its student meals. 

Crossett Brook Middle School’s 73 eighth graders crossed their graduation stage on Thursday, marking a milestone in their school careers as they now look to high school.

As they spent their final moments together as a class, Harwood’s newest graduates on Saturday were reminded of some unforgettable early experiences of their high school careers that began early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pride flag flying for the past three weeks on the flagpole in front of Harwood Union Middle/High School was stolen over the weekend, Harwood administrators announced on Tuesday.

With turnout of 35% across the school district, voters have approved a $47,892,873 million budget to run the schools in the Harwood Unified Union School District for the 2024-25 school year.  Supporters cast 2,429 ballots in favor for 61%.

The announcement carries an attention-grabbing message: “Harwood We Are Going Back to 1995” as teachers and administrators at Harwood Union HS look for community input Wednesday night, May 29, on a plan to go cellphone-free starting next school year.