Harwood school board says ‘business as usual’ amidst redistricting uncertainty

August 30, 2025 | By Cheryl Casey | Correspondent

As the first week of school got underway, the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board returned to work determined to focus on district priorities while taking a wait-and-see approach to looming redistricting questions created by the state’s new education transformation law passed this spring, Act 73. 

At the first meeting of the school year on Aug. 27, district Superintendent Mike Leichliter said that although Act 73 “creates more questions of what we should do moving forward…we’ve taken the position that we’re going to move forward as if we’re Harwood Union Unified School District in perpetuity, and we’re going to do the necessary work that has to be done.”

In a letter to the community last week posted on the Waterbury Roundabout, board Chair Ashley Woods from Warren and Vice Chair Cindy Senning, a Duxbury representative, expressed similar sentiments. “To put it bluntly, as a board, we have no idea what’s coming down the pike for ours or any other school district in Vermont,” they wrote. 

Woods and Senning added that “The work of assessing the district’s school buildings by [architecture firm] TruexCullins is complete” and the board is looking forward to receiving that information “to thoughtfully and prudently get our schools in proper working order while we all wait to hear how our district might change in the future.”

Leichliter updated the board with his expectation that he and Lisa Estler, the district’s Director of Finance and Operations, will meet with the architects in mid-September about the facilities assessment and cost estimates.

“After we are certain those estimates look appropriate,” said Leichliter, the information will be shared with the building use committee and a public meeting will be held to collect community feedback before next steps are taken. 

Costs appeared top of mind for the board members. Bobbi Rood, a representative from Waitsfield, wondered whether Act 73 would really result in cost savings. “It will cost money to improve schools, and there’s no money in that fund right now,” she pointed out, adding, “and…there’s the transportation.” 

Weighing in on both the timeline and the results of the work of the Act 73 Redistricting Committee, Leichliter acknowledged that “in legislation, we tend to see very optimistic and quick timelines” that don’t play out in reality because “it takes time for anybody…to develop working relationships, especially when it’s a group that only meets periodically and people have other full-time jobs.” 

In Leichliter’s opinion, “the cost savings aren’t going to be in putting districts together. In fact, I believe that is going to increase costs,” he concluded. 

“I can’t figure what even is an option for us,” admitted Woods.

The rest of the meeting agenda reflected the board’s “business as usual” approach covering typical start-of-year housekeeping items such as reminders about board policies and practices, committee appointments, and review of summer highlights. The board welcomed its student representatives for this year: returning seniors Cashel Higgins and Grady Hagenbuch, and new junior-class members Charlotte Burkes and Emma Aither.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. in the Harwood library and online via Zoom. Meeting recordings are available on the district’s YouTube channel.