The School District Redistricting Task Force held its final meeting on Thursday. Since August, the group has been working to design no more than three maps of school district boundaries that attempt to achieve scale and efficiency across Vermont’s 119 school districts and 52 supervisory unions.

Middle school actors, singers, and crew are working hard in preparation to present “Mean Girls, Jr.” Friday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 7, on the Harwood stage.

When the state panel charged with reconfiguring Vermont’s school districts met this week, Harwood’s school board chair was among the many people who offered public comments critical of the state’s plan. 

The majority of Vermont school redistricting task force members endorsed a proposal on Monday that would incentivize voluntary mergers of the state’s 119 school districts. Most of the committee also opposed a new school district map based around centers for career and technical education.

BARRE — Hours after Thursday’s belated ballot count revealed voters in the 18-town district had rejected the $149 million bond proposal, members of the Central Vermont Career Center School District Board who serve on the facilities committee huddled with administrators to discuss if, how and when to respond.

Two hours out of each of Harwood’s seven-hour school days are dedicated to lunch blocks. The kitchen staff spends hours planning, preparing, and serving meals. Much of the planning involves coordinating with local farmers, as 25% of Harwood’s lunches are locally sourced.

BARRE — Voters in the 18-town school district that operates the Central Vermont Career Center have rejected financing a $149 million new facility.

BARRE — What they said will remain a mystery until the last of the ballots are tabulated Thursday afternoon, but voters in the 18-town Central Vermont Career Center School District have spoken with respect to a $149 million bond, which, if approved, would finance construction of a standalone, state-of-the-art center in a corner of Barre Town.

A medical issue involving a student on the way to Brookside Primary School on Tuesday morning resulted in a Waterbury bus being late on its morning route and an ambulance being called for help. The student was treated and sent home, according to school officials.

On a recent Friday night, anxious student musicians gathered backstage and their fans filled the Harwood Union High School auditorium, all in hopes of winning an exciting prize: a day in a professional recording studio, a chance to perform at Higher Ground, and the title of Battle of the Bands Champion.

The Harwood school board has tasked its Buildings and Visioning Committee with taking a deep dive into the facilities report from architectural firm TruexCullins and drafting a priority list of maintenance projects needing the most immediate attention. 

The Vt. School District Redistricting Task Force heard strong support to protect Vermont’s school choice system at a recent meeting. The panel is continuing its work to propose options for redrawing the state’s school districts.

Tuesday, Nov. 4, is Election Day, and without statewide elections this year, only a handful of items are on ballots around Vermont. 

Harwood Union Middle/High School’s annual Citrus Sale is now open for orders. 

Harwood Union High School's Theatre Department will light up the stage for performances of “Puffs,” Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8. 

The Harwood School Board gets the latest enrollment data and plans to spend an hour of Wednesday’s meeting reviewing a presentation by architects, detailing maintenance needs across the district’s school buildings.

Harwood Union High School’s stage will be the battleground on Friday for the fourth annual Battle of the Bands that gathers student musicians from central and northern Vermont for competition and education.

The J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation and the Community College of Vermont have announced an extension of a free college degree program to include students in Vermont’s high school classes of 2027 and 2028. 

The Harwood School Board has decided not to take a public stand as a group on the $149 million bond to build a new Central Vermont Career Center, but several members at last week’s meeting expressed their individual support for the project.

One of Fayston’s two representatives to the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board has resigned, creating an opening for the board to fill with a Fayston resident to serve until March.

BARRE — Plans to construct a new, standalone, state-of-the-art home for the Central Vermont Career Center encountered turbulence during Tuesday night’s required public informational meeting, even as voters in 18 area towns are already casting ballots on the $149 million bond that would pay for it.

Work is completed and preschoolers at Brookside Primary School are enjoying new features on the school playground built just for them with the help of an $80,000 state grant awarded in 2024.

Vermont State University and VSAC have announced that students from almost half of Vermont households can now earn a two- or four-year college degree at Vermont State University tuition-free. 

The Harwood Union High School Math Department is seeking guest presenters during the weeks of Dec. 1 and April 6 to talk to students about their careers.

The school redistricting task force, now at its halfway mark, began its review of a draft map for the first time since launching in August. The group is tasked with proposing up to three possibilities to the Legislature by Dec. 1.

Despite the record dry spell and ongoing drought conditions in Vermont, a brief break in the sunshine last week for rain showers revealed leaks in the roof at Brookside Primary School and emergency repairs are scheduled for next weekend. 

Ballots are now available for the Central Vermont Career Center bond vote that will take place on Nov. 4. AN informational hearing will be held Tuesday, Oct. 7.