UPDATE 9:04 p.m.: Budget passes. Details to follow.
Y 2429 61%
N 1567 39%
Total votes cast 3991, compared to Town Meeting when 4125 votes were cast.
Statement from school board leadership team and superintendent
We are pleased to report that the Harwood Unified Union School District community voted in favor of the 2024-2025 school budget by a vote of 2429 (61%) in favor and 1567 (39%) opposed.
The last few months have been challenging for our schools and our community. Going into this budget season the school board and administration had to make some difficult decisions regarding programs, services, and personnel knowing that, among other factors, our federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) money was expiring while the lingering academic, social, and emotional impacts from the pandemic are still a reality for many of our students. These difficult decisions only grew after the second vote failed on April 30.
Additionally, with changes from Vermont Act 127 having a negative impact on our district finances we are aware that we still have challenging decisions ahead of us.
In spite of these challenges, our community expressed strong support for our schools and the important job that all of our employees do each and every day for our students.
The school board’s finance committee will continue to meet in order to explore thoughtful long-term solutions to reducing costs and operations while ensuring our core mission to provide a free and appropriate education for all students.
With the successful passage of this budget we are now able to focus our attention on bringing the 2023-2024 school year to a successful conclusion in just two short weeks.
Thank you again for your ongoing support for our schools.
Sincerely,
Ashley Woods, Board Chair
Cindy Senning, Board Vice Chair
Mike Leichliter, Superintendent of Schools
While the yes and no votes for Harwood’s third budget vote are being counted, local town clerks are sharing the number of ballots cast and total registered voters. This far we know that in:
-Fayston 424 of 1249 registered voters cast ballots.
-Moretown 550 of 1477 registered voters cast ballots
-Warren 553 of 1557 registered voters cast ballots.
-Waitsfield 594 of 1513 registered voters cast ballots.
-Duxbury 469 of 1161 voters cast ballots.
-Waterbury 1401 of 4425 registered voters cast ballots
Stay tuned for the co-mingled vote count.
