By the Harwood Union School Board
Harwood Union High School is undergoing transformation. Our communities are deep into a conversation about changing the way that we govern our schools. And teachers are working to implement “proficiency-based education,” a new state standard that will help ensure that students graduate high school with proven competencies in core subjects and skills.
Our goal at Harwood Union High School is to provide an excellent 21st-century education while delivering the most value for your educational dollar. The Harwood Union School Board has worked hard to build a cost-effective budget that supports a high-quality educational program. We are pleased to report that this year’s Harwood budget will result in a 1.7 percent decrease in the equalized union tax rate.
The Harwood community is fortunate to have a middle/high school with an outstanding reputation. Harwood Union High School is often cited as a reason that people want to live in the six towns that the school serves. We remain committed to ensuring that our school is an educational leader while also keeping it affordable.
Harwood Union High School is changing with the times. The school offers many learning opportunities that are new in the last few years:
Dual enrollment: Students can take two college classes for free and receive both high school and college credit.
Flexible pathways: High school students can receive credit for internships, work and other courses of their own design with administration approval.
Online learning: Harwood students can choose from an extensive catalog of online courses for which they can receive full course credit.
Personalized learning plans: Students work closely with teachers to devise a four-year learning plan that prepares them for college or other postsecondary training.
The Harwood community continues to get a very good return on its investment in our middle/high school:
Harwood ranks among the top 15 Vermont public high schools in SAT results (2013).
Of Harwood students who took AP exams, 83 percent scored 3 or above, among the best performances in the state (2013).
Ninety-five percent of Harwood students graduate high school (2013).
Six out of 10 Harwood graduates enroll in postsecondary education (2013).
Harwood offers diverse educational options to help students succeed and graduate: The Harwood Community Learning Center offers self-directed learning opportunities, Next Step links students to internships and work experiences and technical education prepares students for skilled trades.
Harwood Union has a rich extracurricular program that currently encompasses 53 sports teams and 25 clubs. Over 88 percent of six-year students at Harwood Middle School and High School will have participated in at least one co-curricular program over the course of their school career.
Harwood continues to explore new areas of educational interest and need. Last year, Harwood launched a new program in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The courses have been popular and are already delivering impressive results: Six eighth-grade female students led by STEM teacher Ryan Bushey participated in the Verizon App Design Challenge. Their app recently won Best in State and they will be competing at the regional level.
Harwood is expanding a ninth-grade Global Studies curriculum in English and history courses. And the school was selected to partner with the League of Innovative Schools and Great Schools Partnership, which provide support, resources and funds as the school works toward the implementation of state-mandated Proficiency Based Learning.
Technology is playing a growing role in education and represents an essential medium for preparing students for 21st-century careers. Harwood has invested in professional development, software and hardware, maintenance and providing 1-to-1 devices (one device for each student). Students in grades seven/eight now have iPads and all students in grades nine through 12 are equipped with Chromebooks. The purchase of Chromebooks for grades 11 and 12 is supported through the general fund and from grants.
With the heavy use of the school’s sports programs, we have been steadily upgrading our athletic fields. A new varsity soccer field will have its inaugural season this fall, relieving pressure on the existing field and enabling more teams to use it. This summer, we hope to begin construction of a new girls’ softball field, a long overdue need that finally brings the girls’ sports fields on-site and on par with the boys’ facilities, as required by law.
The Harwood School Board and the school administrators worked collaboratively to craft a budget that reduces expenditures 0.2 percent from last year and will result in a decrease in the equalized union tax rate of 1.7 percent. We accomplished this even while absorbing a 7.9 percent increase in staff health benefits and a 3.75 percent increase in labor and other fixed costs. The Harwood budget will not trigger tax penalties under Act 46. This is very good news for our school and our taxpayers.
Declining enrollment is a challenge and a major cost driver at Harwood, as it is at nearly all Vermont schools. Enrollment at the middle/high school has dropped from about 850 students a decade ago to 700 students today.
In response, the 2016-2017 proposed budget includes reductions in staff, bringing staffing to its lowest level in about a decade. We have accomplished this through retirements, staff reassignments and adjusting our course offerings and class sizes.
Harwood has realized notable savings in its budget. A retirement incentive program has resulted in annual staff salary savings of $145,000. Harwood’s wood chip heating system saves approximately $45,000 per year in energy costs and a new water well was brought online this year that was $100,000 less than the cost approved by voters in 2014.
We have worked hard to balance the twin goals of providing a high-quality educational opportunity for our children in the most cost-efficient way possible. We feel that the proposed Harwood budget achieves these goals.
The 2016 Harwood Union annual report can be found at town offices and viewed online at harwood.org. Residents are encouraged to attend the Harwood Union annual meeting on Monday, February 29, at 5 p.m. in the Harwood Union High School library. We look forward to addressing your questions.
Harwood board members: Susan MacLean Daley, Fayston; David Goodman, Waterbury, vice chair; Deborah Hunter, Moretown, chair; Garett MacCurtain, Duxbury; Stephen Sands, Waitsfield; Dale Smeltzer, Waterbury; Rosemarie White, Warren.
