As The Valley Reporter goes to press on December 3, the Harwood Unified Union School Board (HUUSD) is meeting on budgeting for the coming year on the agenda. In advance of the meeting each school board member clarified their priorities for the 2026-2027 budget which will come before voters at Town Meeting next March.
School board member priorities stress the need to maintain core educational services, while safeguarding essential student supports, and improving clarity around cost drivers, at a time of continued fiscal uncertainty. Although perspectives varied, a shared theme emerged: protect classroom learning and student well-being while seeking efficiencies, partnerships, and long-term planning tools to sustain programs.
Several members, including Cindy Senning, Duxbury, Corey Hackett, Waterbury, and JB Weir, Waitsfield, voiced support for building the FY26 budget from a level-service foundation. Senning emphasized maintaining “core instructional programs” as the baseline and said any necessary reductions should fall first on nonacademic or nonmandated programs, non-safety maintenance or select support positions before touching classroom instruction. Hackett similarly argued that further program cuts are “not sustainable” and risk diminishing quality. Weir agreed with maintaining level services but urged attention to rising health insurance costs, asking the district to explore cost-containment strategies or incentives that could hold down long-term benefit expenses while continuing to support staff.
CLEARER EXPLANATIONS
Several members sought clearer explanations of the budget’s underlying mechanics. Langford Davidson, Fayston, asked for a more transparent view of the year-to-year cost increases and what specifically drives projected reductions. He also raised concern about rising student needs, particularly among students who require additional services, and encouraged exploring volunteer support from the community to sustain valued programs without adding financial burden. Emily Dolloff, Duxbury, requested a clear outline of “non-negotiable positions” and the minimum staffing levels needed to meet state requirements, especially in core high school content areas. She also urged a fuller accounting of athletics finances to understand how much is funded through the district budget versus private contributions, fees, and fundraising.
Rob Dabrowski, Waterbury, stressed the need for clarity around federal funding, including reimbursements owed to the district and anticipated reductions that may affect FY26 revenues. He also asked for updates on fundraising and volunteer initiatives, particularly those supporting facilities. Dabrowski advocated for nursing services, calling them essential for emergency response, chronic condition management, mental health crises, medication monitoring, truancy prevention, and support for students with complex medical and socioeconomic needs. He also sought clarity on state nurse staffing rules and their implications for local ratios and collaboration with health providers.
EQUITY AND COMMUNITY NEED
Other members framed budget decisions in terms of equity and community need. Rebecca Baruzzi, Fayston, highlighted the district’s role in providing “belonging, stability and equitable access” amid community socioeconomic challenges. She identified extracurricular programs, building access as community hubs and basic needs supports such as nursing as areas that should be protected. Baruzzi encouraged exploring a community school model and strengthening partnerships with local nonprofits and health organizations to sustain services without reducing them. She also recommended reviewing administrative roles for potential efficiencies and deferring non-safety maintenance if reductions are needed.
Multiple members encouraged evaluating administrative and facility efficiencies. Jonathan Young, Warren, said reductions should be applied equitably across all areas “including athletics” and argued that administrative spending should be reviewed as part of any savings plan. Bobbi Rood, Waitsfield, supported limiting budget increases to the cost-of-living adjustment and favored distributing reductions equitably. She recommended exploring building efficiencies, shared services, and program consolidation, as well as reviewing class size configurations and shared staffing models to protect services like nursing and afterschool programming.
LONG-TERM PLANNING
Long-term planning surfaced as another major theme. Steve Rosenberg, Moretown, urged the district to present multiple budget scenarios, level-funded, level-service and COLA-based, to help the community understand trade-offs. He asked for analysis of the staffing impacts under each scenario to identify reductions that would “least affect student learning,” and supported discussing a future facilities bond to maintain transparency around long-term needs.
Dan Roscioli, Waterbury, linked budget development to the district’s mission of rigor, innovation, and student-centered learning. He argued for strengthening academic rigor and innovation to counter enrollment decline and attract families, and called for performance metrics and resource accountability. Roscioli supported budget scenarios that reflect enrollment shifts and reinvest savings in facilities and capital needs. He also highlighted the importance of strong, affordable educators, flexible learning pathways, vibrant co-curricular offerings, and long-term efficiencies such as shared maintenance positions.
Pam Eaton, Waterbury, emphasized community interest in restoring opportunities such as summer programming, experiential learning, transportation access, and winter activities. She noted parental feedback on developing student independence and expressed concern about how maintaining multiple buildings affects the district’s ability to fund programming. Eaton encouraged deeper discussion of building efficiency and possible consolidation to balance opportunities with tax affordability.
FLEXIBILITY
Finally, Ben Clark, Moretown, framed his priorities around maintaining a budget that allows flexibility in the tax rate amid state-level uncertainty while ensuring the district remains adequately funded. He emphasized preserving high educational standards to meet the needs of all students.
Across perspectives, board members agreed on protecting core instruction, essential student supports and educational quality while seeking clearer financial analysis, equitable distribution of reductions, and long-term strategies to keep the district sustainable.
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