Eastford board to explore other high‑school sending options; invites E.O. Smith to present

The Eastford Board of Education voted Oct. 10 to begin exploring alternatives to its current high‑school sending arrangement and asked Superintendent Dr. Donna Leake to invite E.O. Smith to present at the next board meeting.

Lauren Barlow, a board member, told colleagues that cost is the largest factor in considering whether to change the district’s sending school. Dr. Donna Leake said the board should hear directly from representatives of other high schools and suggested the board visit candidate schools; she offered to help arrange those visits. Board members expressed support for hosting a community conversation about the topic and for visiting potential sending schools before making any decision.

Robert Ellsworth and other board members discussed logistics and timing; the board agreed to delay requesting information from The Woodstock Academy until the next school year and to prioritize a presentation from E.O. Smith at the next meeting. No vote to change the sending arrangement was taken; the action at the Oct. 10 meeting was limited to directing staff to arrange presentations and site visits.

The matter affects tuition and transportation budgeting for the district; the board’s next steps are to schedule the E.O. Smith presentation, plan site visits, and consider community engagement before any formal recommendation or vote.