Eastford is seeking transportation-cost estimates as it reviews its designated high school, according to Superintendent Donna Leake’s October 2026 report. The report says she is working with Eastconn on the added cost of transporting students to both E.O. Smith High School and Woodstock Academy. It describes ongoing work, not a completed change in students’ assignments or bus service.
The review predates October. September 10 minutes from the Ad Hoc High School Committee say a community discussion was intended to gather information for the school board’s selection process. The committee requested additional answers from E.O. Smith’s superintendent and suggested inviting him to a later board meeting. Those minutes record planning, not a high-school selection.
Leake’s October report says she attended the September 24 community conversation. She describes proposed discussions with Ashford about shared transportation to E.O. Smith if it were selected, and conversations with Union’s superintendent. A shared route remains a possibility, not an agreement with a confirmed price or start date.
For families, the district’s posted high-school guidance currently lists Woodstock Academy, E.O. Smith and several technical, magnet and agriculture options. E.O. Smith carries an asterisk tied to a transportation warning and a requirement to seek the Eastford superintendent’s permission before March 1 of the attendance year. The guidance also cautions that applications differ and attendance outside contracted schools may not be approved.
E.O. Smith’s separate transportation page directs students outside its specifically named towns to their local superintendent’s office for bus questions. Eastford families can contact the school at 860-974-1130 to clarify the current arrangement before making enrollment or travel plans; the pending cost review should not be treated as a promise of a new bus.
The October report presents school selection as continuing business. The minutes index checked October 14 did not list October outcomes; a final designation, transportation commitment and implementation date were not established in this review.