Cavendish, GM Middle school principals resign

By Cynthia Prairie
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

In a surprising coincidence, two principals within the Green Mountain school district of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union resigned on the very same day. That day — Tuesday, May 12  — was also the day that voters went to the polls to overwhelmingly approve a $19.3 million budget that had earlier been rejected.

Cavendish Town Elementary Principal Emma Vastola was nearing the second year of a two-year contract extension when she announced in an email to the school’s teachers and parents that she would be asking the GM board to be released from the remainder of her contract. She also indicated she would stay on through the end of the school year. Vastola had been the K-6 literacy coordinator for TRSU for a number of years before becoming interim principal at Cavendish.

“It came as a complete surprise,” said Lisa Sanders, head of the Green Mountain Unified School District board. “And I really don’t know more than what was in the letter that Emma sent to Cavendish families … I know it will be on the upcoming agenda to accept her resignation.”

Sanders noted that Vastola has one year left on her contract.

The second resignation came from Kate Leathe, the principal of the Green Mountain Middle School, who took that newly created position in August 2025.

In the fall of 2023, GM hired John Broadley as principal and Leathe as assistant principal. Then in August 2025, Superintendent Layne Millington announced that Leathe would become principal of the Green Mountain Middle School, overseeing grades 7 and 8, while Broadley remained principal of grades 9 through 12. Leathe sent a short letter to TRSU requesting that she be let out of her contract. The Telegraph has not seen nor been able to obtain a copy of that letter.

Neither principal has offered reasons publicly on their decisions to leave. And neither could be reached for comment.

During last Thursday’s GMUSD board meeting, the board decided to meet in executive session to consider releasing Leathe and Vastola from the remainder of their contracts. The Chester Telegraph questions the legality of the executive session, since the board cited “the appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or employee, provided that the public body shall make a final decision to hire or appoint a public officer or employee in an open meeting and shall explain the reasons for its final decision during the open meeting.” None of that was occurring in this instance nor was there a contract to consider.

Sanders told The Telegraph that both positions will be posted, in the hopes of finding replacements, either permanent or temporary, before the school year begins in late August.