PLAINFIELD — Sydney Leggett will serve as interim superintendent for the Plainfield and Cornish school districts following the resignation of Cory LeClair late last month.

In an email to the community, Plainfield School Board Chairman Chris Forman said Leggett, the part-time superintendent of the Grantham School District, will serve until Plainfield’s SAU 32 and Cornish’s SAU 100 hire a new superintendent. He said the recruiting process will begin before the end of the calendar year.

Forman told community members LeClair took personal leave in July and later informed the district she would not be returning.

“She left on good terms,” Forman said. “We think the world of her and wish her the best.”

Beth Bierwirth, SAU 32’s finance administrator, was appointed “superintendent designee” in LeClair’s immediate absence and before Leggett was hired.

LeClair was hired in May 2019 to work four days a week, two in each district. Plainfield hired LeClair and Cornish contracted for her services. She began work July 1, 2019.

Prior to her time in Plainfield and Cornish, LeClair had been one of two finalists for the superintendent’s job in SAU 6, which includes Claremont and Unity. The SAU 6 board hired Mike Tempesta.

While at SAU 6, LeClair was assistant superintendent for four years. She also stepped into the role of acting superintendent in 2018 and again in 2019.

Attempts to reach LeClair were unsuccessful.

Her departure comes as other schools in the Upper Valley also are undergoing leadership changes. Lebanon Superintendent Joanne Roberts announced in May that she would leave her post at the end of the coming academic year. In addition, Newport schools are being led by interim Superintendent Donna Magoon, following former Superintendent Brendan Minnihan’s departure at the beginning of July; and in the Bradford, Vt. area, the Orange East Supervisory Union has a new superintendent, Randall Gawel, as of July 1.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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