This article is part of our Guide to Harpswell’s 2026 Town Meeting. Click here to read more.
Harpswell residents William “Bart” Beattie and Gregory Greenleaf say they want to maintain the stability and progress of recent years as they seek, without opposition, to retain their seats on the local school board in the March 14 election.
Maine School Administrative District 75 includes Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham. Harpswell holds four of the school board’s 14 seats, two of which are up for election this year. Board members serve three-year terms, and both Beattie and Greenleaf are seeking their second terms.
Beattie, a social worker with expertise in behavioral health, had not planned to seek a second term. He changed his mind when no one came forward to run for his seat.
“I don’t want to leave the board shorthanded or the town with one less representative,” he said in an email. “I’m happy to serve a little longer with hopes that someone else raises their hand before next time around.”
Beattie works as chief operating officer at Spurwink Services. He moved to Harpswell about 18 years ago after living in Topsham. All four of his children have attended MSAD 75 schools.
He was part of the failed effort to keep West Harpswell School open and has said the experience taught him how strongly parents feel about education.
Greenleaf teaches English at Greely High School in Cumberland, which is not in MSAD 75. As a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, he said, he brings valuable insight to the board in terms of both policy and on-the-ground reality.
“My role (as a board member) is to not run the schools but to see that they are well run,” Greenleaf said in an email, noting that his approach aligns with state law.
Greenleaf lives in Cundy’s Harbor with his family and has been active in the community. His past roles include serving as chair of the Harpswell Community School Parent-Teacher Organization and the Harpswell Democratic Committee.
He also volunteers as a trail steward for the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust and writes a humor column for the Harpswell Anchor. He has three children who have attended MSAD 75 schools, including one still enrolled in the district.
Greenleaf and Beattie were elected to their first terms in March 2023. They won their seats in a three-way race with then-incumbent Eric Lusk, a Harpswell financial adviser first elected to the board in 2020.
Both candidates for reelection said the school board has become more cooperative and stable during their tenure, citing improved collaboration among board members and continuity in district leadership.
“The board is made up of caring, committed and competent directors who respect each other and work effectively together on behalf of our students, families and communities,” Beattie said.
Prior to 2023, the school board and district administration endured a period of discord and instability, with the superintendent position turning over five times in as many years. That ended with the hiring of current Superintendent Heidi O’Leary in December 2023.
Greenleaf said “stable leadership” has allowed the board and superintendent to complete a five-year strategic plan and a safety plan, enact a ban on cellphones, and adopt “a number of other meaningful policies.”
Polls will be open at Harpswell Community School from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. The town business meeting begins at 10 a.m. The deadline to request an absentee ballot from the town clerk is Wednesday, March 11.
Editor’s note: Gregory Greenleaf writes the monthly “Lost on a Loop Trail” humor column for the Anchor as a freelance contributor. He does not direct or review news coverage. The Anchor does not endorse candidates for office.
