The School Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Select Board all gathered in the Bromfield School library Monday night, Jan. 12, to discuss the school budget, particularly in relation to the expected budget shortfall for fiscal 2027.

Nearly 40 area residents gathered on the Common Saturday, Jan. 10, in a demonstration organized with only 24 hours’ notice to protest the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration agent.

Facing a looming $790,000 budget shortfall, the Harvard Finance Committee voted at its regular Tuesday afternoon meeting to request specific, prioritized lists of service reductions from town departments and the school district.

There was a changing of the guard at Devens this past week as new members of the community’s two elected advisory committees took their seats and determined who would lead them in 2026.

The newly formed Charter Review Committee met for the first time this week to elect officers and set its schedule.

With the fiscal 2027 budget season underway, Harvard officials are staring at a significant gap between anticipated revenues and requested spending—and no consensus yet on how far to go in asking taxpayers to make up the difference.

The Harvard Conservation Trust announced its purchase of a long-desired property along Ayer Road that more than doubles the size of the Pin Hill conservation area.

MassDevelopment, the agency responsible for the redevelopment of Devens, has invited developers to submit proposals for new housing on nearly 70 acres of land zoned residential in Devens, all of which lie within Harvard’s historical town boundaries.

Officer Michael Turner became the newest member of the Harvard Police Department just before Christmas, being sworn in Dec. 22, 2025.

The committee in charge of advising the town on ways to reduce its energy consumption and costs has asked the Select Board for permission to pursue plans for a solar installation to supply electricity to town-owned buildings.

There were handshakes and smiles all around at Monday’s School Committee meeting, as current Assistant Superintendent Dana Labb signed the contract by which he will become superintendent of Harvard schools, effective July 1, 2026.

The long wait for a full-time Department of Public Works director is finally over. Eric Ryder, currently employed as the DPW director in Hudson, will begin working in that capacity in Harvard on Monday, Jan. 5.

The Capital Planning and Investment Committee met Dec. 4 and voted to recommend 14 of the 17 requests it received from town departments. All but one would be funded by the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund.

When the Devens Committee and Devens Educational Advisory Committee convene in January, four freshman representatives will be seated at the table.

Harvard’s already limited public transportation has been sharply reduced this month. The reason MART gave for discontinuing all these services was extremely low ridership.

The Select Board has approved its own representatives to a nine-member committee that will consider what changes might be needed in the Harvard Town Charter when it comes up for renewal after 10 years in use.