High school English teacher Leanne Harple has been elected to serve in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Vermont House of Representatives

Many fine public school teachers also represent their communities in political bodies. this is true of Leanne Harple, a high school English teacher from Vermont who is currently serving in the Vermont House of Representatives.

Leanne was born and raised on a Christmas tree farm in Glover in rural Northeast Kingdom. Once she graduated from Lake Region High School, she attended Vermont’s Johnson State College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Theater Arts and her Master’s degree in Education. She currently lives in Glover with her husband and two young children.

For more than a decade Leanne has taught English courses at Hazen Union School in Hardwick, Vermont. She has taught there for 11 years. She formerly served roles as the President and the Vice-President of the Orleans Southwest Education Association. In the past, she has served her community as a Select Board Member and she currently serves as a Justice of the Peace.

In Nov. 2024, Leanne was elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat in her state’s House of Representatives representing Orleans-District 4, which includes Albany, Craftsbury, Glover, and Greensboro.. She was sworn in on Jan., 2025, and her current term expires on Jan. 6, 2027. In her capacity as a state representative, Leanne has declared she intends to focus on such issues as affordable housing, climate action, education, health care, and mental health support, emphasizing the particular challenges faced by rural communities in Vermont. While serving, Leanne says she hopes to “address the many systemic problems that prevent kids from being ready to learn when they come to school, including childhood poverty, hunger, and anxiety.”

To read more about Leanne Harple, click on this link to an interview with her published online by the vtdigger.