● WSESU’s poverty level has been decreasing over the past three years relative to the national rate. As a result, Title I funding for FY27 is projected to drop to about 80% of current levels.
● The Vermont AOE has also indicated that there is no reliable information yet about the status of any Title grants for FY27.
1. Approval of Minutes
2. FY27 Preliminary Budget Development – WSESD District Revenues and Capital Plan Proposal
The annual All Souls Unitarian Universalist Holiday Bazaar will take place on Saturday, December 6, from 9 am to 3 pm, at the West Village Meeting House in West Brattleboro.
The Bazaar will feature beautiful artisan wreaths and ornaments, handmade and decorated, as well as traditional holiday baked goods, including gluten-free, and other edibles, such as jams, jellies, chocolates, and baking mixes. Also planned are a gift emporium featuring handcrafted items and a raffle of gift baskets. A silent auction includes a hand-crafted cherry table by woodworker Bruce Berg and a weekend getaway in Maine. A holiday brunch of quiche, fruit, and pastries will also be available.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts invites the community to gather for an afternoon of light, music, and togetherness at its Winter Solstice Celebration on Saturday, December 20. The event features hands-on activities, a festive cookie swap, and a joyful community sing-along, all free and open to all ages.
The celebration begins from 2:00–3:00 pm with luminaria decorating, offering families and individuals a chance to create glowing artworks to brighten the darkest time of year. At the same time, community members are invited to participate in a cookie swap drop-off, bringing a batch of homemade treats to share.
PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriters Antje Duvekot and Seth Glier on Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 PM at Next Stage. Together, Antje and Seth create an evening of luminous storytelling—songs of heart, conscience, and connection that illuminate both the inner and outer landscapes of our lives.
Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose work has been critically praised for its hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have shaped a unique poetic voice, giving her songs a startlingly original palette. These qualities underpin the powerful, empathetic perspective that informs everything she writes. Antje has won top songwriting honors, including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.
In Observance of Thanksgiving all Town Offices will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2025, and Friday, November 28, 2025, with the exception of
emergency services.
Brooks Memorial Library will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2025 and open on Friday, November 28, 2025 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
Trash and recycling WILL NOT be picked up on Thursday, November 27, 2025. All trash and recycling pick-up will be delayed by one day all week.
Every year strains of influenza spread around the world. In the United States we look to the southern hemisphere and the U.K. to get an indication of what might head our way.
Drug manufacturers develop vaccines based on their best information, which is partly guesswork, and hope they come close to identifying the strain of flu we will face.
The 2025-26 U.S. flu season may be bad this year because the vaccines that were created are not a good match for the strain of flu that we will experience. According to a recent report on NPR, “And now, parts of the Northern Hemisphere, such as the United Kingdom, are being hit hard. That often foreshadows what’s in store for the U.S.
The next hybrid In-Person and Zoom meeting of the Windham County Genealogy Interest Group will focus on “Using an AI Assistant for Genealogy & Do You Know About Elephind? The Free Newspaper Search Portal,” on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 10:30 AM to 12:30PM, Zoom and at Brooks Memorial Library. In case of inclement weather, it will be Zoom only, Free and open to all.
Nov. 24 Beef Tips
Mashed Potato
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Chocolate Cooke
Dear FOF (Friend or Family), Co-Creator of our future,
As I write, the world of politics is falling apart. We (will) see our country at 250 years, torn apart at the seams and then restitched. As if all the seams of a tailored suit, tailored around the Constitution began to undeniably fail over a hundred years ago. In 1913 the zipper stuck on the fly of the pants, and to keep going a belt was fashioned that hid behind the jacket and the coat, that belt was the Federal Reserve.
6:15 – 6:30 Public Proposal: Discuss Public Proposal request regarding housing on the first floor of the Abbott Block
Work is finishing up on U.S. 5 (Putney Road) from the intersection with Vermont Avenue to Noah’s Lane. Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place as needed Monday and Tuesday nights from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. with flaggers present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zone.
Daytime single-lane closures are scheduled to continue next week on U.S. 5 in Dummerston progressing south Monday through Wednesday. Flaggers will direct alternating traffic patterns through the work zones.
The Windham Southeast School District Independent Budget Review Committee will meet Monday, November 24, 2025 at 5:00PM at the WSESU Central Office, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro, and remotely via Zoom.
The Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee Meetingwill meet Monday November 24, 2025 at 5:00pm in the WSESU James Kane Conference Room, 53 Green St. Brattleboro, VT, and remotely via Zoom.
The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, November 24th at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Community Meeting Room.
The Brattleboro Finance Department will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 1, at 8:30 a.m. Beginning Dec. 1, the Finance Department will be closed every day from 12 to 1 p.m. until further notice.
Come join us in December to explore this universal topic: whatever we may celebrate, losing or missing a loved one at holidays (or birthdays & other milestones) can certainly compound our grief. How do we hold space for that added emotion, as well as honor the lives of those we’ve lost?
Many people have questions and are concerned about the scheduled property reappraisal of Brattleboro homes. FYI, there is a presentation at 6:15 pm in the Selectboard Room on Thursday, 20 November. The session will not be Zoomable but a recording, presumably by BCTV, will be available thereafter.
The Brattleboro Selectboard was focused on budget and finance issues for most of their meeting. Near the beginning of the long meeting, they adopted a new solid waste plan, agreed to a contract with Casella for three years, and decided to add additional fees to the already-increased PAYT bag costs in an effort to help keep expenses down for some people in a program TBD.
Fireworks are expensive, but drones are even more expensive so Brattleboro will continue to pay for the joyful explosions upsetting pets and people with PTSD.
In the budget presentations, the police department made accusations against a selectboard member that they said accused the police department when asking questions at a recent meeting. And the fire department really wants a 42 hour work week and four platoons instead of the 56 hour week and three platoons they currently suffer under.
“The biggest challenge that some employers face is getting applicants. Not just qualified applicants, but applicants. Communication follow-up by applicants isn’t happening. Applicants are looking to tweak the job to meet the applicants work-life balance. Young workers do not have an understanding of the professional nuances…”
