Education section
NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet remotely at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Please note that this meeting will take place remotely via Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 995 3550 1176
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The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union School Board is thrilled to announce that Andrew Skarzynski has been offered the position as our new Superintendent of Schools. After an extensive four-month search process, the Board chose Skarzynski in part for his strong management skills, his experience with diverse student populations and his commitment to student centered learning. His start date is July 1, 2020.
“The Board looks forward to welcoming Andrew to our organization and to the families that we serve,” said WSESU Board Chair Kerry Amidon. “Andrew stood out among a highly qualified field of candidates for his passion and proven track record in making student-focused decisions. His strength as a communicator and a collaborative leader focused on building positive relationships will benefit our school community. We want to thank our entire community who played an active role during this very public process.”
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at the Dummerston School. Please note that this meeting will take place remotely via GoToMeeting. It can accept up to 150 people, online or on the phone. The instructions to access remotely are listed below:
Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today directed schools to remain dismissed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Districts will close schools for in-person instruction and be required to implement continuity of learning plans for remote learning. This extends the Governor’s previous directive dismissing PreK-12 schools from March 18 to April 6.
This decision was made in consultation with the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Education in the continued effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. To minimize disruption to students’ learning, the Governor’s order directs school districts to come up with plans for distance learning by April 13.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced Sunday that all pre-K-12 schools in the state will close no later than Wednesday and remain closed until April 6, according to a news release from Scott’s office.
Students are not required to go to school Monday or Tuesday, if their parents or guardians would prefer to keep them home, Scott said.
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at the Academy School, 860 Western Avenue, Brattleboro.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Administration
The Windham Southeast School District (“WSESD”) will hold its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 17th, 2020 at 7 p.m., in the gymnasium at Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS). BUHS is located at 131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, Vermont. Childcare will be provided.
Warned items for the meeting include election of district officers, and a vote to approve the FY2020 budget, in the amount of $51,171,300. Your opinion matters, but you can only vote if you are present on the floor of the Annual Meeting.
The Windham Southeast School District (“WSESD”) school board will hold a budget information session on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 at 6 p.m., in the Multi-Purpose Room at Brattleboro Area Middle School (BAMS). BAMS is located at 109 Sunny Acres Road, Brattleboro.
On February 26th, 2020, the Windham Southeast School District school board (hereafter, “The Board”) unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Vermont Legislature to implement changes to the weighting formula used by the state to determine a district’s equalized pupil count, as recommended by a state-commissioned study. The equalized pupil count is used by the state to set education tax rates.
In December, 2019, a study group commissioned by the Vermont Agency of Education submitted a report to the House and Senate Education Committees (among other committees) examining the formula used by the state to determine per pupil spending. The formula gave varying weight to different types of students (e.g. a Pre-K student is counted as 0.46, a High School Student as 1.13). The report recommended a number of changes to the formula to reflect higher educational costs associated with English Language Learners, schools with higher poverty rates, and schools in rural communities.
The Windham Southeast School District Board will hold a Public Information Meeting on the Proposed FY ’21 Budget at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 in the Brattleboro Area Middle School’s Multi-Purpose Room, 109 Sunny Acres, Brattleboro. (Note: Childcare will be provided)
Attached are the results of the WSESD School Director Elections.
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 in the Windham Regional Career Center’s Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Kristina Naylor
II. CLERK’S REPORT – Approval of Minutes – February 26, 2020 (to be distributed)
The board of the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU), the supervisory union made up of Vernon and the four communities of the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD), is seeking a diverse group of parents and community members to serve on our upcoming Superintendent Search Committees. The Superintendent Search Committees will work to screen applications and interview candidates with a goal of recommending a list of finalists for the WSESU board’s consideration.
The Windham Southeast School District Amendment and Policy Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, March 2, 2020 at the WSESU Central Office, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro.
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at the Putney Central School, 182 Westminster Road, Putney.
Early voting is open. In person voting is on March 3.
There are two three-year seats that are contested for the merged school district. These seats will set the tone for the next few years. So far the merged (against our will) board has done a tremendous amount of work with much more to come. Seven of the eight members of the current board were strongly against merging which helped this first year of operation to be collaborative rather than contentious. This sense of collaboration is critical for our merged schools to not become like many other areas of the state.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – The Brattleboro Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is again offering scholarships of up to $1000 each to qualified female candidates who are residents of Windham County.
Both graduating high school senior girls and mature women continuing their higher education are eligible to apply. Applications will be judged on academic performance, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, and financial need.
GUILFORD, Vt. – Valentine treats are some of the items that will be offered by the Brattleboro branch of the American Association of University Women at their fundraiser at the Guilford Welcome Center Friday, Feb. 14.
Profits from the event will benefit the AAUW scholarship fund that provides annual scholarships for female high school graduates and mature women working on degrees.
The Windham Southeast School District (“WSESD”) school board will host a forum with candidates running for school board on Tuesday, February 11th, 2020, at 6pm, in the Multipurpose Room at Brattleboro Area Middle School (BAMS). BAMS is located at 109 Sunny Acres Road, Brattleboro. Enter via the main entrance and proceed straight ahead.
The Windham Southeast School District Board Communications Council will meet at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 6th, 2020 at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro.
