Education section
The Windham Southeast School District Board will hold a Special Board Meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – in person at the WSESU Central Office Conference Room, 53 Green Street, Brattleboro, and via zoom.
I. Approval of Minutes from 6/26/24
II. Update
– Policies presented at 8/13/24 SD Board Meeting
– F1 Student Conduct and Discipline
– F28 Student Athletics, Clubs, and Activities
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 14, 2024 in the Windham Regional Career Center, Cusick
Conference Room, 80 Atwood St., Brattleboro, and remotely via Zoom.
I. Call to Order approximately 4:03pm
II. Review of mission: Monitor school equity and performance, and work with district staff to develop recommendations to increase equity and performance throughout the district.
a. questioning of what it means – clarifying its overall role in the WSESD board. Possibly need more work on it.
We are looking for folks to step up to volunteer for international exchange students for the high school for the upcoming school year. Students hope to arrive later this month, so they need someone to volunteer for them today,
What does hosting entail? Students need a bed (they can share a room), a place to study and access to three meals a day. Program support includes full health insurance, spending money, access to quarterly group trips, school support, and ongoing support of both the student and host family, too.
-If appropriate, agenda items are subject to Potential Action.
-If any Board Member feels that an item on the Consent Agenda warrants discussion, that item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be set aside for discussion. In this way, the Consent Agenda will be approved in one motion. That request should be made now – or before the vote on the Consent Agenda.
• School Board Update – Tim Maciel
– Tim provided the following updates from the latest board meeting:
– June 18th retreat scheduled
– Taking input from LC’s regarding district goals
– Board needs more data driven reports to direct goals
– VTCAP statewide results, Hiring data
AGENDA
I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
II. Review of Programmatic and Performance Equity Committee mission:
a. Mission: Monitor school equity and performance, and work with district staff to develop recommendations to increase equity and performance throughout the district.
III. Committee focus / items for discussion (listed here are items that were considered in 2023/2024):
a. Food Services in the district: how can the board assess equity in food access across schools in the district?
b. Leadership Councils: how is the board doing with communications with LCs?
A motion was made to find that premature public knowledge would place the board at a disadvantage for the purposes of providing professional legal services to the body. Also inviting Mark Speno and Pietro Lynn.
RM made motion seconded by TM. Passed unanimously.
An email was sent to highlight issues with retention, including retirement, resignation, and reasons for leaving. The focus is on analyzing the factors contributing to and impacting retention. Mikaela is examining the reasons for employee turnover and the positions that people are leaving.
Michael mentioned that our school’s turnover rate is lower than the state average. The state turnover rate is 30%, while ours is approximately 12%. In Massachusetts, the teacher turnover rate is 12%. There have been several retirements.
ZOE PROCTOR gives us a personal and professional look at Montessori education. She shares her perspective on growing up here, and now raising her own family in the Brattleboro area.
KP Motioned and seconded to find that premature public knowledge would place the board at a disadvantage for the purposes of providing professional legal services to the body.
Motion Carried Unanimously
KP Motioned and seconded, to enter into executive session inviting Kendall Hoechst into the meeting.
The WSESD Personnel Committee will meet Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 6:00pm, remotely only, via Zoom.
The Windham Southeast School District Board will hold an executive session at 6:00 p.m. on
Monday, July 22, 2024 – in person at the WRCC Cusick Conference Room, with zoom capability.
On a motion by Colleen Savage, the committee voted to accept administration’s recommendations for the following hires:
Alex Chisholm Green Street School
Mark Barns Green Street School
Gina Onorato, Green Street School
Summary
● Ruby McAdoo was approved as a member of the Putney Leadership Council.
● Frank Rucker spoke about the tax rate implication following the release of the Yield.
● The Board discussed ideas for preparing themselves for budget development and utilizing tools available by exploring documents from the IBRC, VSBA and the Vernon Board.
● July 9th will be the only Board Meeting scheduled for the month, recognizing there could be other meetings called (i.e. Executive Sessions)
● Looking ahead to next year related to the Panorama Survey, a committee was formed to work alongside Brin Tucker to review and consider questions included in the survey for 24- 25.
● The Board voted to rescind policy LSP2.
● The Board voted to rescind policy LSP12.
AGENDA
I. Call to Order
II. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items [6:00 to 6:10]
III. 1 V.S.A. §313 (a)(1)(F) confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body.
F1 Student Conduct and Discipline – Review with BUHS Admin Cassie Damkoehler, assistant principal at BUHS, reviewed F1 with the committee. The following changes were made:
● In the Due Process section on page 4:
o The intro and bullet 1: stay the same.
o Bullet 2 becomes: “students’ right to a fair hearing before being suspended for up to ten days.”
The agenda was amended to add discussion on a VSBA business voting member under new business, using the Personnel committee for summer hires, and ideas on how to better insure follow up on board matters.
There being no changes made to the Consent Agenda, the board approved the Consent Agenda (items listed below) as presented on a motion by Tim Maciel.
There’s magic in turning human waste into vital nutrients…and Abe Noe-Hays at Rich Earth Institute here in town tells us all about it. Tune in to hear how Abe and his team are changing the wastewater world through pee-cycling, and helping to bring health to our rivers and streams.
