Culture story sections
Mark introduced Rebecca, Jean and Nicole, who gave a presentation around the Wellness Programs available in our SU that promote healthy lifestyles for our employees, both physical and mental. An interesting statistic provided was that $1 spent on wellness can reap a $5.81 return. The full presentation can be found here:
The Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) has 5 open seats and the Vernon School District (VSD) has 2 open seats up for election on 3/5/24 — petitions are due by 1/29/24! Please consider running for the WSESD or VSD Board. Here’s a press release from the district central office.
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Empower Your Community: Run for School Board Seats in Windham Southeast and Vernon School Districts
Brattleboro, January 10, 2024 — As the Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) and the Vernon School District (VSD) seek dedicated individuals to serve on their school boards, community members are encouraged to consider running for open seats to make a meaningful impact on local education. The WSESD Board is comprised of ten (10) members from Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford and Putney, with each board member governing the schools in all four towns. The VSD Board is comprised of five (5) members and governs the Vernon School. There are open seats on the WSESD and VSD Boards, which require residents of each town as follows:
AGENDA
I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
II. Review of minutes
III. Focus item for discussion:
a. Food Services in the district: how can the board assess equity in food access across schools in the district? (review of recent conversations at board meetings)
Due to anticipated poor weather/driving conditions, the following meetings of the Windham Southeast School District have been re-warned as remote-only for this evening, January 9, 2024.
WSESD Board Meeting 6:00 pm
The Windham Southeast Supervisory Union Board will meet at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 in the WRCC, Cusick Conference Room, and remotely via Zoom.
Monday, January 8, 2024
5:30 am Sing Nowell – Songs & Carols for Midwinter and Christmastide 2023
7:55 am At BMAC – 16th Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – This Week’s Energy News
Next Stage Arts presents world-recognized percussionist George Lernis and his quintet, performing the music from his latest album “Between Two Worlds” at Next Stage on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm.
The name of the album was inspired by the 15th century Turkish mystic Hacı Bayram Veli’s poem “Between Two Worlds” and depicts Lernis’s journey as an immigrant originally from Nicosia, Cyprus who eventually moved to the U.S. The music showcases Lernis’s bi-musicality, blending Jazz and Middle Eastern music in a tasteful and respectful manner to both of these rich musical traditions. Lernis’s quintet features a stellar group of musicians including the wonderful Turkish vocalist, Heiraza AKA Burcu Gülec, Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg, American trumpeter Emiel De Jaegher, and Turkish piano, oud, and ney player Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol.
Eva Nolan called the meeting to order at 10:09.
The committee welcomed a visitor, Claire Halverson from the NAACP Education Committee. This committee has recently re-activated and is reaching out to strengthen connections with other local organizations with a related mission.
The Windham Southeast School District Finance Committee will meet Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 5:00pm at Oak Grove School, 15 Moreland Avenue, Brattleboro and remotely via Zoom
AGENDA
I. Call to Order [6:00 to 6:05]
II. Executive Session [8:30]
1VSA §313 (a)(1)(F) confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body.
● Eva Nolan has officially withdrawn as a voting board member of the Policy and Amendment Committee.
● The following policies were presented for a first reading on 12/12/23 and will go for a second reading on 1/9/24:
o D7 Volunteers and Work Study Students
o F36 Student Freedom of Expression in School Sponsored Media
I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
II. Clerk & Minutes
III. Updates
IV. Discussion about when applicants who do not answer diversity questions.
Monday, December 25, 2023
6:00 am Couch Potatoe Productions – Sweetback Sisters Country Christmas Spectacular Sing-Along
7:55 am Ezlerh’s Random Videos – Shirley Squires’ Touch of Heaven
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #552 – 12/14/2023
What would you do if you found out your children suffer from addiction? Listen to this show, and hear one woman’s story on how and where she found resources, comfort and courage……and the wisdom to keep love alive and available for her family. Susan’s mission is to help others with similar stories.
Frank Rucker presented the current WSESU FY25 Proposed budget.
On a motion by Kerry Amidon the board voted to approve the FY25 WSESU budget as presented in the amount of $30,541,647.
Summary:
● The Board approved the hire of a new Auto Shop instructor for WRCC.
● Finance Director Frank Rucker presented the first draft of the WSESD FY2025 Budget for the Board to review. The budget is level-funded at $65,707,962, a 2.8% increase from last year’s budget, and will result in a projected tax rate of 1.59.
● The Board closely reviewed the budget items for Board-specific expenditures.
● The Board announced that they will be scheduling an executive session soon to review information regarding the Sexual Abuse Investigation.
● The Programmatic and Performance Equity reported on their meeting to discuss food access equity across the district. The committee is interested in looking into the possibility of establishing a district-wide or supervisory union-wide Independent Food Service program.
● The Board discussed the possibility of hiring an administrative assistant to support the Board and will vote on this matter at the next meeting on January 9, 2024.
Need some local holiday entertainment? Here’s a collection of classics we’ve created over the years.
From a few years back, A COVID Christmas Anti-Viral Holiday Special:
CALL TO ORDER: 4:50 PM – Anne Beekman, Chair
On a motion by Kim Price the committee moved to accept a single application for 1% funds from Dummerston in the amount of $1,983.59.
On a motion by Kim Price the committee moved to accept a single application for 1% funds from Oak Grove School in the amount of $1,355.30.
Summary:
● A student representative spoke about a lack of respect between teachers and students at BUHS.
● District administrators and staff gave a presentation about Social Emotional Learning in WSESD schools.
● Representative Emilie Kornheiser (Windham-7) discussed the Commisioner of Taxes’ FY2025 Education Tax Rate Letter and how school districts and legislators can work together to mitigate the tax impact of education spending.
● Superintendent Speno provided an update on the food services issues at BUHS and other district schools.
● Mr. Speno announced changes to the structure of the Curriculum Department that will take place after Curriculum Coordinator Paul Smith retires at the end of the school year.
● The board voted to re-adopt an updated version of Policy D1 – Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks.
● Three more policies are under consideration for re-adoption: F32 – Student Distribution of Literature, D7 Volunteers and Work Study Students, and F36 Student Freedom of Expression in School Sponsored Media
● Board Chair Kelly Young asked board members to consider the idea of establishing a part-time position to serve as an administrative assistant to the Board.
Next Stage Arts presents improvisational artist and musician Lonnie Holley in performance with multi-generational, gender, genre non-conforming amalgam of Black culture Mourning [A] BLKstar at Next Stage on Friday, January 19 at 7:30 pm
Since 1979, Lonnie Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music, born out of struggle, hardship, but perhaps more importantly, out of furious curiosity and biological necessity, has manifested itself in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance, music, and filmmaking. Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the oldest tradition of African American sculpture. Objects, already imbued with cultural and artistic metaphor, are combined into narrative sculptures that commemorate places, people, and events. His work is now in collections of major museums throughout the world (The Museums of Fine Arts, San Francisco; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Smithsonian American Art Museum; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and many others), on permanent display in the United Nations, and been displayed in the White House Rose Garden.
