WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes – Nov 7
D1 Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks
• Reviewed edits from prior meeting.
• D1 will go for a first reading at the 11/14 Board meeting.
Culture story sections
D1 Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks
• Reviewed edits from prior meeting.
• D1 will go for a first reading at the 11/14 Board meeting.
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 11/20/23
Monday, November 20, 2023
5:20 am Windham World Affairs Council – America & China – From ‘Old Friends’ to The ‘New Cold War’
6:55 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Missing– Angie Kim & Jean Kwok
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #548 – 11/9/2023
On a motion by Tim Maciel the board moved to enter the consent agenda for action.
On a motion by Tim Maciel the board approved the minutes of October 11, 2023.
Frank Rucker reviewed the Budget Development Overview process including the preliminary timeline, FTE ratios, and projections in the area of Special Education. Frank walked through the previous year’s budget giving an overview of the majors sections, both the summary data and the more detailed information that is available for both revenue and expenditures.
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 11/13/23
Monday, November 13, 2023
5:20 am Windham World Affairs Council – America & China – From ‘Old Friends’ to The ‘New Cold War’
6:55 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Missing– Angie Kim & Jean Kwok
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – This Week’s Energy News
10:00 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Madeline Kunin & Richard Michaelson
With teens like this, who needs adults ?!! A sophomore at BUHS, Mariam Diallo is grounded, talented and enthusiastic. She’s involved in bringing more youth voices and perspectives to all aspects of our community.
AGENDA
I. Call To Order, Kelly Young, Board Chair [6:00 – 6:05]
II. Student Matters [6:05 – 6:15]
III. Administrative Report [6:15 – 6:35]
– Introduction of The Governance Core [5 Minutes]
Agenda
1. Discussion of governance/responsibilities
2. Election of chair and clerk if desired by IRBC members
3. Discussion of goals, timeline, responsibilities
4. Attend FC meeting
Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. FY25 Preliminary Budget Development Planning Discussion
3. Capital Project Implementation updates, discussion to include; Recommendation on selection of prequalified Contractors eligible to bid on the Oak Grove Heat pump & HVAC controls project
4. Recommendation to Board to Approve Warrants and Payrolls
Next Stage Arts presents Boston-based Rasa String Quartet at Next Stage on Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm.
The Rasa String Quartet celebrates the art of strumming and works inspired by strummed instruments, for string quartet! This program pairs old masterworks from Beethoven, Debussy, and Turina alongside newly celebrated classics from Jessie Montgomery and Caroline Shaw:
Program:
Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Caroline Shaw: Valencia
Joaquín Turina: The Bullfighter’s Prayer
L.V. Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 “Harp”
On Friday, November 10 at 5:00 pm, the Brattleboro Literary Festival invites you to join us for an online conversation with New York Times bestselling author Adam Goodheart interviewed by Tom Clynes, discussing Goodheart’s new book, The Last Island. Register at http://bit.ly/LitCocktail33 . Free.
In November 2018, a young American missionary kayaked onto a remote beach in the Indian Ocean and was killed by indigenous islanders wielding bows and arrows. News of that fatal encounter on North Sentinel Island—a small patch of land in the Andaman archipelago—fascinated people around the world. Most were unaware such a place existed in our time: an island whose hunter-gatherer inhabitants still live in near-total isolation.
Next Stage Arts presents Argentinian duo César Lerner and Marcello Moguilevsky’s unique musical fusion of klezmer, tango, jazz, and South American folk music at Next Stage on Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm.
“Lerner & Moguilevsky are masters of their craft, threading various cultural ideas together into something new and exciting,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Bringing an artist to Putney from Argentina is an exciting opportunity. The thought that we’re bringing artists from around the world to our region feels positive for our community.”
1. Call to Order – Welcome new members
2. Approve the agenda
3. Approve Meeting Minutes from September 21, 2023
4. Administrative Report
III. Updates
Mike Kelliher gave an update on efforts to recruit a more diverse staff. The district has just launched an employee referral program. For certain positions, if an employee refers a candidate who doesn’t already work for the organization, and they end up being hired, the referring employee will receive a bonus: $250 at time of hiring and $250 after six months of employment. There have already been a couple of inquiries. As of today there are 38 open positions but not all are part of this referral program – it is reserved for positions which the leadership team has identified as difficult to fill.
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 11/6/23
Monday, November 6, 2023
5:55 am BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame – BHS/BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 10/28/23
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #546 – 11/2/2023
10:00 am Brattleboro Literary Festival – Difficult Discussions– Catherine Newman & Laura Zigman
PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriters Kat Wright and Brett Hughes with their quartet performing songs of the season at Next Stage on Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm.
Kat Wright and Brett Hughes, two of Vermont’s most beloved songbirds, join forces once again this December for their 10th annual Vermont holiday tour. The show, a true Christmas gift featuring Tyler Bolles (Swale, Rough Francis) on upright bass and multi-instrumentalist Will Seeders (Carling & Will, Caitlin Canty), offers songs of holiday heartbreak and holiday cheer. It is bejeweled with storytelling, originals, and beloved classics alike. It’s guaranteed to warm your heart, pique your nostalgia, and create a loving container for those good ol’ holiday blues that we all know so well.
The WSESD Windham Regional Career Center’s ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ADVISORY BOARD MEETING will be held on Thursday, November 9th at 2:30 p.m. at the WRCC TIC building.
Summary:
● A student representative on the board shared about an unmet need for students to make social connections during class.
● The administration presented about the budgeting process and timeline, including the need to make adjustments now that ESSER funding has been discontinued.
● There was a discussion about whether the district should continue administering student climate surveys twice a year in order to improve school climate. Ultimately the board voted to follow the administration’s recommendation to conduct the survey only once a year.
● The board voted to re-adopt three updated policies: E10 – School Crisis Prevention & Response, E15 – Security Cameras and F9 – Student Substance Abuse Prevention. The board presented three more updated policies for a first reading: C9 – Notice of Non-Discrimination, D11 – Public Complaints about Personnel, and F2 – Bus Discipline.
● The board approved $458,735.95 of carry over funds for EES from last year’s budget. These funds were unused due to not being able to find a contractor for planned kitchen renovations at the Birge Street facility and having to close some classrooms due to lack of staff. The funds will be used to complete the renovations under a scaled down plan using internal staff and for retention and wellness bonuses for employees.
● The board discussed adding the SEPAC to meetings they promote on the WSESD facebook page. They will seek input from the Special Education administrator and consider further at a future meeting.
AGENDA
Mission: Foster learning environments in which all members of the school community are safe, feel valued, and are appreciated, as well as promote policies and procedures that value equity and diversity in our schools.
I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 10/30/23
Monday, October 30, 2023
4:00 am BDCC presents – SoVT Get on Board
5:30 am 1st Wednesdays Presents – The Joy of Lex with the Co-Host of “A Way with Words”
6:45 am Stained Glass Windows of St. Michaels – Week 8: St. John the Baptist
The last Brattleboro Walking History tours of the season will be held this Friday, October 27 at 4 pm (NOT 10/28 at 11 am as advertised on the calendar) AND next Saturday, November 4 at 11 am.
Designed as a fundraiser, volunteers from the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club have created a walking history tour of downtown Brattleboro. With the help of the Brattleboro Historical Society and the Brattleboro Words Project, Sunrise Rotary volunteers pooled their collective knowledge to put together a great introduction to Brattleboro, Vermont’s illustrious history.