Note: These proposed minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved
by the board at a future meeting.
WINDHAM SOUTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT (WSESD) BOARD
TUESDAY DECEMBER 10, 2024
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6 PM
VIRTUAL MEETING ONLY, BRATTLEBORO
DRAFT MINUTES
Present remotely (Board)
Deborah Stanford (DS), Kim Price (KP), Anne Beekman (AB), Laiba Eager (LE), Tim Maciel (TM), Ruby McAdoo (RM), Shaun Murphy (SM), Eva Nolan (EN), Brian Remer (BR), Matt Schibley (MS), Theia Wepaloki (TW)
WSESD staff and administration present remotely Mark Speno, Frank Rucker, Rachel Glickman, Deb Gass, Deb Schiller, Hannah Parker, Mary Kaufmann, Julianne Eagan, Nancy Wiese, Brandy Levesque, Keith Lyman, John Gagnon, Deb Gass, Jon Sessions, Frank Rucker
Others present Virtually
Jody Normandeau, Kristina Naylor, iphone, Jodi Nutting, Mindy, Liz Adams, iphone, Stacey Sawyer, Maggy Foley, Hannah, Kristi Kratsa
Absent Colleen Savage (CS)
Summary
● Following a discussion about holding or cancelling the Board Retreat, it was determined to proceed with the Board Retreat on 1/13/24 and have a potluck meal to assist with the containment of expenses.
● Approved EES (Early Education Services) to move forward with the preparation and subsequent submission of their application for funding in the amount of $3,483,623.00 (due 1/6/25).
● To settle on a potential ‘shared read’ for the Board to engage in, a group of three to four Board Members have committed to review suggestions in order to select one to bring to the Board.
● A presentation was given by Dr. Rachel Glickman about Community Schools.
AGENDA
DS called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
DS noted that the meeting was changed to a fully remote meeting per Act 133 and read a statement related to this type of meeting. This decision was driven by the uncertain weather.
The next meeting will be held on 12/17/24, a change decided at a previous meeting due to the regularly scheduled meeting date falling on 12/24/24. The focus of that meeting will be reviewing the draft budget and will be held at the Cusick Conference Room at the WRCC.
I. Call to Order
-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.
-Amendments to the Agenda
No amendments to the agenda were brought before the Board.
II. Student Matters
No student matters were brought before the Board
III. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
-This is a time for the Board to listen and to take notes. It is not a time for the Board to respond to comments or to engage in dialogue with the public. If appropriate – the Board and Administration will work on next steps.
No public comments were brought before the Board.
IV. Board Matters: Part 1
A. Leadership Council Updates
The BAMS LC is proud of the results of the reading proficiency scores. Some items of note related to BAMS are:
● Principal Lyman is working to develop a vision statement. Input is being gathered.
● There is a plan being developed to find a foreign language teacher for next year
● Discussion about winter sports and offering ice skating is occurring
● The “Red Ticket” program is underway celebrating kindness and supporting efforts to combat food insecurity.
The EES Policy Committee needs a Board presence if anyone is interested in stepping into that opportunity. TM offered to step into that vacancy.
B. Board Sub-Committees and SU Updates
There is an Ad Hoc committee focusing on moving to an independent food services program for the district, moving away from contracting with a Management Company. Mark Speno, Frank Rucker, Susan Grabowski and Mary Lou Steiner have been working on the budgetary component.
This will be presented to the WSESU Board at their meeting 12/11/24.
In a report from WSESU Board AB shared that they reviewed the Special Education budget, which is up 5.9%. Another area of focus was the electric buses, for which the next application process will begin in January.
WSESU is also drafting a policy regarding negotiation with the union
C. Board Retreat 1/13/24
Mary Gagnon will be the moderator again this retreat. SM asked about eliminating the retreat in light of the financial challenges and considering how to hold a lean budget. TM suggested that the value of the time spent self-evaluating and goal setting should be considered.
A discussion ensued.
MS MOVED THAT THE BOARD GO FORWARD WITH OUR RETREAT AS SCHEDULED AND THAT WE
SHIFT IT TO A POTLUCK TO SAVE MONEY. SECONDED. ROLE CALL VOTE WAS CALLED.
AYE NAY ABST
AB x
TM x
RM x
SM x
EN x
KP x
BR x
MS x
DS x
Total 7 1 1
MOTION CARRIED
D. Early Education Services: Application for Head Start and Early Head Start services
Deb Gass presented an application for $3,483,623.00 requesting approval from the Board to submit that application. The updated Strategic Plan will be included. Some of the major goals for this upcoming year include school preparedness for all children, optimization of technology, and increasing support and compensation for their staff.
The deadline for the application submission is January 6, 2024.
SM MOTIONED THAT THE WSESD MOVE AHEAD WITH THE PROPOSAL FOR SUBMISSION OF THE
APPLICATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,483,623.00 FOR THE HEAT START AND EARLY HEAD START
SERVICES. SECONDED.
A discussion ensued about the motion and if a friendly amendment should be made. The WSESD is involved because they are the fiscal agent for EES.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
E. Value of a common read – potential recommendations
MS suggested the book Boards That Lead: When to Take Charge, When to Partner, and When to Stay Out of the Way is a book co-authored by Ram Charan, Dennis Carey, and Michael Useem. It was first published in 2014.
DS would like to suggest Teaching When the World is on Fire by Lisa Delpit and Equity from the Boardroom to the Classroom by Patrick Rice.
TM suggested Education Quality Standards produced by VT AOE and the District Quality Standards. Another suggestion is “Letter to My Son” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
A discussion followed about thoughts and next steps. The goal will be to have a suggestion following collaboration between a small group review of these options at a meeting in January.
F. Other Business
The district received an application for a sabbatical leave. MS has stepped forward to be involved with the superintendent to review this application.
V. Fiscal Report
Update on Budget developments
SM shared about the work the finance committee has been engaged in. There have been three consecutive meetings, and have been well attended by committee members, other board members, community members and staff. The administrators from the schools all have worked diligently to contain expenses and present budgets with minimal increases. The Capital Plan shows a significant decrease for FY26 from FY25 as there are fewer projects on the docket.
The letter from the Commissioner outlines the yield and the pressure it puts on the tax rate. The yield this year does not appear to be providing relief.
As the budget is being developed, the district CIP (Continuous Improvement Plan) goals are considered heavily to guide decisions.
The preliminary Long Term Weighted Average has been received and is favorable because it is up about 2%, however, this is not a final number.
Entered a break at 7:18 pm
Rose from break at 7:28 pm
VI. Board Matters: Part II
G. Presentation: Community Schools (Rachel Glickman)
Rachel Glickman presented to the board. The presentation can be seen here.
A time for questions and discussion followed.
VII. Administrative Report
– Hires, Resignations, Retirements
No hires, resignations or retirements were presented to the Board this evening.
Mr. Speno gave a brief overview of the “Listen and Learn” event led by Deputy Secretary Jill Briggs Campbell on 12/4/24 at BUHS.
VIII. Consent Agenda
Approval of Minutes from November 26, 2024
SM MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. SECONDED.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Hannah Parker shared that on 12/18/24 at 6:30 am the BUHS Honors concert is being held. She is inviting people to attend.
IX. Unfinished Business
Policy and Amendment presents the following for a 2nd Reading:
• F21 Policy on the Use of Restraint and Seclusion
• F29 Multilingual Learners
X. Executive Session (If needed)
AB MOTIONED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE WSESD BOARD MEETING. MOTION
SECONDED VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:39 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted on 12-15-2025 by Board Clerk with special recognition to Tracey Drotts Board Recorder.
A recording of this meeting is available on the WSESU website
