53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wsesu.org
NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING
The Windham Southeast School District Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room and remotely via Zoom
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AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Kelly Young, Board Chair
II. CONSENT AGENDA
• CLERK’S REPORT – Approval of Minutes – September 27, 2022
• FINANCES
Warrants of September 12, 2022
Warrant No. 1087 in the amount of $8,305.00
Warrant No. 1088 in the amount of 12,060.24
Warrant No. 1089 in the amount of 2,831.25
Warrant No. 1090 in the amount of 903.89
Warrant No. 1091 in the amount of 93,287.02
$117,387.40
Warrants of September 19, 2022
Warrant No. 1092 in the amount of $ 1,822.51
Warrant No. 1093 in the amount of 10,559.64
Warrant No. 1094 in the amount of 40,582.83
Warrant No. 1095 in the amount of 445.32
Warrant No. 1096 in the amount of 231,234.01
$284,644.31
Warrants of September 26, 2022
Warrant No. 1097 in the amount of $ 60,667.57
Warrant No. 1101 in the amount of 399.25
Warrant No. 1102 in the amount of 649.00
Warrant No. 1103 in the amount of 983,332.28
$1,045,048.10
Warrants of October 3, 2022
8/9/22 ACH Purchasing Card Payment $ 9,110.81
8/18/22 ACH Purchasing Card Payment 5,750.28
Warrant No. 1106 in the amount of 270,065.12
Warrant No. 1109 in the amount of 254,712.20
Warrant No. 1110 in the amount of 852.39
Warrant No. 1111 in the amount of 68,040.03
$608,530.83
Payrolls
September 9, 2022 $1,385,319.37
September 23, 2022 $1,504,228.60
III. Parliamentarian
• Motion: Shall the WSESD Board employ Deborah Lee Luskin to serve as Parliamentarian to help the WSESD Board learn Robert’s Rules of Order?
IV. PRESENTATION: Trauma Informed Practices / Social Emotional Learning
V. Public Comment on Non-agenda Items (10 minutes)
VI. Unfinished Business
A. Policy and Amendment Committee – Board Action Needed
• D7 – Volunteers and Work Study Students – 3rd Reading with Revision
B. Sexual Abuse Investigation Update
VII. Administrative Report
VIII. Fiscal Report
A. Policy and Amendment Committee – Board Action Needed
• E8 – Tobacco Prohibition – 1st Reading
• F39 – Students Experiencing Temporary Housing Insecurity – 1st Reading
B. New Board Section of Website – Draft
C. Board Training
D. Board Ethics Discussion – Motion Required
EXECUTIVE SESSION (If Needed)
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, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6:00PM
MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM, BUHS, BRATTLEBORO
DRAFT MINUTES
WSESD Board Members Present: Liz Adams (LA), Anne Beekman (AB), Benjamin Berg (BB), Kaiya Colby (KC), Lana Dever (LD), Michelle Green (MG), Tim Maciel (TM), Shaun Murphy (SM), Emily Murphy Kaur (EMK) [arrived when indicated in the minutes], Deborah Stanford (DST).
WSESD Board Members Absent: Kelly Young, David Schoales
WSESU Administrators Present: Mark Speno, Cassie Damkoehler, Paul Smith, Kelly Dias, Keith Lyman, Frank Rucker, Julianne Eagan. Brin Tucker, Mary Kaufmann
Media Present: Chris Mays from the Brattleboro Reformer
Others Present: Mindy Haskins Rogers of Northampton; Jaci Reynolds of Brattleboro; Lisa Ford of Guilford; Robin Morgan of Brattleboro; Jaime Contois of Putney; Wendy M. Levy, Board Recorder; Ricky Davidson, BUHS SAP Consultant; Chris Brewer, BAMS teacher and Summer Camp
Administrator; Rebecca Olmstead, WSESU Nurse Leader Please note: this attendance may be incomplete.
• CLERK’S REPORT – Approval of Minutes – September 13 and September 22
MOTION BY SM TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 13 AND SEPTEMBER 22. MG SECONDED.
MG indicated that she would be abstaining from voting on one of the sets of minutes because she was
absent. TM announced that because the vote would not be unanimous, he would call roll for the voting.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
LD YEA
DST YEA
SM YEA
MG ABSTAIN
AB SAID SHE ABSTAINS FROM THE 9/13 MINUTES, BUT VOTES YEA ON APPROVING THE 9/22 MINUTES
LA YEA
Board Recorder Wendy M. Levy informed TM that she could not adequately record AB’s vote. TM asked Wendy what he should do. Wendy indicated she is not the authority, but she recommended splitting the motion into two motions, one for each set of minutes.
MOTION BY DST TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 13 MINUTES. SM SECONDED.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
MOTION BY SM TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 22 MINUTES. DST SECONDED.
ROLL CALL VOTE:
LD YEA
DST YEA
SM YEA
MG ABSTAIN
AB YEA
LA YEA
MOTION CARRIED 5-1, WITH MG ABSTAINING.
EMK joined the meeting.
III. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
TM welcomed visitors and reviewed guidelines for providing public comment. SM said he would keep time.
Jaci Reynolds of Brattleboro raised concerns and posed questions about the minutes of the August 9 meeting, which were approved at the August 23 meeting. They were as follows:
• At the August 23 meeting, TM successfully amended the August 9 minutes, but when MG tried to raise concerns about the August 9 minutes, she was ignored multiple times.
• What was MG’s proposed amendment?
• Chair KY told MG to email her concerns and they would be raised at the next meeting, and MG responded she had already done so. KY never included MG’s concerns at any future meeting.
• At the September 13 meeting, acting Chair DSC said the minutes in question were being researched. Where is this research that was happening, and what did this research entail?
• What did MG want to add to the August 9 minutes?
• MG was bullied.
Lisa Ford from Guilford said that DSC, KY, and LA are hypocritical for asking MG to step down, especially after their questionable actions. Lisa added that if those three individuals want MG to step down, then they should step down, too.
TM responded by reminding attendees that all comments should be limited to WSESD business, and that Lisa’s comments referred to WSESU business.
IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Sexual Abuse Investigation Update
Superintendent Mark Speno said he recently sent a brief email with an update on the investigation to students’ caregivers.
Mindy Haskins Rogers, a BUHS alumna living in Northampton, Massachusetts, asked Mark if there has been any progress on providing students a way to report incidents without retaliation. She said students want this information. She asked if students wishing to report an incident had to go to the attorney to make their reports. She recommended ensuring the receiver of student reports be someone skillful at hearing this information.
Mark responded: The administration is making progress on this, and tonight’s Act I presentation will
address this.
Cassie Damkoehler responded: Her team is developing a trauma-informed process for receiving student reports.
KC, who is one of the student representatives to the Board, said that at a recent Student Advisory meeting, the sexual abuse investigation was mentioned. KC noted that many students who are quite involved in school matters did not know the investigation was happening. She asked the administration to develop ways for these conversations to happen in intimate settings.
B. Policy and Amendment Committee
1. C7 – Board Relations With the Administrators – Adoption
DST reported that this is the second reading of this policy; the September 13 meeting was its first reading. She said it is now past the 10-day warning.
MOTION BY DST THAT THE WSESD BOARD READOPT POLICY C7: BOARD RELATIONS WITH THE ADMINISTRATORS. LD SECONDED.
A discussion ensued on the edits, and where to find them, which is on the School Board Agendas page on the website.
VOTE ON THE DST MOTION: MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
DST reviewed the edit marks in the policy document:
• Strikeouts are VSBA deletions, and the Policy and Amendment Committee has accepted these changes.
• Bold indicates VSBA edits, which the committee accepted.
• Highlighted in blue indicates a decision by the Policy and Amendment Committee to retain wording the VSBA says is unnecessary.
• Highlighted in red indicates Policy and Amendment Committee additions.
2. D7 – Volunteers and Work Study Students – 2nd Reading with Revision
DST spoke about this policy and detailed its requirements. She noted the Policy and Amendment Committee had received emails with concerns about the lack of transition time, and that it would have more of an adverse effect on schools in outlying towns. DST noted the committee amended the policy, and DST contacted the people who emailed them.
DST read the policy, which is named “Policy D7-P” on the website, where it can be found. It reads as follows: “Commencing on January 1, 2023, transportation of students within a 20-mile radius of the school may be provided by a volunteer, provided that (a) the volunteer has undergone a full Vermont Crime Investigation Center (VCIC) background check or (b) a second adult traveling in the vehicle has undergone the VCIC background check; i.e., a school employee. Transportation beyond the 20-mile radius must be provided via a contracted service.”
DST noted that because of community concerns, it now includes a transition period.
A lengthy discussion ensued, with Board members, and WSESD administration and staff participating.
Highlights included:
This policy could present a hardship for families needing to get fingerprinted. Perhaps a District- sponsored fingerprint drive could help.
This policy was recommended by the Board’s attorney, and will protect students and volunteers. The attorney recommended no exemptions to this policy.
This policy only refers to volunteers, not parents driving their own children or other children.
The 20-mile radius portion of the policy was designed to save money on hiring a bus. Also, the bus company does not provide buses after regular school hours.
This policy’s implementation has been delayed because, were it enacted immediately, it would likely interfere with the sports season. Some raised concerns that it will interfere with sports even with the delay.
Is there any flexibility in the distance requirement, or any work-around, such as allowing parents to sign permission slips for their children?
This policy represents the District’s commitment to offering students enrichment activities, and it includes an associated line item in the budget.
The definition of “contracted services” in the policy includes staff driving a school vehicle.
MG asked if anyone from the Policy and Amendment Committee had contacted the Communications Council or Leadership Councils. There was no response.
DST invited the public to send their concerns and suggestions to the members of the Policy and Amendment Committee.
V. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Mark gave his report as follows:
a. Mark’s Goals
Mark shared his personal goals for the school year:
• Identifying challenges in a new leadership team.
• ETS development.
• MTSS development.
• Systematizing access to coaching.
• Exploring and implementing peer observation to support the other four goals.
LA asked Mark to email these goals to the WSESD Board members.
b. Climate Surveys
Mark reported he is working on the surveys with Chris Overtree. School meetings with Chris and the principals begin next week.
c. The Website
Mark reported work on the new website continues. Soon, Mark will ask Board members to come to the Central Office to review the website and offer their feedback.
d. The Board Agenda Document
Mark reported this document was made with the help of three Boards, and represents a lot of collaboration. The final draft is coming soon. He expects the document will be helpful to the administrative team and for Board-Administration relations.
VI. FISCAL REPORT
Finance Director Frank Rucker gave his report. Highlights included:
• The CPA auditors’ work ended last week. It’s going well and on-schedule.
• At the next Board meeting, Frank will have the First Quarter year-to-date financial statement.
• The budget development timeline is coming soon.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
A. Pre-K Partnership Agreements – Action Needed
Paul Smith explained these are annual contracts with private providers for publicly-funded pre-K programs. He added they are beneficial to the District’s budget.
B. Act I Presentation — BUHS
Cassie Damkoehler and Ricky Davidson presented on BUHS’s Act I projects, which include teaching students about healthy relationships and communication styles. Highlights included:
• There is a group, comprised of students and staff, dedicated to working on these issues.
• This helps with educating students about sexual abuse.
• This work includes collaboration with community partners, like the Women’s Freedom Center.
• Students are encouraged, at the beginning of the school year, to identify five trusted adults in the school. Ricky enters the data for the students’ replies, and it’s recorded in case a student finds themselves in crisis in school—that adult will be notified to support the student. In addition, other staff are trained to step in to that adult’s role as needed; for example, to lead their class if the trusted adult is a teacher.
• Workshops and trainings are given on consent, boundaries, healthy relationships, and other topics.
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and BUHS offers related educational activities.
• Staff professional development on Act I continues with statewide and community partnerships.
• Traci Lane will lead the Healthy Relationships Committee during Chris Day’s absence. This committee has had turnover because many members graduated from school, but it will reconvene soon. It includes students and faculty.
• This committee’s work will lead to the small-group settings for students to learn about the sexual abuse investigation, and to report incidents, as requested by BB and KC, the student representatives to the WSESD Board.
LD asked how success will be measured. Ricky responded: with surveys, and with monitoring the “trusted adult” program to ensure students are making connections. Ricky noted he has seen evidence of the latter in his data-entry.
Cassie noted Mark has the half-day training program’s link available if any member of the public wants to view it.
C. Summer Camp Enrichment Programs
1. WSESU
Chris Brewer, a BAMS teacher and Summer 2022 Summer Camp Administrator, and Brin Tucker, Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator, presented on the WSESU 2022 Summer Camp Enrichment Program. Highlights included:
• A slide show, “WSESU Summer Camp Celebration,” was shown.
• The program, how it met students’ needs, and its daily schedule.
• There were about 200 campers, all rising 1st-6th Graders, and there was no cost to the campers’ families.
• It was held at the Winston Prouty campus and ran for four weeks.
• Some activities included: a weekly book distribution, visits to the town pool, a slip-n-slide on campus, access to the woods and a pond on campus, workshops on academic skills, and a focus on enrichment and social time with peers in a safe environment.
• It had full inclusion—all students were invited regardless of their support needs.
• The program received positive feedback from surveys given to families, students, and staff.
• All SU schools participated, and school principals visited, too.
2. Putney Central School
PCS Principal Jon Sessions presented on his school’s Summer Camp. Highlights included:
• A slideshow on the camp.
• PCS used to have a summer camp, but it ceased for a while. In May, the community and PCS staff began planning for the 2022 camp.
• About 100 students attended, which is roughly half of the student body.
• It lasted for two weeks, and had a similar schedule to the WSESU summer camp.
• Academics and other activities were offered, such as a daily trip to the town pool.
• Jon received positive feedback on the camp.
• The school van was used for transportation.
• The camps helped build connection to the school community, which was especially helpful for Jon, who is new in his role as principal.
• Future planning includes finding grants, more community partners, and connecting the summer camp to after-school programming.
Frank noted these camps are funded by ESSER as part of the recovery plan goals.
Jaci Reynolds asked which entity fed the PCS Summer Camp participants. Jon responded: it was Cafe Services, not the PCS food-service staff.
SM noted that these were uplifting presentations.
D. Items For the Next Meeting’s Agenda
MG explained why she is requesting “Concerns about the board’s code of ethics” be placed on the October 11 meeting. She provided a timeline of events, as follows:
• In early July, MG began notifying the Chair of concerns of ethical misconduct, and she asked to meet and address them.
• July 23: MG followed up and asked for a timeline on when she might receive a response to the notification of her concerns of violation of the Board’s code of ethics, and she formally requested a meeting together with the Board’s attorney.
• August 5: MG followed up with the same questions and concerns.
• August 7: MG followed up, and again stated that she had concerns with the violation of the code of ethics, with some specific examples.
• August 9: MG followed up again, with the statement: “I am reporting to YOU, as the chair to take up my concerns, regarding our board possibly being in violation of our code of ethics, as I understand them.”
• August 12: MG was told to specify her concerns in writing. She explained she had been counseled not to do that, and to seek clarity of misunderstanding first.
• August 15: MG made another report stating her most recent specific concerns.
• September 14: MG followed up again with detailed examples and sentiment.
MOTION BY AB TO ADJOURN. LA SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
The Board adjourned at 7:43pm.
Documents presented:
• A slide show, “WSESU Summer Camp Celebration”
• A slide show on the Putney Central School 2022 Summer Camp
Submitted by Wendy M. Levy from minutes taken by Wendy M. Levy
This represents my understanding of the above dated meeting. If you have any changes, please submit them at the next board meeting.
