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 12, 2023
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6PM
HYBRID MEETING: WINDHAM REGIONAL CAREER CENTER CUSICK CONFERENCE
ROOM AND REMOTELY VIA ZOOM
DRAFT MINUTES
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.
WSESD Board Members Present: Chair Kelly Young (KY), Anne Beekman (AB), Jayden Gonzalez JG) Non-Voting Student Representative, Tim Maciel (TM), Ruby McAdoo (RMC), Robin Morgan (RMO), Shaun Murphy (SM), Eva Nolan (EN), Kimberly Price (KP), Matt Schibley (MS), Deborah Stanford (DS), Alora Lawyer (AL) Non-Voting Student Representative.
WSESD Board Members Absent: none WSESU/SD Staff and Administrators Present: Mark Speno, Frank Rucker, Nancy Wiese, Julianne Eagan, Hannah Parker, Julianne Eagan, Keith Lyman, Deborah Serafino, Anne Koplinka-Loehr, Mary
Kaufmann, Morgan DeRosia, Kathryn Mason, Kate Margaitis, Jenn Germain, Jon Sessions, Deb Schiller, Brin Tucker, Jodi Nutting, Chris Nesbitt, Mikaela Simms
Media Present: BCTV, Chris Mays (Brattleboro Reformer),
Others Present: BUHS student Sadie Hiam, BUHS student Zariah Pacheco, Mindy Haskins Rogers (Northampton, MA), Jody Normandeau (Dummerston), Sherri Keefe, Kerry Amidon,
Please note: attendance may be incomplete.
I. CALL TO ORDER
KY called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.
KY read the hybrid meeting statement.
● Review of Agenda
KY amended the agenda to include “Curriculum Department: Upcoming Changes,” to come after the Education Tax Rate item.
II. STUDENT MATTERS
JG spoke about the lack of respect, going in both directions, between students and teachers.
Superintendent Mark Speno made a note of it.
III. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Mr. Speno introduced a presentation on Social-Emotional Learning, which he framed as an investment in our community and our relationships. He shared a document, a slideshow on social emotional learning programs throughout the District. Mr. Speno asked the Board to provide feedback on the presentation.
Dummerston School Principal Julianne Eagan presented about Developmental Design and how that is implemented at Dummerston School. She described Developmental Design as a set of principles about how we form relationships with children, why it matters, a consistent language and set of practices and a system to make sure those practices are being implemented.
● Foundational concepts of Developmental Design include Relationship, Autonomy, Competence, Fun, and Safety.
● She described the goal of Developmental Design as making classrooms supportive to the diversity of learners in the school.
● Social-emotional learning is not separate from academic progress.
● The Developmental Design approach is about community not coercion. The students work together to create a social contract that benefits the community.
Brattleboro Area Middle School (BAMS) Principal Keith Lyman introduced teachers Deborah Serafino and Anne Koplinka-Loehr, who spoke about how Development Design is used at BAMS.
● BAMS advisory classes begin every day with a Circle of Power and Respect, where students and teachers participate as equals. It’s a powerful tool for promoting a sense of community.
● BAMS teachers use Developmental Design practices for classroom management. Students have autonomy to decide when and where they would like to take breaks to support self-regulation.
● BAMS utilizes the team structure and team activities to foster community building and relationships over a two year cycle.
Oak Grove School Principal Mary Kaufmann introduced School Counselor Morgan DeRosia and Social Worker Kathryn Mason. They spoke about the district’s social emotional learning curriculum, “Second Steps,” a research-based curriculum for pre-K to 5th grade.
● In response to a request from WSESD school counselors for a unified SEL curriculum, Brin Tucker secured grant-funding to purchase this curriculum for all seven elementary schools.
● A counselor or teacher presents a 30 minute lesson to every class each week and the teacher can facilitate practicing the concepts with the class over the course of the week.
● This provides opportunity for collaboration between the counselor and classroom teachers in identifying the needs of the class and supporting them through Second Step lessons.
● Additionally all students get lessons in bullying prevention and utilizing the zones of regulation.
Academy School Principal Kelly Dias and School Counselor Ana Ocasio provided a video about social-emotional learning at Academy School.
● In addition to teaching Second Steps, they created a model called Constellations. Ms. Ocasio combined the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) standards, Expeditionary Learning (EL) Habits of Character, and schoolwide expectations to create a matrix of monthly lessons.
● Staff are sent the lessons a week prior and provided with all materials they need to teach it to their class.
● Each Constellation lesson starts with a mindfulness activity. Lessons are differentiated by grade level but share the same theme (responsibility, citizenship, integrity). They Incorporate skills used in Second Steps lessons, such as roleplaying, the importance of language, and noticing how other people are feeling.
● The school is considering implementing an “advisory” model similar to BAMS where students meet in a consistent group across years.
Green Street School Principal Kate Margaitis introduced Jenn Germain, a teacher at the school. They both spoke about social emotional learning.
● Each class begins the day with a Morning Meeting that includes a greeting, a chance for everyone to share, a group activity, and a morning message from the teacher. Sometimes this meeting structure is used again after afternoon recess if needed.
● The school uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), an evidence-based tiered framework for supporting behavior, academic and social-emotional learning, and mental health.
● The schoolwide focus is on being safe, responsible and kind. Students can earn tokens for demonstrating these qualities.
● Routines and transitions are established in ways that support positive behaviors.
● Teachers use positive reinforcement even when correcting behavior.
Putney Central School Principal Jon Sessions spoke on behalf of Marisa Lazarus, school counselor, and Bethany Connelly, behavior interventionist.
● Ms. Lazarus and Ms. Connely co-teach 30-45 minute SEL lessons weekly in each class.
● They use the Second Steps curriculum, and also talk about zones of regulation with younger students and neuroscience with older ones.
● Some students receive additional support – some examples given were small group discussions about how to be a positive leader or how to handle frustrating events.
● The school’s approach to behavior is based on the assumption that a student’s behavior communicates what their needs are. The staff can then determine how to work with them in a positive and productive way to teach them the skills they need.
Diversity Director Mikaela Simms spoke about the affinity groups for students in the district.
● BAMS and BUHS have BIPOC affinity groups called AWARE.
● Many district elementary schools have BIPOC or LBGTQIA+ affinity groups, lunch groups, or playgroups.
● These groups are essential to students’ well-being, development, and academic achievement.
● Two BUHS seniors, Zaria Pacheco and Sadie Hiam, spoke about how meaningful AWARE has been for them. It provides a safe space at school where they can be in community with other Black and BIPOC students, develop public-speaking skills, and participate in meaningful field trips.
DS asked about an item she noticed on a recent monthly report the Board receives from schools: the high number of injuries and illnesses at Academy School. Mr. Speno said he will find out more and follow up.
TM asked all Leadership Councils (LC) to answer all three questions in their reports to the Board, as they have not been doing so. BUHS Principal Hannah Parker said some of the LCs have not met in the last two weeks, which could explain the lack of responses in the report.
KY called for a break at 7:08pm. KY called the meeting back to order at 7:14.
IV. EDUCATION TAX RATE – BUDGET IMPACTS & LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Representative Emilie Kornheiser (Windham-7) discussed the Commisioner of Taxes’ FY2025 Education Tax Rate Letter.
As background, she noted that the surge in federal spending during the first three years of the Pandemic led to a big increase in room and meals tax and sales tax revenue, which enabled the state to be able to hold tax rates relatively steady despite big increases in spending by school districts. The Tax Commissioner is required to send out a letter each year predicting the tax rate change. The calculations used to create the prediction are strictly controlled by law but it is only a forecast created from preliminary budget information provided informally to the AOE.
Despite the fact that federal spending has slowed down, education spending needs are still high because student needs are very high in our schools. There are other ways the legislature could shift tax rules to generate more revenue for the education fund – some examples Ms. Kornheiser gave were taxing cloud purchases or services, or increasing the non-homestead tax rate.
Another complication is the change to the pupil weighting formula. The projection two years ago for WSESD was that this would result in an increase in the local tax rate. Ms. Kornheiser suggested that the district look into other ways that they could reduce cost burden, such as taking advantage of all federal money that is available or leaning on other resources to fund or support meeting mental health needs of students.
Frank Rucker said that the district is very assertive in seeking grant funding and are often asked to be the pilot agency for the state. He noted that there is a lack of guidance or support from the state for public schools making capital investments to reduce climate impact.
RMC expressed concern about how districts are incentivized to seek grant funding when the impact of any district’s spending is spread across the entire state.
Jody Normandeau expressed concern that the education fund is being used to support human services needs such as food, social workers, and after school programs, at the expense of funding education. Ms. Kornheiser agreed that as problems in our communities have increased, schools have widened their scope of work to address those basic needs. She highlighted the need for support systems to collaborate better with schools.
EN asked if the legislature is considering schools and school funding in their conversations about climate resiliency. Ms. Kornheiser replied that one of the top three legislative priorities is to build out emergency infrastructure and flood resilience. The Agency of Education is a part of statewide emergency planning.
Mr. Rucker also noted the steep increases that have occurred in employee health insurance spending since the role of negotiating those contracts was moved from local districts to the state level. Ms Kornheiser replied that health insurance costs have risen exponentially since then but there is work happening to reduce those costs, including a proposal by the auditor to shift to reference-based pricing. Nancy Wiese asked for a change to the funding formula for career and technical education. Mr. Rucker asked the legislature to reconsider the model of having the head of the AoE be a political appointee.
V. CONSENT AGENDA
● Clerk’s Report – Approval of Minutes – November 28, 2023
MOTION BY KP TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 28, 2023.
MOTION BY DS TO AMEND THE MINUTES TO CORRECT THE FOLLOWING ON PAGE FIVE: THE THREE POLICIES HAVE GONE THROUGH TWO READINGS, NOT THREE. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
VOTE ON THE KP MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS AMENDED: MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
● Warrants and Payrolls
KY noted two warrants have been amended to correct the dates. She read the correct dates in the
warrants and payrolls as follows:
Warrant of November 13, 2023
Warrant No. 1164 in the amount of $ 899.09
Warrant No. 1165 in the amount of $ 29,956.48
Warrant No. 1166 in the amount of $ 1083.00
Warrant No. 1167 in the amount of $ 189,637.74
$ 221,576.31
Warrant of November 20, 2023
Warrant No. 1168 in the amount of $ 467.58
Warrant No. 1169in the amount of $ 12,616.90
Warrant No. 1175 in the amount of $ 730.33
Warrant No. 1176 in the amount of $ 6,149.81
Warrant No. 1179 in the amount of $ 7,762.39
Warrant No. 1180 in the amount of $ 9,077.51
Warrant No. 1181 in the amount of $ 149,128.51
$ 185,933.03
Payrolls November 17, 2023 $ 1,799,044.03
Warrant of November 27, 2023
Warrant No. 1184 in the amount of $ 32,726.32
Warrant No. 1185 in the amount of $ 605.07
Warrant No. 1186 in the amount of $ 76,258.58
$ 109,589.97
Warrant of December 4, 2023
Warrant No. 1187 in the amount of $ 10,729.53
Warrant No. 1192 in the amount of $ 3,645.91
Warrant No. 1193 in the amount of $ 13,583.76
Warrant No. 1194 in the amount of $ 2,489.88
Warrant No. 1195 in the amount of $ 1,007,248.30
$ 1,037,697.39
Payrolls December 1, 2023 $ 1,665,743.58
MOTION BY DS TO APPROVE THE WARRANTS OF:
● NOVEMBER 13, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $221,576.31
● NOVEMBER 20, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $185,933.03
● NOVEMBER 27, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $109,589.97
● DECEMBER 4, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,037,697.39
AND THE PAYROLLS OF:
● NOVEMBER 17, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,799,044.03
● DECEMBER 1, 2023 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,665,743.58
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
VI. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
There were none.
VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Sexual Abuse Investigation
KY reported she has not had the opportunity to contact Attorney Kendall Hoechst. She hopes to have an update next week.
Mindy Haskins Rogers and Jody Normandeau both asked for the Board to release information soon.
B. Continuation of Food Accessibility at District Schools
RMC asked for an update on the recent meeting between the administration and Fresh Picks on BUHS food issues. Mr. Speno responded that he, Business Administrator Frank Rucker, Ms. Parker, and Susan Grabowski met with the Fresh Picks leadership. They shared their concerns and feedback received from students and families.
As a result, Fresh Picks committed to some changes, including reassigning some positions and monitoring the line and the food to make sure it’s well stocked. Lunch C will be extended so that the Fresh Picks staff don’t have to start packing up the food while students are still being served. New menu items have been included to better align with students’ tastes. Fresh Picks will be conducting surveys to better understand what kind of food students would like. There are some more long term goals around hiring more staff and the WSESU HR department is offering support with that. In addition, there will be an after school snack program starting at BUHS and a share cooler is up and running.
BUHS Principal Hannah Parker said that the improvements are already visible and students are happy with the immediate changes.
MS asked about the reports of teachers spending their own money on snacks for students. Mr. Speno responded that the share cooler is intended to be a solution to that, providing a resource where students can self-serve snacks during school.
TM asked about whether things are improving at Academy School. Mr. Speno replied that staffing has been an issue there as well – they are on their third chef of the school year. But they are very happy with the current chef and things are starting to improve.
C. Curriculum Department Changes (this item was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting)
Mr. Speno reported Curriculum Coordinator Paul Smith has recently announced his retirement at the end of the school year. The administrative team has meeting with Mr. Smith throughout the summer and fall to get a complete understanding of his responsibilities, which include dealing with grants and data as well as curriculum and instruction, and how the position has changed over time. The administrative team has created a vision for the curriculum office with more clarity around responsibilities. This proposal supports a unified school system with a coordinated approach from pre- K to 12
.
The current curriculum office has two administrative positions and three coaches. The new proposal would retain a five-member Curriculum Department, shifting the roles as follows:
◦ A Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. This person will supervise the Curriculum Office.
◦ Two Curriculum Coordinators with clear roles. One will work with pre-K and elementary grades. The other will work with grades 7-12.
◦ Two Coaches to support the Curriculum Coordinators.
The need for aligned curriculum pre-K through 12 was identified in the NEASC and this restructuring will support that goal. This alignment will be critical to graduation rates, test scores and social- emotional well-being. This proposal increases supervision and evaluation, and clarifies roles.
A discussion ensued on civics and social studies curricula.
D. Policy & Amendment presents the following for Re-Adoption:
• D1 – Personnel Recruitment, Selection, Appointment, and Background Checks
MOTION BY DS TO APPROVE FOR READOPTION POLICY D1: PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, APPOINTMENT, AND BACKGROUND CHECKS.
A discussion ensued. DS noted this policy has gone through two readings.
VOTE ON THE DS MOTION: MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
E. Policy & Amendment presents the following for 2nd Reading:
● F32 – Student Distribution of Literature
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
A. Policy & Amendment Committee presents the following for a 1st reading:
● D7 Volunteers and Work Study Students
DS noted this policy was adopted in November, 2022. The dates established in the initial implementation of this policy have been removed and the language changed to reflect an ongoing process. The updates are as follows:
● Volunteers can get fingerprinted at any sheriff’s department in the state. The fee will be paid by the District. Once a volunteer has been fingerprinted, they do not need to get fingerprinted again.
● Every volunteer who drives a student to off-site activities must go through a level 1 background check every 12 months at Central Office.
● F36 Student Freedom of Expression in School Sponsored Media
DS announced this policy is on its first reading. There is one change about audio-visual recordings.
DS asked everyone to review both policies and send comments to committee members.
IX. BOARD MATTERS / TRAINING
‘A. Leadership Council Updates
Mr. Speno announced the second orientation for LC Chairs recently took place in the Central Office. Participants expressed interest in having another opportunity to come together, possibly in March. Mr. Speno announced the union is in approval of the stipends for staff participation in LC meetings. The next step will be to get the word out to teachers and establish staff appointments as part of our annual process.
RMO shared that in the Academy School LC meeting they discussed food service issues and the work the school is doing to provide students with meals outside school hours, such as sending home food in backpacks for the weekend and school breaks. They asked about how the district could provide similar resources to students at the middle and high school level. Mr. Speno shared that BUHS has just begun a backpack program and mentioned the possibility of including BAMS students in that program.
B. Board Sub-Committees:
– Communication Council
RMC announced the Council recently met, and their minutes are posted on the website. Highlights from their meeting included:
● A discussion of how the shared google drive could be used to share meeting information with board members
● Suggestions from the public – tutorials for the website, a synopsis on Act 173, and a cheat sheet of commonly used acronyms. Some of this may be a role for Central Office.
● The Council developed a draft survey for Leadership Councils for the Superintendent to review.
● Communications between the Central Office and the Council are very good.
– Programmatic Performance & Equity Committee
RMC announced the Committee would meet on Monday, and they will be discussing food access equity amongst the District’s schools.
C. Board Budget
KY announced there will be a lengthy discussion on this, and the next item (Administrative Assistant for the Board) at the next Board meeting. She asked Board members to review the Board’s budget before then.
D. Administrative Assistant to WSESD Board
KY explained why the Board might want to consider hiring an administrative assistant. In the previous structure with separate districts in each town, 29 people served as board members to govern these ten schools. Now all of this work is being done by 10 people, who are also juggling other work and family responsibilities. The Board receives a great deal of assistance from Executive Secretary Mo Hart, but Ms. Hart has many other responsibilities. An administrative assistant for the Board would relieve pressure on her, too.
DS expressed that the Board needs a better system for tracking which policies need updating and noted the Board needs better on-boarding procedures, too,
RMO asked the Superintendent to provide an update on how the District is addressing the substitute teacher shortage at an upcoming meeting.
MOTION BY AB TO ADJOURN. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
The Board adjourned at 9:14pm.
Documents presented:
● A slideshow on social emotional learning programs throughout the District.
Submitted by Robin Morgan, Board Clerk, 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.
