WSESD Programmatic & Performance Equity Committee
7/30/24 @ 4pm (virtual only)
Committee Members Attending: Ruby McAdoo, Kim Price, Brian Remer
Others Attending: Liz Adams
MINUTES
I. Call to Order approximately 4:03pm
II. Review of mission: Monitor school equity and performance, and work with district staff to develop recommendations to increase equity and performance throughout the district.
a. questioning of what it means – clarifying its overall role in the WSESD board. Possibly need more work on it.
III. Committee focus / items for discussion:
a. Food Service in District: Discussed food services in the district; how to determine if it is equitable, how to move the district forward towards a more in-house type of service. Ruby is on a WSESU Farm to School Committee that includes a focus on food access and will report more back to this committee. Possibly start with BUHS, as the largest school, to get organic milk locally as the WNESU has done. When the school year begins, see if Steve H. has made any headway about the cost of the “tanks” that hold the milk in WNESU. Supporting local agriculture supports WSESD policy E14.
b. Universal Pre-k access: Brattleboro has opened 2 classes at the old Canal St. School. Short discussion of Pre-k slots being open for the fall which is very unusual. May just be a low birth year that happens from time to time. Continues to be a priority but there is movement in the district around this issue.
c. Leadership Councils: Over the past 2 years, 2 schools have had difficulty maintaining an LC. Currently, all schools have a LC though there is consistent feedback through the monthly reporting that they do not feel heard or do not know how to receive or give information to the board. One suggestion was to rotate reporting to have 2 LC mentioned in more detail at each meeting.
d. High School Readiness: Are PCS and Dummerston Middle Schoolers ready for BUHS? Is there equity between the 3 middle schools? Algebra was mentioned. At PCS, the middle school (6-8) is in a transition period from its old model to one that offers some choice periods, doesn’t keep the grades separated, but has students in classes that are appropriate for where they are educationally. How is that work speaking directly to readiness for high school? Is it comparable to what is happening at other middle schools? Are sports and and afters school programming for PCS and Dummerston kids equitable? If PCS and Dummerston kids are able to access BAMS programming, is there transportation?
IV. Future items to discuss related to programmatic & performance equity:
a. How can this committee help move forward the food access for the district?
b. How can this committee support equity regarding middle schoolers being prepared for BUHS?
c. Committee structure – distributed leadership? Chair? Clerk?
d. Future invited quests:
■ Susan Grabowski – for information from the Farm to School committee that is addressing equity in food access
■ Mark Speno – to ask him (and possibly other MS admin), what are the burning issues around Middle School? How do they perceive equity from school to school? How are each of our middle schools preparing kids for high school?
V. The committee will start the year planning for a consistent monthly meeting cycle of the 1st Thursday of the month at 5pm. Meeting location will be remotely unless otherwise indicated. The next meeting will take place remotely on September 5, 2024 at 5pm.
VI. Adjourn at 5:05pm
