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 OCTOBER 22, 2024
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6 PM
CUSICK CONFERENCE ROOM, WRCC, BRATTLEBORO
DRAFT MINUTES
Present in person
Eva Nolan – remote (EN), Matt Schibley (MS), Kim Price (KP), Ruby McAdoo (RM), Tim Maciel
(TM), Laiba Eager (LA), Anne Beekman (AB), Deborah Stanford (DS), Shaun Murphy (SM),
Theia Wepaloki (TW), Colleen Savage – remote (CS)
WSESD staff and administration present
Mark Speno, Julianne Eagan, John Gagnon, Hannah Parker, Rachel Glickman, Eileen Aarama
Others present in person
BCTV, Martha Noyes
Others present Virtually
Chris Mays, Janet Slesinski, Liz Strong, Chris Nesbitt, Sarah Landers, Olivia, Susan Schmitt,
Emily Fennes, Kerry Amidon, Mary Kaufmann, Stacey Sawyer, Keith Lyman, Jon Sessions,
Brandy Levesque, Nancy Wiese, Kelly dias, Kate Margaitis, Deb Schiller
Absent
Brian Remer (BR)
Summary
● Updates were presented from the Leadership Councils now that the school year is well underway.
● Discussed maintaining the privacy of students related to the review of district-wide and individual school data related to behavioral incidences, use of restraint, health and safety.
● Presentation was given regarding Family Engagement efforts across the district.
AGENDA
I. Call to Order
DS called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm
DS read the hybrid meeting statement
– 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
SM requested that the Fiscal report be moved up as it is possible Mr. Rucker may not be available after 8 pm.
DS would like to add Oct 7, 2024 minutes to the consent agenda.
II. Student Matters
LE expressed an interest in finding more ways to bridge the gap of communication between students and administration. She also asked for further guidance on the process to reach out to high school students regarding immigrant students. DS requested that she send an email directly to Ms. Hannah Parker.
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.
Martha Noyes, Brattleboro resident, shared this statement regarding the budget.
IV. Board Matters
A. Leadership Council Updates
Mark Speno shared about the leadership council orientation hosted at the Central Office. Representatives were there from five of the LCs. This orientation was designed to be an informal gathering allowing opportunity for connection and sharing. As a group, they decided they would like to meet again for a similar opportunity this winter possibly having a Leadership Council Summit in February. The powerpoint from the orientation will be shared with the other LCs.
TM brought the issue of traffic (car and bus) on Atwood by the Middle School again as it is significant. Hannah Parker shared watching the transportation this morning, and noted that there were two crossing guards helping to manage the flow this morning, which was not always the case. She felt they were managing the flow of traffic very competently. Nancy Wiese expressed concern about the speed of drivers. She has requested police provide speed monitoring when possible.
Tomorrow night (10/23/24) 5:30-7 pm there will be a presentation at Academy School related to special education. This is an open public meeting. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
CS shared that the Academy LC is going strong, and the PTO is well attended. They would like to also encourage others to join.
During a recent LC meeting at Oak Grove, they were wondering if 16 year old students are allowed to vote on the upcoming budget at the Annual Meeting.
A discussion followed with differing understanding on this topic. The Central Office is being asked to work to get clarity.
Also, separately, there was a request asking if there was an opportunity to provide childcare for parents who attend Board meetings. DS asked that the Central Office address this.
MS shared that the Green Street LC meeting centered around efforts toward the district CIP goals, the professional development occurring for the staff, and budget discussions.
KP spoke about the Putney LC meeting having strong meetings. There was an inquiry about students being involved in LC meetings. DS noted that currently there is a policy that would need to be revisited if that is to be acted on.
B. Board Sub-Committees
None Noted
C. Student Advisory Committee (SAC) in relation to other student groups at BUHS
The Student Advisory Council (SAC) and the Student Representative to the Board are opportunities for BUHS students. The Student Representative is a year long commitment with regularly scheduled meeting times. The SAC is not held at a set time, which can cause confusion for those that want to attend. It is designed to be informal and a drop in meeting.
The Student Rep to the WSESD Board may not be able to make the SAC meetings, but they are welcome to attend. Hannah Parker made a recommendation to hold the SAC during the school day at an ACE time which would be a shorter time than the meetings typically are, but could offer a highlight of what will be discussed at the next SAC meeting. It might result in more student involvement.
RM suggested an infographic helping to show the ways students could get involved in groups within the school to connect. Ms. Parker spoke about the recent Student Activity/Club fair. Opportunities for clubs are also highlighted on the BUHS website.
D. Discuss data content of the Monthly Report for WSESD School Board
Presenting data to the WSESD Board regarding student incidents related to bullying, hazing and violence was a request back in April. Mr. Speno spoke about the issue with monthly reporting which may result in loss of privacy for those involved. Issues brought up:
● monthly report broken down by school may compromise privacy for those involved
● present the information mid year and end of year as a full district report, not broken down by school
● summative report on bullying would be valuable
● reviewing trends related to incidents provides useful information
● having quarterly report broken down by school would provide information in a more timely manner and could protect privacy
● going into an Executive Session to review data by school more often is a possible solution to protecting privacy while providing information on a more regular basis
● from the student’s perspective, reports where identity might be keeping privacy can be very difficult as social media spreads things very quickly
E. Update on WSESD Board Retreat (November)
The next Board Retreat will be held Monday 11/18/24 from 5-9 pm, inviting in Mr. Speno. Location is yet to be determined.
F.Other Business
Linda Alverez – Nominated by UVM for outstanding educator award. The presentation will be Thursday 11/7/24.
Nancy Wiese also highlighted that there have been several students who have received awards lately. She wanted to make certain that the Board was aware of the student population being attracted by the WRCC.
V. Administrative Report
Proposed Leadership Council Members by school site Link to Proposed LC Memberships, by School
MS read the names of all being presented as members for the LCs (all listed in the link above)
RM MADE A MOTION TO PASS THE SLATE AS PRESENTED. MOTION WAS SECONDED.
A discussion followed the motion regarding the LCs and why EES and the WRCC are not included. Of note is that because these two are run under different regulations, they function differently. The WRCC is required to have a Regional Advisory Board (RAB) and EES has a Policy Council that undertakes work similar to the LC in the district. Having an LC through would be duplicative. Also of note is that there are Board members involved in all of the LCs as well as EES which has improved communication between the Board and the Leadership Councils.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Hires, Resignations, Retirements
Alexandra Joyal, WRCC, Long-Term Sub for Career Foundations
AB MOTIONED TO APPROVE ALEXANDRA JOYAL AS THE FOUNDATIONS TEACHER AT THE
WRCC. MOTION SECOND.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
No resignations or retirements were offered.
Break at 7:18
Rose from break at 7:28
Presentation: Family Engagement
Presenters this evening are: Mark Speno, Julianne Eagan, Kelly Dias, John Gagnon, Rachel Glickman – Academy, Janet Slesinski – 7-12 Curriculum Coordinator. .
● The link to Presentation Sides can be found here
Presentation continued – Questions & Discussion
TM encouraged the Board to invite back Dr. Rachel Glickman to share more about the work and the innovation discovered through her sabbatical work.
VI. Fiscal Report
There will not be a fiscal report this evening
VII. Consent Agenda
Approval of Minutes from October 7, 2024 and October 8, 2024
MS MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM 10/7/24 & 10/8/24. MOTION
SECONDED
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
VIII. New Business
DS noted new business would include
● revisiting information from administrative presentation.
● Considering how to develop the SAC (Student Advisory Committee)
IX. Unfinished Business
Any Other Topic for Unfinished Business
X. Executive Session (If needed)
AB MOTIONED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:26 pm MOTION SECONDED.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Board Clerk with special recognition to Tracey Drotts
Board Recorder on 10/ 25 /2024.
A recording of this meeting is available on the WSESU website.
