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 NOVEMBER 12, 2024
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6 PM
WRCC CUSIC CONFERENCE ROOM
DRAFT MINUTES
Present: Shaun Murphy (SM), Anne Beekman (AB), Deborah Stanford (DS), Matt Schibley (MS), Kim
Price (KP), Ruby McAdoo (RM), Tim Maciel (TM), Colleen Savage (CS), Brian Remer (BR), Eva Nolan
(EN), Theia Wepaloki (TW),
Absent:
Laiba Eager (LE)
WSESD staff and administration present:
Mark Speno, Frank Rutger, Hannah Parker, Brin Tucker, Mary Kaufmann, Julianne Egan, Brandy
Levesque, Kate Margaitis, Whitney Lynde, Nancy Weise, Kerri Beebe, Kelly Dias, Jon Sessions, Jon
Gagnon
Others present in person or virtually:
Jody Normandeau, Leigh Niland, Liz Adams, Kerry Amidon, Kristina Naylor, Martha Noyse, John’s
iPhone
Summary
● The Board reviewed and established the meeting dates between now and the end of the calendar year, making changes to the standard schedule as needed due to the holidays.
● The Board voted to include a report from the WSESU Board on the WSESD Board meeting agendas.
● Issues with the food service company was touched upon. As the food services falls under that WSESU jurisdiction, it will be discussed more at their meeting 11/13/24.
● The meeting dates for the Finance Committee were altered slightly as related to the budget development. They will occur at 5 pm on Tuesday 11/19/24, Monday 11/25/24 and Monday 12/2/24.
● The Board accepted, with regret, the resignation presented.
AGENDA
DS called the meeting to order at 6:04pm.
DS read the hybrid meeting statement
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
DS would like to confirm meeting dates in November and December as the first item under board business
II. Student Matters
No 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. Kristina Naylor, Dummerston resident, brought forth that the school calendar has 4 contingency dates and this is an error as there should be 5 contingency dates. Requested that future calendars have checks and balances on calendar development as it can have a ripple effect (ie. summer camps planning their summer offerings).
Martha Noyes, Brattleboro resident, requested that the finance committee, Superintendent and Administrators be keeping in mind developing a lean responsible budget while also educating students who are responsible and strong members of the community.
IV. Board Matters
A. Confirmation of Board Meeting Dates in Nov/Dec
Proposed dates for November and December are:
Nov 18 – Board Retreat
Nov 26 – Regular Meeting
Dec 10 – Regular Meeting
Dec 17 – Regular Meeting
MS MOTIONED THAT THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED WSESD MEETING FROM 12/24/24 TO
12/17/24 AT 6 PM IN THE CUSICK ROOM. VOTE WAS CALLED. VOTE PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
B. Leadership Council Updates
The BAMS LC reviewed the survey recently sent to parents. Social Emotional Learning was #1
on the list. Academic performance was noted to be the #5 concern of parents.
C. Board Sub-Committees
The Programmatic, Performance and Equity Committee met recently. They invited Susan Grabowski (Food Service Coordinator) and Sheila Humphries (Food Connects) to discuss equity across food accessibility. The topic of having reports from the other boards as a part of the agenda was brought up.
TM MOTIONED THAT AS A REGULAR PART OF THE AGENDA, THE WSESD BE UPDATED ON THE
WORK OF THE WSESU BOARD. SECONDED.
The discussion that followed identified the following points:
1. There is value in knowing what the WSESU board is doing
2. There are minutes and recordings from other boards that are accessible to all that people are able to review.
3. Would this extend to all boards reporting to the other boards so all three are communicating in a more formal way.
Jody Normandeau, Dummerston resident, reminded that there has been a request that LC
meetings be recorded.
Liz Adams, Putney resident, commented on the pProgrammatic, Performance and Equity Committee and food service awareness in regards to the Vernon Elementary School.
VOTE WAS CALLED. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
The Programmatic, Performance and Equity Committee discussed the issue with food services. Fresh Picks was purchased by Whitsons Culinary Group. Staffing changes in the food service company have resulted in struggles in our schools. The contract is not being met as it is outlined in the contract with the vendor. There is always food, but it is not always hot, or offering the variety that is expected. The Superintendent has addressed this with Chris Faro, VP of Fresh Picks. Frank Rucker spoke about the district’s communication with the company regarding the expectations. There is a high expectation, and progress monitoring is being put into place. According to Whitsons, staff have been hired and will be put into place in the next few weeks.
Liz Adams, Putney resident, wondered if the employees were being surveyed about their job satisfaction as that may offer some understanding of the challenges going on at Fresh Picks. The Policy Committee will be meeting 11/13/24 at 2 pm at the Central Office. All are welcome.
D.Update on WSESD Board Retreat (November 18)
The Board Retreat will be held at Cusick on 11/18/24. The meeting will begin as a warned meeting, and then will turn into a retreat, going offline. The work of this retreat will not be addressing any Board work.
TM and MS will help with organizing food and drinks for the retreat.
E. Update re: the VSBA Annual Conference at Lake Morey (10/24-25)
The VSBA (Vermont State Board Association) conference was attended by some in late October.
The following reflects feedback from some who attended:
● Best practices that were identified at the conference are already in place in our district. There was an appreciation that the Superintendent and Administration are ensuring they are in place in our district.
● A moving piece of the conference was having students present to the attendees of the conference. It was a reminder that there is great value in including student voice when possible. Maybe there is a way we can incorporate student voice as we prepare for the Annual Meeting.
● Gathering with other districts feels very valuable. The ability to network and connect with others doing this work meant a great deal.
F. Other Business
No other business was brought before the Board.
Entered break at 6:58 pm.
Rose from break at 7:05 pm.
V. Fiscal Report
Review 2026 Budget Calendar Draft of 11/7- Frank Rucker
Mr. Rucker shared the budget planning timeline, outlining the dates that have been put into place related to the statutory date of March 18th (the third Saturday in March) for our next Annual Meeting. An adjustment to the proposed draft (attached document) has been made.
The Nov. 18th meeting will now be on Nov 19, 2024 at 5 pm. The next two meetings (11/25/24 and 12/2/24) will also be held at 5 pm to make the meeting time more accessible for the public and committee members. By the time the third draft of the budget is presented to the Board, the important work by the Administrators should be done and the yield from the State should be established.
An inquiry was put forth about what the process would be to change the Annual Meeting. Mr. Rucker indicated that it would need to be put to a vote. An issue that would arise is that the key indices from the state that impact the budget typically come out in December. Moving the Annual Meeting may impact the meaningful communication and draft development in a negative way. Another significant impact would be reducing the window of opportunity for Administrators to hire staff. If this was a consideration to be pursued, an Article would need to be part of the Feb. 11th vote.
It was suggested that in the time between when the WSESD Board approves the budget and the Annual meeting, there is an opportunity for the Board to engage with the community to help with understanding. Some ideas to bring this to the public are:
● Presenting at Leadership Councils.
● Using the tool the IBRC (Independent Budget Review Committee) develops.
● Developing other ways to present the information from the budget, ie. graphs and charts.
VI. Administrative Report
– Update
Food Services and the issues that are currently being addressed. Chris Faro, VP of Fresh Picks, sent this letter to Superintendent Speno addressing the issues currently occurring with the food services.
11/7/24 and 11/8/24 were half days for the students. The afternoons were for conferences, and the Paraeducators were offered Professional Development opportunities. Sessions were offered by staff that stepped up and some outside presenters.
The Secretary of Education Listen and Learn Tour is being offered by the AOE. On Dec 3rd, the AOE will be coming to our district. An opportunity to be involved is being offered to Board members, Administration and staff. There will be a large group presentation, and then two breakout sessions. Details are being worked out.
Jody Normandeau, Dummerston resident, requested clarification on who will be running this AOE tour.
– Hires, Resignations, Retirements
Mark Barns Resignation Green St – 5th grade teacher
AB MOVED WITH REGRET TO ACCEPT THE RESIGNATION OF MARK BARNES FROM
GREEN STREET SCHOOL. VOTE WAS CALLED. VOTE WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
VII. Consent Agenda
– Approval of Minutes from October 22, 2024, October 29, 2024
– Warrants & Payrolls
MS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA SECONDED
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
VIII. New Business
Any Other Topic for New Business
No new business was brought before the Board
IX. Unfinished Business
Any Other Topic for Unfinished Business
No new business was brought before the Board.
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 7:42 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted on 11/17/2024 by Board Clerk with special recognition to Tracey Drotts Board Recorder.
A recording of this meeting is available on the WSESU website
