Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes – April 10, 2024

Two 6th grade students from Academy School, Luca Mnookin and Elsa Anders, presented their research project looking at the lack of access to gender-neutral bathrooms at school. Academy School has only one gender-neutral bathroom that is accessible to anyone, and it is in the upper-grade wing, so not available to K-2 students. Some—but not all—classrooms have their own gender-neutral bathroom. The students presented an assessment of why it matters, including transgender students’ fear of harassment in gendered bathrooms. Their research involved surveys at Academy School and Putney Central School, and with their results, they advocated for private, all-gender bathrooms throughout the district.


Windham Southeast School District Board Meeting Minutes March 26, 2024

Summary
● Board Officers were nominated and elected.
● Voting Members of the WSESU Board were nominated and elected.
● Board Meeting days/times were determined.
● The Board will follow the “Robert’s Rules of Order” for Small Boards adding back in seconding a motion.
● Leadership Council assignments were established
● The Board voted to change the Board Meeting scheduled for April 23 rd to April 30 th to avoid meeting during Spring Break.
● Six new employees were presented and approved for the FY25 school year.
● Board approved the submission of Head Start/Early Head refunding application. Application due April 1.
● Board approved the new members of the Guilford and Academy Leadership Councils.


March Precipitation Report

March precipitation total is 7.88″.  NOAA normal is 3.62″ so we are 218% above average for the month. Yearly precip stands at 15.99″ compared to NOAA average of 10.12″ or 158% of normal.   Normal is a NOAA term which is a 30 year average for the years 1990- 2020.  The average or normal changes every 10 years.  I think of the terms as interchangeable.  NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the National Weather Service.  

Snowfall at my location this winter season is 35.1″.  There are no official averages for this area but my average for the past 30 years is about 64″ so we are low even though the moisture is high.


WSESD Board, Finance, IBRC Meeting Minutes

Summary
● The board conducted a public information session about the proposed FY25 budget that will be presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting on 3/19/24.
● The Board voted to hire Patrice Michelle Herman, Science teacher at BUHS
● Three Executive Sessions were added to the end of the meeting.
● Voted to readopt policy G8- Continuous Improvement Plan


Brattleboro Area Middle School Leadership Council Meeting Minutes – Mar 7, 2024

Matt Betz and Peggy shared about the advisory system. They use Developmental Designs. A majority of the staff are formally trained in this framework. Every day starts with advisory – a small group of 10-12 students. It’s like a family during their two years at BAMS. There is a lot of social bonding that takes place among the team. They have daily connection building activities like sharing circles and games. There are team meetings once a week and regular assemblies to celebrate successes and address concerns.