WSESD Board Meeting – Draft Minutes June 13, 2023

…”Now, therefore, we, the New Brattleboro Mascot Oversight Committee of the Windham Southeast School District, do hereby recommend that the Board of School Directors officially adopt Bears as our new school mascot and identifier for the purpose of enabling a unified and spirited school community….”


Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee Draft Meeting Minutes

Announcements

DS: Subcommittees are being asked to review their mission statements.

Committee agreed to DS suggestion to put this on hold for now.

DS announced that people have come forward with requests for new policies. Michelle Green is bringing forward a district school choice policy request and a staff member is bringing forward one on gender freedom. These are on hold for now. Drafts will be circulated to everyone.


WSESD Programmatic and Performance Equity Committee Meeting Minutes

It was decided that Ruby would be the chair and Kim would be the clerk.

The mission statement was discussed. Does this committee need to exist? Is everything already happening/being taken care of by the administration? How do we make sure all schools feel served?

Liz discussed how this committee was previously tasked with examining Title IX in regards to sports at the High School.


WSESD Board Meeting Agenda

AGENDA
I. Call To Order – 6:00pm – Kelly Young, Board Chair
II. EXECUTIVE SESSION
A. Executive Session under 1 VSA § 313 (a) (7) Student Matters / The academic records or suspension or discipline of students – Action Required
B. Executive Session under 1 VSA § 313 (a) (7) Student Matters / The academic records or suspension or discipline of students – Action Required
III. Student Matters (5-10 Minutes)


WSESD Finance Committee Meeting Agenda

Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. FY23 Fiscal Year to Date Financial Statement Review
3. School Funding Formula, Legislative Session Impact
4. Capital Project Implementation update (Oak Grove School Renewable Energy Improvement project, BUHS/Guilford/Academy HVAC project updates)


History of Andrews Inn, First Gay Bar in Vermont, Final Chapter Premiere at Stage 33 Live with Gail Golec

Gail Golec will premiere the final episode of her audio podcast series about the first gay bar in Vermont, Andrews Inn in Bellows Falls, on Friday, June 23 at 7:00 PM at Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls. Limited seating, reservations by 6/22 are recommended; the event will be recorded and filmed.

Gail is a professional archaeologist and the creator, writer, editor, researcher, producer, and host for a podcast called The Secret Life of Death. A cemetery nerd, the podcast is a way for her to draw lines from the past to the present by showcasing the life of a random regular person buried in one of the thousands of historic cemeteries throughout New England.

Lately, however, she’s taken a deep dive into the history and times of the Andrews Inn, which from 1973 to 1984 was located in the current Hotel Windham in Bellows Falls. It was the first gay bar in the state of Vermont.


WSESD Social Justice Committee Meeting Agenda

AGENDA
I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
II. Establish chair, clerk & minutes expectations
III. Re-establish mission:Mission: Foster learning environments in which all members of the school community are safe, feel valued and are appreciated, as well as promote policies and procedures that value equity and diversity in our schools.
IV. Centering social justice in our hiring process, what specifically to focus on.


WSESD Policy & Amendment Committee Meeting Minutes

DST discussed how new policies should come to the committee.
They should come directly from the community to the P&A Committee.
Only time a new or revised policy goes to the full Board for discussion is when it is ready for 1st or 2nd reading for readoption.
All policies up for readoption need to be warned.
Policies are under constant scrutiny and may be revised at any time the P&A Committee decides they should be reviewed.


WSESD Board Meeting Draft Minutes May 23

SUMMARY: The board heard a presentation by the Superintendent on administrative goals, and a presentation by three principals on the teacher peer observation program that was piloted this year. BUHS administration gave an update on the school branding process: a screening committee composed of students and staff has narrowed down 132 submissions for a new team name to three finalists, which students will be voting on this week. The Finance Director provided an update on the grant application process for funding the Oak Grove School capital improvement projects, which include installing a heat pump, insulation, PCB remediation and window replacements. The board shared news that the sexual abuse investigation will soon be closing the information gathering phase and encouraged anyone who has been considering reporting to do so as soon as possible. The Superintendent provided information on possible improvements to Natowich and Tenney Fields, and the Board voted to direct the administration to resuscitate Natowich as a natural field.


WSESD Board Meeting – Draft Minutes May 9

The board heard a presentation from the Office of Diversity Equity and Social Justice about the teacher leader structure and diversity, equity and social justice programming in the district. There was a discussion about how to address and facilitate input from leadership councils. The board approved an updated capital plan, focused on increasing sustainability. The board heard from students that they would appreciate more transparency around the sexual abuse investigation and disclosed that they are in meetings with their attorney in order to gather some data that can be released to the public.

There was a discussion about the need for increasing athletic field capacity which could include resurfacing Natowich Field and improvements to Tenney Field. The superintendent provided an update about the process to select a new name and mascot for BUHS. The board voted to approve the superintendent’s recommendation for a reorganization of leadership roles at BUHS.


Windham Southeast Supervisory School Board Board Minutes – May 10

CALL TO ORDER—6:01 p.m. – Anne Beekman, Chair

On a motion by Tim Maciel the board approved the minutes of April 12, 2023.

On a motion by Deborah Stanford the board approved the Warrants of April 12, 2023 in the
amount of $843,957.90; April 26, 2023 in the amount of $1,310,582.83; and Payroll of April 21, 2023
in the amount of $576,979.59.


WSESD Policy and Amendment Committee Meeting Agenda

II. WSESD Board Update
F35 – School Animal Policy (re-adoption 4/25/23)

III. Schedule of policies for discussion – subject to change
2:35-3:00 H7 Leadership Councils (edits and updates from community)
3:00-3:25 F42 Student Dress Code (with flexibility to accommodate student schedules)


Neighborhood Schoolhouse to Open New Primary Classroom for Ages 4-6

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (May 1, 2023)—The Neighborhood Schoolhouse is pleased to announce that it will have a Primary classroom for the 2023-2024 school year. Children aged 4 to 6 years old will be welcomed into an immersive project- and nature-based environment. Specially trained educators will nurture and respect children’s individual skills and interests, fostering a love of learning through emergent curriculum.

“We cherish our students,” says Jocelyn York, Head of School. “Quality learning occurs best when students feel emotionally safe and know that their efforts will be valued. This is what we provide at Neighborhood. This is why our school is life-changing. I’m excited to once again open our doors to elementary-aged children.”


WSESD – Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes

On a motion by Kerry Amidon, the minutes of March 8, 2023 were approved.

The following 1% applications were approved on a motion by Kerry Amidon:
Putney Central School on Executive Functioning
Putney Central School – spring ephemeral unit – 4 days plus materials for a total of $1250.12