Understanding School Structure or Why is the GMUSD Picking Our Principal?

The following post aims to help clarify why there is a Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) hiring the principal for the Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) and not the CTES board.

Supervisory Unions: In Vermont, all public schools are part of a “supervisory union” or district, which is basically the administrative layer between the local school and the State of VT’s Agency of Education. Starting in July 2015, and the passage of Act 46  the 151 school districts began to merge to create “unified districts” (UDs) To date there are now 34 unified school districts and 4 modified union school districts in the state. Agency of Education

Act 46 requires Unified Districts: Act 46 was created primarily for two reasons, a declining enrollment of students statewide and the spiraling costs of education. With increasing property taxes, and more school budgets failing, the legislators decided a course correction was needed. Act 46 of 2015 provides opportunities for school districts to unify existing disparate governance structures into sustainable systems of education delivery that are designed to meet identified State goals while recognizing and reflecting local priorities. The law required that over a four year period school districts would merge into larger units. Agency of Education Act 46

To encourage the creation of unified districts, both “carrots and sticks” were offered. There was a promise of tax breaks for those towns that joined and penalties-the state would assign what district you’d be in and small school grants would be withdrawn- if you didn’t merge.

Prior to Act 46/Creation of TRSU: Cavendish was once part of the Windsor South West Supervisory Union, which also included the towns of Chester, Andover and Londonderry. With changes in the Ludlow Supervisory Union, the Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) was formed to include the towns of Cavendish, Chester, Ludlow, Mt Holly and Plymouth. Londonderry went with Manchester.

Two Unified Districts Under TRSU: With the passage of  Act 46, it would have seemed logical for the TRSU to just become it’s own unified school district. However, the requirements under Act 46 mandated one high school for a unified district. Not only didn’t Ludlow residents want to give up Black River High School (BRHS) but many in Mt. Holly wanted to send their children to Mill River, which is closer to them than Green Mountain Union High School (GMUHS) in Chester.

Ultimately, two unified school districts were formed, and approved by the voters of their respective town, both of which are under the TRSU:

• Ludlow and Mt Holly created the Ludlow Mt Holly Unified School District (LMUSD) with Plymouth going with the Windsor Central Unified School District. BRHS will be closing in 2020. Ludlow Elementary will remain open, with school choice for grades 7-12.

• The towns of Baltimore, Cavendish, Chester, and Andover formed the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD).

Who Oversees What: The following structure is now in place

• The TRSU oversees all schools in both the GMUSD and LMUSD. The TRSU is overseen by a board of representatives from the various towns.

• Individual school boards, e.g. CTES, cease to exist by June 30, 2018 and are currently meeting to finish any “unfinished” businesses. All decisions pertaining to an individual school are now made by the unified district board, which in Cavendish’s case is the GMUSD. They made the decision about the hiring of the GMUHS principal and are currently in the process of doing the same for CTES.

• The GMUSD board membership is as follows:

-       6 representatives from Chester

-       3 representatives from Cavendish

-       1 representative from Andover

-       1 representative from Baltimore

GMUSD Board Gets to Pick the CTES Principal: Recapping-because Cavendish, and consequently CTES, are now part of the GMUSD that board makes the decision about the principal.

Do we have any local control? The voters still determine budgets, attend board meetings and state their views, run for one of the board positions and maybe most helpful, volunteer to help your school.

What you do matters. As far as the principal for CTES, a lot of the community is concerned and they are demonstrating that via a petition. Through the hiring process for George Thomson's replacement (he is retiring in June), parents, community, teachers as well as the search committee have said that advertising for an "Interim" principal made it difficult to attract qualified applicants for the position. Many have voiced a need for a permanent principal, not a "dean of students" or even an "interim principal" as the TRSU would like. In order for CTES to move forward in its efforts to not only maintain but to expand on its tradition of excellence, a permanent principal is needed.

To assist the search committee in finding qualified applicants , a petition has been started to ask the Green Mountain Unified School District to drop the interim and just advertise for a principal. If you are interested in signing the petition, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M3PHGHX

Data will be provided to the GMUSD board only and will not be shared elsewhere. This petition can also be signed in person at the Cavendish Town Office.

Cavendish Update 4/13/18: SB Mtg/Schools/News/Events

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 4/13/18 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 4/9/18

2. Cavendish Related News

3. GMUSD/CTES News

4. English Solzhenitsyn Website

5. Tick Talk

6. Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 4/9/18: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The following action was discussed/taken at Monday night’s meeting:

• Received an update from the Telecommunications Committee. Agreed to have the representative from TDS come to the May meeting to discuss what TDS’s plans are for Cavendish.

• Approved Neal’s Restaurant for a liquor license

• Approved VELCO’s request of a waiver of the full 45-day notice requirement regarding the substation on Quent Phelen Road.  A solar installation project is going in this summer and VELCO needs to make a connection with the array, which will be located on the old Barker Farm.

• Discussed repaving of Twenty Mile Stream and Quent Phelen Rd and the implications of  the construction that will be taking place for the NexEra Solar array and the VELCO connection.

• Approved the town’s attorney as the person responsible for handling tax sale property. Legal fees will be part of the sale price of the property, thereby eliminating costs for the town while at the same time improving accuracy.

• Discussed replacing the culvert on 131 by Glimmerstone as part of the repaving of 131, which is slated for 2021.

• Appointed Brendan McNamara as Energy Coordinator and Asst. Town Health Officer.

• Approved the expansion of the Transfer Station hours on Sunday from 10-2 to 10-5. No start date has been given. Discussed selling disposal tickets at the Transfer Station.

• Approved a proposal to “townscape” the Cavendish and Proctorsville villages with flags hung from the utility poles. A group of residents are working to raise funds for the project in addition to in-kind contributions from various community groups.

• The Planning Commission is looking for more members. If interested, please contact Brendan McNamara-226-7291

• The town’s new backhoe arrives on April 10

• Green Up Day is May 5th (Saturday)

• June 16 (Saturday) from 2-4 is the celebration of life for Rich Svec as well as the dedication of the Proctorsville Green. This event is open to the public.

For a full report, go to The Dish.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Rich Svec Obituary/Celebration of Life: An obituary for Rich Svec is now available online. Please note that his Celebration of Life will be on Saturday June 16, 2-4 pm at the Proctorsville Green.

Surprise Anniversary Party for Fitzgibbons: Millie and Eddie Fitzgibbon will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary today, April 13, 2 pm at the Gill Home in Ludlow. Stop by to wish them a happy anniversary.

Ludlow Woman Charged with Embezzlement from Cavendish Company: In October of 2017 Danielle and David Bonta reported that an employee had been embezzling money from their company Sundeavor, Inc in Cavendish, VT. Investigation revealed that the employee, Vicki L. Thornton, had been in charge of the business finances and had opened a credit card in her name and the business name. Between February 2016 and May 2017 an amount totaling $55,342 had been transferred from the business bank account to her own credit card account. On 4/11/18 Thornton voluntarily came to the Westminster Barracks to be fingerprinted and photographed. She was released with a citation to appear in court on 5/29/18 to answer to the charge of Embezzlement.  VSP

Volunteer Shortage Increases Cost of Ludlow Ambulance: Over the years, Ludlow Ambulance Service has had to hire more paid staff members to compensate for the decline in volunteers. Last year they had roughly 800 calls. In response, Ludlow Ambulance Service has had to replace volunteers with part-time and full-time work, so that they can have enough people to respond to the calls. During the last fiscal year, they had to use their capital replacement fund for payroll. Outside of Ludlow, they service the towns of Cavendish and Plymouth, both of which have already been paying subsidies for their services. Ludlow Ambulance Service is actively looking for volunteers or part-time staff so that they continue to serve the surrounding area. Anyone who is interested in learning more information about volunteering or applying to the Ludlow Ambulance Service can visit their Facebook page or their office at the Ludlow Police station. VT Journal

Vermont’s Flu Isn’t Over Yet: This flu season has been a tough one for Vermont and the rest of the country, in part, due to the predominant presence of the strain influenza A H3N2. But even though it's April, the flu is still on state health officials' radar. “The amount of flu symptoms being reported across the state is lower than it was at its peak — and the peak occurred in February and March.” VPR

3. GMUSD/CTES NEWS-CTES Interim Principal Forum:  On Wednesday evening, at least 50 members of the community-parents, grandparents, concerned citizens and teachers-attended a forum where they could meet the two proposed candidates. Attendees were divided into two groups and had 30 minutes to meet a candidate before they changed rooms to meet the second one. There was a break between sessions, providing an opportunity for people to write evaluations of each candidate.

Thirteen candidates applied for the principal’s position with six candidates qualifying. The Search Committee vetted those six candidates and selected two to interview. Prior to initial interviews, one candidate accepted another position resulting in the application process being reopened. Three additional candidates applied, one of which qualified. Following a second round of interviews, the Principal Search Committee selected two finalists Madeline Carlock of West Lebanon, New Hampshire and Joseph Smith of Swanzey, NH.

The position was advertised as an “Interim Principal” and according to many in attendance, it reduced viable candidates. Many discussed the critical need to make this a permanent position in order to attract a principal with vision for the school’s future. Given the current climate of closing small schools, the need for a principal with “staying power” was viewed as an asset. One candidate, Madeline Carlock, an instructional coach, appears to be changing jobs every two years or so and has no experience as a principal. Joe Smith, currently a guidance counselor but with experience as an assistant principal and principal of a low performing high school, Monadnock Regional, has retired once and appears to be looking for one more short assignment before retiring permanently. 

At the conclusion of the Forum, attendees discussed their concerns with one another. As one parent noted, “a school can be destroyed by just one year of a bad principal.” A popular sentiment was that the position needs to be made permanent and re posted.

Evaluations from teachers, students and those attending the forum will be used as part of the selection process on April 17, when the GMUSD board is slated to choose a new interim principal.

GMUSD vision committee awaits other board input; questions transparency: The GMUSD Vision Committee met for the third time in three weeks, Monday, April 9, this time along with the Finance Committee, in an effort to provide focus and direction to the Green Mountain Unified School District Board (GMUSD) and the TRSU administration as they attempt to re-tool the GMUSD budget that was rejected by voters in early March. Vision committee members began by reiterating their opinions expressed during the first two meetings. Doug McBride, Cavendish, brought up concerns about some transparency issues he encountered when he was refused his request to participate in an executive session at the latest TRSU executive committee board meeting. There, he planned to discuss the Special Ed transportation budget. The response he received was that he would only be invited if his input was needed. He added, “That’s a great example of something that’s not very transparent.” Cavendish resident Sara Stowell also called for the need to see transparency in the contingency fund money that was rejected as a raise for the superintendent but put into a contingency fund without designation for use. “I’d like to see that identified as contingency for Spanish, or STEAM or STEM.” She expressed her hope that those contingency funds would not go back into something the voters have said they don’t want to support. VT Journal

Vision, Finance panels meet on ed plan, budget-Public Weighs in on STEM, foreign language offerings: At the April 9 meeting of the Vision and Finance Committees of the GMUSD, most vision committee members believe that at least part of the reason for the budget failure was the lack of additional educational opportunities promised by the merger, they have been unable to decide what to offer. At the same time, school administrators and supervisory union staff, who were part of framing the merger have asserted that things like elementary school foreign language take away from instruction time and instead urged a lengthy planning process including assigned readings and a retreat that would identify the school district’s goals but preclude adding anything this year. Kate Lamphere noted that the principal’s position at Cavendish Town Elementary should be made permanent rather than interim, but there are already two finalists for the interim position. She noted that offering an interim position has probably limited the field of choices. According to Superintendent, Meg Bowden “It’s too late to change.”  Chester Telegraph

TRSU Executive Panel Picks Powden Evaluation Form: The Executive Committee of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, at its April 5 meeting, outlined a methodology and timeline for the evaluation of Superintendent Meg Powden, while also formulating a list of areas in the supervisory union’s proposed fiscal 2019 budget that could be considered for cuts by the full board. Suggestions from TRSU Board member Doug McBride (Cavendish rep) were also reviewed, focusing on the superintendent’s ability to deliver on a range of Act 46 promises, decrease costs and ensure student success. However, the committee concluded that the questions were too specific and the committee agreed that the suggestions should not be included in the final evaluation. Committee members agreed that the evaluation process should begin as soon as possible, with an announcement expected to be released online and to local press on Friday, April 13. Once the evaluations are released, employees and community members respectively will have  10 to 14 days to return them. Chester Telegraph

Note-Doug McBride has spoken consistently about adopting a mission of excellence for the GMUSD.  He discussed two schools in Harlem located in one building, where the Charter school excels and the public school does not. With all things being equal, one of the important differences is the attitude of the Charter school were excellence is the mission. You can learn more about these schools at  A Tale of Two Schools, One Building.

4. ENGLISH SOLZHENITSYN WEBSITE: The Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Center (ASC) supports explorations into the life and writings of the Nobel Laureate and Russian writer and historian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who was a Cavendish resident for almost 18 of the 20 years he was  exiled from Russia. ASC has recently launched the official English-language website for  Solzhenitsyn, in order to advance the legacy of Solzhenitsyn.

The website includes a biography, photo gallery, blog, resources, video library and an overview of his writings. The latter section not only provides a brief synopsis, it indicates which translation to read, as in some cases there are various translations of a book. You can subscribe to ACS’s e-newsletter at https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/whats-new/ Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for subscription information.

Solzhenitsyn’s sons Ignat and Stephen are President and Executive Director respectively, with the author of “The Solzhenitsyn Reader,” Dan Mahoney serving as Vice-President & Chief Academic Officer of ACS.

5. TICK TALK : As part of its continuing series of nature talks, the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will sponsor a talk at the town office (37 High Street in Cavendish) on April 24th at 6:30 p.m. on the pervasive problem of ticks in Vermont. Bradley J. Tompkins, Epidemiologist & Program Chief of the Tickborne & Enteric Diseases division at the Vermont Department of Health will share information about the changing landscape of tick borne diseases in Vermont. Come learn about the who, what, when, and where of tick borne disease risk in Vermont, how you can best prevent tick bites and the best actions to take after a tick bite.  All area residents are welcome. FMI:  Robin at 802-226-7736.

6. EVENTS

APRIL 16-20 (MONDAY-FRIDAY): Spring Break, schools closed

APRIL 17 (TUESDAY):  GMUSD Special Meeting, 6-6:30 at the Chester Andover Elementary School Meeting. The board will be deciding on the interim principal for CTES at this meeting.

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

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Cavendish Select Board Meeting 4/9/18

Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The following action was discussed/taken at Monday night’s meeting:

Telecommunications: The Cavendish Telecommunications Committee has recently learned that Comcast has yet to sign the contract with the state to connect the Tarbell Hill/Knapp Pond area of Cavendish. In August 2017, the state awarded Comcast a grant to help address the un served/under served areas of town. There is no date by which they need to sign the contract, but the state reserves the right to revoke the grant. The issue of net neutrality may be an issue for the company, but because their grant award was prior to April 1, 2018, when Vermont’s net neutrality bill goes into place, it would not affect them.

Cavendish is being encouraged to become part of a “Broadband” or “Communications” District. Operating similarly to the solid waste districts, this would include several towns joining together to offer broadband service. An example of this is ECFiber. Currently, there is grant funding available from Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

TDS has been talking to a member of the Telecommunications Committee and while work will be made to expand and upgrade services in Cavendish (implementation 2019), it wont provide the high speeds many feel are necessary. TDS has found, as has a Vermont’s study, that people will pay for the lowest possible Internet cost, preferring consistency in service and good customer relations over higher speeds but of poorer quality.

The SB agreed to have the representative from TDS come to their May meeting to discuss what TDS’s plans are for Cavendish.

 Liquor License: Approved Neal’s Restaurant for a liquor license

VELCO Waiver: VELCO has requested a waiver of the full 45-day notice requirement regarding the substation on Quent Phelen Road.  As part of the NextEra  Coolidge Solar project, VELCO needs to build a connection between their plant and the Solar project. Note that Ranger Solar, the company that obtained the state permit, has been sold to NextEra. The Ludlow project, called Coolidge Solar, will be the biggest solar facility in Vermont at 20 megawatts, and would cover close to 100 acres with solar panels. In order to keep this project on tract, the start date is Oct. 1, VELCO is asking the town to wave the 45 notice period required by Vermont’s Public Utility Commission. Because this project is currently working to obtain its “certificate of public good,” there are opportunities for review and comments. The SB approved the request for the waiver.

Paving Projects: Directly tied to the VELCO and Solar project is the repaving of Twenty Mile Stream and Quent Phelen Rd. This estimated cost of this project is $238,000. Cavendish is second in line for state funds for paving. This grant will be $175,000 and the town has $75,000-$80,000 in their paving fund. Since there would be sufficient funding for the project, the issue is when to do it since the roads could be heavily damaged by trucks hauling in concrete, panels and other equipment necessary to build the solar park as well as the connectors between VELCO and the solar field. It is recommended that the town put in writing to VELCO and NextEra that they are responsible for any road damage. Further, paving wouldn’t be done until after the majority of the work for the solar project has been completed. Consideration was also given to asking NextEra for $50,000 right up front for expected road repair.

SB members noted that there may be other roads in town that are in worse shape. Brendan McNamara, town manager, said that this is still preliminary discussions and they would be meeting with the town crew to discuss which roads need immediate work.

Tax Sales: McNamara sought the board’s approval for having the town’s attorney handle tax sales, including the auction of property. Cavendish is one of the few towns that has been handling this in house, and because of the legal nature of the business, it was thought that it would be in the town’s best interest to have this handled by the attorney. This would not cost the town anything as the sale of property is to recoup town losses and would include legal fees. The SB voted to have the town’s attorney handle tax sales from now on.

Currently 723 Main Street (formally Horahan) is owned by the town and will be going up for sale at a tax auction, which will now be handled by the town attorney’s. Not including the attorney’s fees, the town needs to recoup $65,000. The house will be sold as is, including contents, which are considerable, in both the house and barn.

Replacement of Culvert on 131: As part of the repaving project for route 131, slated for 2021, the culvert in front of Glimmerstone needs to be replaced. While the majority of these costs will be born by the state, because there is a town sewer line lying on top of the box culvert, the town is responsible for engineering and associated costs for how the line will operate during the construction and installation phase. The SB was asked to review the document provided by the state.

Energy Coordinator/Asst. Town Health Officer: With the passing of Rich Svec, Energy Coordinator, McNamara was appointed to assume this responsibility. He was also appointed to be Asst. Town Health Officer as the state requires that for him to be involved in site visits, and other public health related activities, he needs to be dully sanctioned by the town. Cavendish’s Health Officer is Doris Eddy.

Transfer Station: The SB approved the expansion of the Transfer Stations hours from 10-2 on Sundays to 10-5. This change will be tried for three months. A start date has yet to be named, but consideration is being given to May 5 weekend. The new hours will be posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page and in various other locations as soon as notification has been received.

Also discussed was the possibility of selling disposal tickets at the transfer station since there are currently only two places in town where they are available- Singleton’s and the Town Office. Also noted was that Howard Merritt (Speedy) is stepping back and is getting ready to retire from his position at the transfer station.

Townscape (flags): A letter from Julia Gignoux and Carolyn Solzhenitsyn was read to the board by Bruce McEnaney, Asst. Town Manager. In the spirit of celebrating our small villages of Proctorsville and Cavendish, we have formed a committee to start the process of funding an initiative to hang American flags from utility poles lining Main Street in Cavendish and Proctorsville.  We plan to use grants, as well as business and individual donations to fund the project. We feel the flags would improve the looks of the villages,  slow down traffic, let people know they are in a village, and stir up small-town patriotic pride. McEnaney has volunteered to work on obtaining permission from Green Mountain Power and Ludlow Electric for the use of the poles. The Proctorsville Fire Department has agreed to hang the flags and the Cavendish Historical Society has offered to store the flags during the winter months. The SB approved the project.

 Other Town Business

• The Planning Commission is looking for more members. If interested, please contact Brendan McNamara-226-7291

• The town’s new backhoe arrives on April 10

• Green Up Day is May 5th (Saturday)

• June 16 (Saturday) from 2-4 is the celebration of life for Rich Svec as well as the dedication of the Proctorsville Green. This event is open to the public.

Cavendish Update 4/6/18 Power Outage/News/Events

This morning 5,125 Green Mountain Power (GMP) customers are without power in Vermont, of which 182 are in Cavendish. Last evening GMP said they wouldn’t be getting to our area until later in the day on Saturday. Compounding the problems is the weather forecast for today: A mix of snow and rain will be observed from late this morning through early this evening. Snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches will be possible across the area with the highest amounts falling over the Green and northern Adirondack Mountains. Gusty winds will develop tonight with gusts of 30 to 40 mph across the Saint Lawrence Valley and 20 to 30 mph elsewhere.

Please check the Cavendish VT Facebook page for updates on the situation and whether a temporary shelter will be opened to help those in need of a hot shower and/or a hot meal. You don’t have to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page.

 4/6/18 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Related News

2. CTES/GMUSD News

3. Cavendish Library Events

4. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Cavendish Historical Society April Brief: Check out what CHS was doing in March and what is planned for the months ahead at the CHS Blog.

 Permit Required for Open Burning in Cavendish: As the snow leaves the ground a burn permit is required for all open burning. Burn permits can be obtained from the Fire Warden or one of his three Keymen, who can be reached as follows:

Roger Sheehan, Cavendish Fire Warden 226-7692

Robert Glidden  226-7302

Raymond Fitzgibbons 226-7288

Shane Turco 802-342-3935

Please help eliminate unnecessary fire calls by acquiring a burn permit.

 BRGNS Customer Appreciation Day: The staff and volunteers at Black River Good Neighbor Services thrift store in Ludlow invite all customers and clients to drop by on Wednesday, April 18th for their annual Customer Appreciation Day. There will be free snacks and coffee, door prizes, and great deals on merchandise. The thrift store is located at 37B Main Street behind the Ludlow Community Center and provides funding for the many food and service programs that they operate. The thrift store relies on donations of gently used merchandise from local area residents and re-sells items at great value. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. and all are welcome.  For information about the store, about food or financial programs, or about volunteer opportunities, please call Audrey at 802-228-3663.

 VT Officials: Don-t get tricked by tax time scams: "Nothing strikes fear into many people more than the idea of taxes -- the IRS or even the Vermont Tax Department. But rest assured that the IRS doesn't do business this way and the Vermont Tax Department doesn't do business this way," according to VT Tax Commissioner Kaj Samson. Officials say anyone who receives a threatening call or email should hang up or delete the message and report it to authorities. WCAX

2. CTES/GMUSD NEWS: With the voters rejecting the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) budget in March, there are now a number of meetings taking place in order to revise the budget and bring it back for a vote in May. In addition, there is an ongoing search for an Interum Principal for Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) as George Thomson is retiring in June.

• CTES Interum Principal Forum: Meet the Finalists Night on April 11 (Wednesday), 6:30pm at the school to help select the next principal for CTES. Parents and Community members will be split between the two candidates in separate rooms and will have 30 minutes to ask questions and get to know the candidate. The groups will then switch and meet the 2nd candidate. Participants will be asked to complete a form in order to share thoughts on each candidate. Information provided will be used by the board in helping them select an interim principal. 

• GMUSD Vision Board Struggles to focus on firm direction in second meeting: The second GMUSD vision board meeting was big on identifying lofty aspirations for TRSU district schools but could not agree on a singular focus for moving forward next week when the finance committee joins the group to begin working on the specifics for a revised budget. In spite of a letter from Cavendish parent Christine Balch being read aloud, outlining her vision for student opportunities (STEM, language immersion, agricultural programs) the meeting was dominated by Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) Curriculum Director, Michael Eppolito, whose process did not bring about any conclusions. As board chair Marilyn Mahusky noted,  “until we can understand some of these bigger ideas, vision, and then compare it against what we’re doing, we’re not ever going to be able to figure out where we’re going.” VT Journal

• GM Vision Panel Weighs Planning vs Acting-Act 46 opportunities seem out of reach for next school year: For the second time in a week, the group charged by the GMUSD with examining a vision for its three schools to see what added educational opportunities could be included in the next school year was instead ankle deep in paper provided by the supervisory union. Once again, as in the previous meeting, the discussion was a struggle between what can be done to fulfill some of the educational opportunities promised in the Act 46 merger of Green Mountain High and Cavendish Town and Chester-Andover elementary schools into GMUSD and a more academic exploration of what the vision of the school system should be and how that would inform curriculum decisions. Cavendish resident Sara Stowell remarked that “the thing that irked” her was “when Meg (Superintendent Powden) said we couldn’t afford the things in Act 46. While committee member Doug McBride has recently advocated for foreign language immersion – creating a bilingual school – the Act 46 study committee only pointed toward basic foreign language instruction in elementary schools.  Nevertheless, fellow board members and administrators spoke specifically against McBride’s suggestion as if it were on the table and never mentioning the full-time Spanish teaching position that had been. Chester Telegraph

• Why voters rejected the GMUSD BUDGET “Why did you vote against the GMUSD Budget?” was a question posed in two online venues. Out of 183 people who responded to The Chester Telegraph Poll, the results were as follows:

• A lack of transparency (50 votes)

• Staffing choices during the process: Cuts to nurses, added administrators (48 votes)

• Budget did not contain the promised educational opportunities for children (41 votes)

• Did not save money promised by Act 46 (37 votes)

Two comments were provided:

• State offered to provide health care for all teachers and purchasing power of the whole state. Teachers union rejected it. They don’t want to lose power? Many jobs don’t even offer HC, so they should be glad to have it. Well, do they want to lose more people from the state and have less kids? My taxes have doubled in eight years. I cannot afford that. And many can’t either. The state is at negative growth now. They are all too ‘good ole boy’ small town nonsense and don’t want to abrogate power. Well, then they just have to get over it.

• We do not have confidence in the superintendent’s willingness to cut admin costs while increasing educational opportunities. The Supervisory Union and its Admin costs should be cut across the board. Her actions thus far indicate that she is out of touch and not putting the students first. A raise for herself? Really?

Cavendish Connects Facebook page had two user comment on why they voted against the GMUSD, both called for the closure of the TRSU.

The next meeting of the Vision Committee, which will be with the Finance Committee, is on Monday April 9, 5:30 p.m. at the Chester Andover Elementary School Library.

3. CAVENDISH LIBRARY EVENTS: The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library presents "Books Beyond Bedtime" a free, family friendly, hands-on literacy event and live animal show at the Cavendish Town Elementary School on Saturday, April 7 from 1:00-4:00. Activities include cooking, book making, giveaways and an animal show by Wildlife Encounters. Please contact Kata at 226-7503 for more information.

The Library celebrates the finale of its year-long Rural Libraries Program, in partnership with the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF), with a fun storytelling event with John Churchman and his dogs, of the Sweet Pea and Friends series about life on the farm. John and his furry friends will visit the library at 11:00 for pre-schoolers and then visit kindergartners through 6th graders at the Cavendish School. All children in attendance will be able to choose two new books to keep.

This event concludes the library's year-long Rural Libraries program, which brings authors, illustrators, and storytellers to local children, along with new books for the library and school, and two new books for each child at each storytelling event. The Children's Literacy Foundation's mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural kids up to age twelve in VT and NH.

4. EVENTS

APRIL 7 (SATURDAY): Books beyond Bedtime, live animal show and literacy event at CTES 1-4 pm.

APRIL 9 (MONDAY): GMUSD Vision & Finance Committees, 5:30 pm at the Chester Andover Elementary School

APRIL 10 (TUESDAY): GMUSD Finance Committee, 5-5:30 at the Chester Andover Elementary School

APRIL 11 (WEDNESDAY): Meet the Finalists night for the CTES Interim Principal, 6:30 pm at CTES

APRIL 12 (THURSDAY): TRSU Executive Committee 5:30-6:00 CTES; TRSU Full Board Meeting 6:00-7:30 in the CTES multi purpose room

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.  

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