Washington Central Story
WCUUSD Community Newsletter - April 12, 2024
Changes
This year, springtime in Vermont brought with it a couple of snowstorms and an influx of visitors for the total solar eclipse. I hope you were able to (safely) view this historic event, and that any disruption that came from hosting eclipse chasers was short lived!
It feels like many things have happened since our post-town meeting newsletter. We learned that we will be welcoming long-time U-32 principal Steven Dellinger-Pate to the role of Superintendent next year. I'm excited to work with Steven to thoughtfully transition the great work of our system. Our Board has worked valiantly on the very difficult task of revising a budget after the failure of our vote in March. They have also brought forward the discussions about the long-term configuration of our schools in Washington Central, so that we can better serve our students and foster sustainability. These conversations and decisions are incredibly challenging. It is an anxious time in Vermont education, and that feeling is palpable when we walk into our schools.
We know that change, even change that is focused on growth and opportunity, represents disruption to our systems. Of all the elements of our Strategic Plan, I am most grateful for our communities' priority of humanity, justice, community & belonging - our schools and communities will weather this storm, collectively.
See below for springtime happenings in WCUUSD. In particular, please view the budget update, and learn how you can help get out the vote on May 7th!
- Meagan Roy, Superintendent
In this issue...
- Board Meeting Recap - Strategic Planning & Configuration
- Budget Updates - Help us get the vote out!
- Humanity & Justice Corner
- WCUUSD on the National Stage: U-32 Students and our Board Chair!
- Upcoming Board meeting information
Strategic Planning & Configuration
At our April 3rd Board meeting, the Board heard two important presentations about future planning for WCUUSD. First, we heard from Jeanie Phillips from the Great Schools Partnership presenting our Strategic Plan. This endeavor began in January of 2023 and has culminated with the identification of our Vision, Core Beliefs and action steps that will guide our work for the next several years.
Then, with a solid grounding in these goals, the Board heard a presentation about configuration simulations. The Board's finance committee (charged with leading the configuration study) first viewed this presentation in February and decided it was important for the full Board to hear about it. They will debrief this discussion at their April 17th committee meeting.
If you did not have an opportunity to join us on April 3rd, here are two ways to view the configuration presentation.
- Link to the video presentation: https://youtu.be/Q1kNRpA3kDg
- Click here to view the slides
And: The finance committee would like to hear from you about the preliminary ideas shared in the presentation. Click on the survey below to share your thoughts!
WCUUSD Revised FY25 Budget
The WCUUSD Board has worked hard with our administrators over the past several weeks to propose a budget for the 24-25 school year that meets the needs of our students and families at a price our communities can afford. After much discussion about three different options, the Board is presenting a revised budget to our communities with a net education spending increase of 7.83%. This is a significant decrease from our originally presented budget and represents meaningful reductions across our systems. Throughout the budget process, administration worked to ensure that we maintain alignment with Vermont's Education Quality Standards and accounted for student need. No amount of reduction in a school budget is easy to weather; and yet, we feel these changes maintain our ability to meet our district's priorities.
This is a critical time, as the Board now turns its attention to communicating this revised budget and encouraging as many community members as possible to VOTE! Here are some ways you can learn more - and share widely:
- Join us on April 17th for an Informational Meeting. This is an opportunity to hear what is in this revised budget, including the changes that were made to bring the budget from a 16.14% spending increase to a 7.83% increase. We will also share tax rate projections, including detailed information about income sensitivity.
- The Informational Meeting will precede our Regular Board Meeting on April 17th. It starts at 6:15 and will be held at U-32 Middle/High School with a virtual option. More information can be found on our Board Resource Page.
- Be on the lookout for budget information in the mail - we hope to send an updated mailing with more detailed information.
- Board members will hold additional information sessions on Wednesday, May 1st, in each of our five towns. We will share more details about those as the locations, timing and details are settled.
- Visit our Budget Resource Page. We will be updating information as often as we can, including adding a section about Frequently Asked Questions that have come up throughout this process.
This is also an important time to remind our communities about what happens if our budget does not pass before July 1. In this "worst-case" scenario, Vermont law allows a school district to begin the new year operating on a budget that is 87% of the current year's budget. For us in Washington Central, that means operating on a budget that would require just under $10 million in reductions. This would be catastrophic to our system. Even with the current budget, our schools are facing significant uncertainty. Our contractual obligations require us to notify any staff who may potentially have their position reduced by April 15th. This means that we will have notified even more staff than are represented in the current proposed reductions, in case we are required to reduce further in the event of further budget failures.
Please come out and vote on this budget! As families in WCUUSD schools, you have a unique ability to share your experiences with your neighbors. Thank you for helping to encourage our communities to vote on May 7th.
Humanity & Justice Corner
Rainbows
Shelley Vermilya, equity scholar in residence
Maya Angelou was born on April 4,1928 and died 86 years later in 2014. She crafted autobiographies, essays, poetry, and films; and earned over fifty honorary degrees. She has left us with so many memorable quotes that offer buoyancy in times of change. She beseeches us to Be a Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud. Despite the many challenging clouds in her life, she found people from the past, present, both fictional and real, rallied around her with support. So many rainbows!
I love to imagine being a rainbow for someone. Dr. Angelou further reminds me to be my best self, or as close as possible, every day. Some traditions call it "right speech;" or "never say (or put on social media) anything you wouldn’t want someone very special to hear." I think about this as an educator. What will students remember of our work together?
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Being someone’s rainbow, planting seeds, encouraging students (of all ages) to feel seen and appreciated just as they are. We may spend days and years planting seeds we won’t necessarily see grown.
“Forgive yourself for not knowing,
what you didn't know before you learned it.”
WCUUSD Across the Nation!
Students Present at National Conference
Students from both high school and middle school Seeking Social Justice presented a workshop on youth agency and freedom dreaming at the prestigious School Redesign in Action conference held in Providence, Rhode Island. In attendance were superintendents, principals, educators, graduate students from Brown, and students from around New England. Our students modeled fantastic leadership and facilitation skills, and participants left not only feeling inspired, but also equipped with tools to use at their own schools to create places of more equity and joy.
Students who participated were Avery Cochran, Ace LaFountain, Isla Johnson, and Anna Cotterill. They were supported by their faculty advisors Meg Allison and Steve Sheeler.
Flor Diaz Smith at the National School Board's Association Conference
Did you know that Washington Central is well represented at the national level? Board Chair Flor Diaz Smith serves as the President of the Vermont School Boards Association and is also a member of the Board of Directors for the National School Board Association (NSBA). She was recently in New Orleans for the NSBA 2024 Conference. We are lucky to have Vermont represented on this national stage, and are grateful for Flor's service to our communities
Courtesy Posting!
Our new website launched this past December! Check it out when you get a chance, if you haven't already. If you notice anything that needs attention or have suggestions please use the “contact the webmaster” link.
WCUUSD Board Meeting - Budget Informational Session
Please join us for the Budget Information Session on April 17th, 2024. This is an opportunity to learn more about the proposed, revised 24-25 school budget. Get all of the information you need before you vote on May 7th - and gather some information to share with friends! Check out our website for more information and for the link to join virtually if you can't be there in person:
www.wcuusd.org/school-board/meeting-resources/board-meeting-resources
Wednesday, Apr 17, 2024, 06:15 PM
U-32 Middle & High School, Gallison Hill Road, Montpelier, VT, USA
Washington Central Unified Union School District
Website: https://www.wcuusd.org/
Location: 1130 Gallison Hill Road, Montpelier, VT, USA
Phone: (802) 229-0553
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wcsu32