Superintendent Weekly Update 11.27.11

I’m buying myself an easy post this evening by just stealing Jeanne’s weekly update to the board and posting it. This one’s a good one because it’s got budget hearing dates.

Meeting Agendas materials and other school board info online now at Board Docs http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/bsdvt/Board.nsf/Public

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superintendent weekly updateSunday, November 27, 2011 11:02 PMFrom: “Jeanne Collins” View contact detailsTo: “Jeanne Collins” Bcc: haikbedrosian@yahoo.comGreetings all

I hope you had a great Thanskgiving break. I know I did and I got my voice back also! Yeah!

We head into a very intense budget season at this point. Dates to remember:
Nov 2- Finance looks at budget
They may wish to hold another meeting prior to Dec. 13
Dec. 13- Board accepts or amends Finance proposal to get public input
Dec. 15- Board meeting to hear public input on Budget
Jan. 4 Board meeting to hear public input on Budget
Jan. 9 – present budget to city council per charter
Jan. 10 – Board approves budget for March ballot
Jan 11- Town Meeting Day- get the word out!

On Dec. 1, I will be attending the Ward 6 NPA with Alan Matson at their request to begin a discussion about the budget. Please let me know if others of you would like me to attend NPAs with you now through Town Meeting. This is a great opportunity to discuss the student successes we have and to explain the challenges we face in funding.

DIVERSITY
The first committee meeting is also Nov. 29. We will be bringing data to this meeting on last spring’s teacher hiring season. I hope you all also received word that Vince Brennan’s forum on the Task Force report Monday the 28th is postponed due to a death in his family. Our condolences go out to Vince and Siobhan, his wife.

Dec. 1 the Equity Council will be meeting for their monthly meeting.

K REGISTRATION
Kindergarten and New Student Registration Opens Monday, 11/28
Registration then closes on Friday, March 16th, with placement letters slated to be sent home to families
by April 30th. Please visit our website closer to 11/28 for more information and forms related to this
process. Or, call 865-5332.

BHS TRANSFORMATION
Adam Urbanski, Director of the Teacher Union Reform Network of AFT, http://www.aft.org/about/leadership/vp_bios/urbanski_bio.cfm, will be in Burlington and Winooski on Nov 28 and 29. Nov.28, he will talk with teachers from both districts; Nov. 29 with administrators and Board members. Adam was first heard by Keith and Kathy and others at a Nellie Mae conference earlier this year and Nellie Mae agreed to fund his visit to our districts. He is skilled in helping labor and management look at new ways to forge collaborations for the achievement of students. Keith will join us on Tuesday for some time with Adamn.

COMMISSIONER’S CORNER
This week, TH, Dec. 1 is a Commissioner’s Corner. We hope to be discussing Family School Partnerships, but are still confirming our guests. We are live at 5:25 on Dec. 1.

CITY FINANCE ISSUES
Joe McNeil will be meeting with Bill Talbott, VT DOE CFO, about the retirement issue on Wednesday. Alan, Keith, Haik, Karen and I will meet with city officials on Wed afternoon about the bond, along with our counsel, Paul Guiliani and others. Paul has stated that he feels the issuing of the $1.25 M bond is simply a ministerial act, and should be able to go forward upon city council action. We are hopeful we can move foward on this issue.

TARDINESS POLICY
Nov. 28, we are rolling out the pilot Tardiness Policy as discussed by Policy/Advocacy and the Board last month. Alert Now phone calls went out last week to let parents know and the policy is posted on our web site.

PRINCIPAL SEARCHES
Per our previous discussions, the survey that came back from SA was overwhelmingly in support of keeping a second year interim with the intention of opening a search next fall. (39-2). Thus, I announced the search for EES today and the 2nd year interim at SA as well. I think two talking points are important. A 2nd year interim is unusual in recent times. IAA had asked for this as well and was denied, as the state would not allow it in a Tier 1 school. However, SA is in a different place and needs to finish some healing and some mission work so they can find the right person. EES is not in that place and needs to move foward with a permanent position. SA recruitment is staring now for a search next fall; and will intensify this spring as the mission work is in place.

Events coming up

12/3 SA Pancake Breakfast/Silent Auction (flyer attached)

12/5 OPUS 23- we have several students who were chosen to perform their original compositions in this event

* Burlington High School- Anne Sutton & Giovani Tabor

* Edmunds Middle School- Bastien Gliech, George Shaw, Henry Severance, William Sutton & Ben Hun

Twice each year the Vermont MIDI Project selects student compositions from among those that have been posted to a password protected website for feedback by professional composers. Students from over 50 Vermont schools, homeschooled students, and a few selected out-of-state schools currently participate in this non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students in music composition. For more information and examples of student work, please visit our website (http://www.vtmidi.org/opus23.htm).

The event is
Date: December 5th, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Elley-Long Music Center,
at St. Michael’s College in Colchester

That is it for tonight- have a great week, everyone!

–

Jeanne Collins
Superintendent of Schools
Burlington School District
150 Colchester Ave.
Burlington, VT 05401
PH: 802.864.8474
FAX: 802.864.8501

“When parents and teachers collaborate on behalf of children, they create windows of light for the generations that follow.”