Thanksgiving
Vermont School Boards Association
November 2009

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TOP STORY
10 Mistakes Board Members Shouldn’t Make
For 10 years, I served on a local board of education, fol­lowed by working directly with boards as a trainer and facilitator. I have worked with literally hundreds of board members, so I have some license to say that, by and large, the vast majority of board members are among the finest people. However, certain issues seem to crop up with some board members regularly, even those with the best intentions. So, I’ve put together my list of the 10 most common errors board members should avoid. More.

In This Issue...
  1. Zhao Headlines VSA / VSBA Conference
  2. Roberts' Rules
  3. Vermont Study of Poverty and Effective Schools Released
  4. ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN
  5. Regional Meetings Report
  6. What do you think of unions?
  7. VSBA Around Vermont
  8. Principal-Counselor Relationship Key to Student Achievement
  9. The Dangers of Deferred Maintenance: Penny Wise & Pound Foolish
  10. Rae Ann Knopf Appointed Deputy Commissioner
  11. Miller Elected Chair of State Board
  12. 2009 VSBA Awards Nomination
Zhao Headlines VSA / VSBA Conference
The 2009 fall conference, hosted jointly by the VSBA and the Vermont Superintendents Association, was a well-attended affair with a mix of education policy and finance topics. On the shore of Lake Morey, the main ballroom was packed for the keynote speakers during two crisp autumn days in October. More

Roberts' Rules
I want to say what an honor it is to have become the President of the VSBA Board of Directors. Working in association with the amazing and talented staff members of VSBA (and VSA and VPA) as well as the VSBA board and board members across Vermont and the nation offers me a continuous stream of learning and professional development opportunities which I hope makes me a better board member and, more importantly, a better person. More

Vermont Study of Poverty and Effective Schools Released

The Vermont Department of Education released a study, Roots of Success: Effective Practices in Vermont Schools, in October. The department research team, with the help of an advisory panel representing K-12 schools and higher education, studied what it takes for schools—and therefore students, particularly low-income students,—to succeed. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed to identify the characteristics common to effective schools. More
Accidents Waiting to Happen

The winter months are fast approaching and it will not be long before weather conditions will be making our lives just a little more complicated.  For the next several months snow and ice will make for slippery school parking lots and side walks and be the cause of many accidents.  Statistics concerning accidents, in general, suggest that 90% happen as a result of unsafe conditions. More.

What do you think of unions?
I'd guess that most readers would answer that question with “not very much; based on their experiences with public school employee unions. However, even in a much broader context, most people do not view unions in the same light today as they did 10, 30 or even 70 years ago. Unions have undeniably made a significant impact on American history and, at one point, became a significant and powerful force to deal with. But where do they stand today? Gallup recently released its 2009 installment of its annual “Work and Education” survey on unions and the results are interesting, if not surprising. More

VSBA Around Vermont

Governance Studies 
I presented governance study options to a Windham Central SU committee; the Newfane and Brookline Districts have just developed a joint contract school.  The new entity is called the NewBrook Joint Contract School.

The Woodbury governance study continues to move forward.  A UVM team is hosting focus groups to gather community information that will be used to shape future direction for elementary and high school education. More
Principal-Counselor Relationship Key to Student Achievement
A strong relationship between school principal and school counselor is integral to improving student achievement, especially students from low-income, first-generation and other traditionally underrepresented populations, according to a new two-part report that examines effective principal-counselor relationships. The report was released in June by the College Board’s National Office for School Counselor Advocacy, the American School Counselor Association and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.More

The Dangers of Deferred Maintenance: Penny Wise & Pound Foolish

Budget pressures on schools are mounting and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  School boards are faced with difficult choices as they seek to trim budgets.  Being “penny wise and pound foolish,” which is already common practice, becomes especially tempting when budget funds are restricted.  Preventative routine maintenance can extend the life of any facility and is, therefore, an excellent investment.  Unfortunately, many school districts have decreased their investment in maintaining facilities.  The Vermont School Custodian and Maintenance Association members are faced with caring for some of these buildings and we can point to real Vermont school stories that we hope people will consider when making the hard choices ahead. More

Rae Ann Knopf Appointed Deputy Commissioner

Rae Ann Knopf of St. Johnsbury was confirmed as Vermont’s Deputy Commissioner of Education by the State Board of Education in a special meeting in October. Knopf, who most recently served as the Assistant Director for Student Support and Safe and Healthy Schools, also serves as the department’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) coordinator. More
Miller Elected Chair of State Board

The State Board of Education elected new officers at its September 15, 2009 meeting. Fayneese Miller of South Burlington was elected Board chair, Ruth Stokes of Williston will continue serving as co-vice-chair, along with Kathy Larsen of Wilmington as second vice-chair. More

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Regional Meetings Report

Every September, VSBA staff hit the road to visit each of our eight regions to meet with board members on a regional scale and conduct business.  This year’s meetings were a success, due to higher-than-usual turnout and an overall positive response to our fiscally-minded feature presentation, “Current Realities 2010.”  VSBA Executive Director John Nelson, Associate Director Winton Goodrich, and I each attended as many of the meetings as we could, but due to schedule conflicts we all could not be at each one.

The main order of business at the meetings is to elect regional officers to the VSBA Board of Directors, as well as elect regional representatives to the VSBA’s Resolutions Committee.  Each region elects a president (P), and vice-president (VP).  Each region also elects a Resolutions Committee member (R) and a Committee alternate (RA).  Here are the results of the regional elections.  Each member is listed along with a board that he or she serves on.

Addison Region
P: Kristin Bristow, Waltham
VP: Jane Low, Mt. Abraham
R: Bonita Bedard, Mr. Abraham
RA: Kurt Haigis, Ferrisburgh

Bennington/Rutland Region
P: Ken Swierad, Bennington
VP: Ed Hemmer, Shrewsbury
R: Raymond Mullineaux, Bennington
RA: Adrienne Raymond, Shrewsbury

Chittenden/Grand Isle Region
P: G. Miller, Essex
VP: Darren Carner, Milton
R: Fred Lane, Burlington
RA: Lorna Jimerson, CVU

Essex/Caledonia/Orleans Region
P: Deb Cogan, North Country Union
VP: Steve Mason , Lowell
R: Linda Blakslee, Concord
RA: Karl Goulding, Concord

Franklin/Lamoille Region
P: Lucy Ramsay, Berkshire
VP: Elaine Carpenter, Fairfax
R: Kathy Gaston, Enosburg Falls
RA: Celeste Kane-Stebbins, Sheldon

Orange/Washington Region
P: Chris Preston, Waits River
VP: vacant
R: Rama Schneider, Williamstown
RA: Angelo Odato, Randolph UHS

Windham Region
P: Emily Long, Leland & Gray
VP: Russ Capron, Bellows Falls
R: Ruth Barton, Rockingham
RA: Lauren Poster, Marlboro

Windsor Region
P: Larry Kraft, Springfield
VP: Carl Groppe, Stockbridge
R: Mike Reali, Barnard
RA: Jeanice Garfield, Springfield

“Current Realities 2010” is a 25-minute PowerPoint presentation, with narration, that highlights the fiscal challenges boards will be facing in this budget cycle, as well as further out projections.  It examines the tremendous deficits that face the state’s General Fund, rising education property taxes, and the perspective of state policymakers on how to address these challenges.  It also examines changing demographics of our state, including our graying population, aging teaching workforce, and declining student enrollment.  The presentation ends by underscoring the importance of managing your school’s labor force, and offered a few modest suggestions for improving efficiencies in school operations.  The presentation is available for viewing on VSBA’s website, and it was shown at the VSBA/VSA conference at Lake Morey.

After the presentation ended, we had a healthy discussion around the presentation and what the fiscal climate means for local boards.  For example, board members were interested in the status of contract negotiations in each others’ districts, whether teachers’ retirement payments would become an education fund obligation, and how other districts have approached early retirement options for faculty.   

For those of you who were unable to attend your region’s meeting, we encourage you to save the date next year.  Members appeared genuinely interested in swapping stories and comparing notes on how their neighbors’ boards operate and taking away some of the hard data that VSBA provided.  It also allowed for a dialogue between members and VSBA staff, and gave us some good suggestions for how we can serve you better and be more accessible in the future.

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