2024-01-10 HUUSD Board Meeting Recap
- January 16, 2024
- Nathan Gingras
- 3.5 Minute Read
The HUUSD School Board met in person (with an option for remote participation) last Wednesday, January 10, 2024.
Kristen Rodgers thanked the support staff for their dedication and hard work, and shared some comments regarding contract negotiations with the District’s support staff.
The meeting began with public comment:
- Several members of the District’s support staff offered comments regarding the current contract negotiations.
- Matt Currier, who works at Brookside, read a letter.
- Danielle Lillard, who works at Harwood, read a petition.
- Julie Johnson, who works at Warren, shared her personal experiences with needs for sick/personal time off.
- Casey Shugrin, who works at Brookside, read letters on behalf of staff.
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Geo Legeros, who works at Crossett Brook, read letters.
Board Reports:
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Students - Naomi and Ellie provided a slide show covering sports, clubs, the Spring musical, the Winooski Valley music festival, survey data, and student body bond outreach. They answered questions from Board members, several of whom offered to help with presentation of bond information.
Topics for Discussion:
- Budget - Lisa and Dr. Mike provided information regarding changes in the components of tax rate calculations, and the benefits of remaining under specific increase levels. Three budget scenarios were presented, with some details of the underlying information discussed. Multiple questions from Board members were addressed, and the Board provided Lisa with direction for further development of the budget.
- Superintendent’s Quarterly Update on Goals - Dr. Mike presented information regarding his progress on the goals determined to be priority for him as Superintendent. Shannon Lessley presented information on the District’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) and its relation to curriculum and assessment work. Dr. Mike highlighted some of the work involved in putting the Bond information before the community, and some data regarding the feedback received. He then outlined some of the matters he has been addressing as part of his ongoing responsibilities. Finally, Dr. Mike asked for some input from Board members regarding website improvements and a new logo for the District.
In action items, the Board:
- Approved a motion to approve deletion of Policy D3: Staffing and Job Descriptions without objection or abstention.
- Approved a motion to approve the 2024-2025 tuition rate of $19,743 for grades K- 6 and $22,340 for grades 7-12 without objection or abstention.
Board Members present: Mike Bishop (Fayston), Ben Clark (Moretown), Danielle Dukette (Fayston), Kelley Hackett (Waterbury), Life LeGeros (Duxbury), Jake Pitman (Waterbury), Kristen Rodgers (Moretown), Bobbi Rood (Waitsfield), Tori Taravella (Waterbury), Marlena Tucker-Fishman (Waterbury), Cindy Senning (Duxbury), JB Weir (Waitsfield), Ashley Woods (Warren), Jonathan Young (Warren).
You are invited to participate in discussions on the future of Harwood High School. The School Board is seeking your input on how to proceed. The community will be receiving further information in the coming weeks with summaries of the three main categories. This is a major undertaking that will have an impact on school district programs and finances for years to come, so your input is crucial. Please participate!
Harwood Union High School project public meeting schedule:
- January 16: 6:00 pm Fayston gym
- January 25: 6:00 pm Moretown School cafeteria
- January 30: 6:00 pm Zoom
The Harwood National Honor Society will be offering childcare at the remaining community bond meetings. Click below to sign up (even though the form says it’s only for 1/11).
The Board welcomes feedback from our community and one of the easiest ways to share your thoughts is to send an email to [email protected], which will go to every Board member. Additionally, at the beginning of each Board meeting we invite public comment. Alternately, reach out to one of your neighbors who is on the school board and share your thoughts in a personal email or phone call (see a list of Board members and contact information at https://tinyurl.com/523wtrnj).
The Board’s next meeting will be on Wednesday January 17th 6:00pm Harwood High School Library. Community members may attend in person in the Harwood library or remotely via Zoom.
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007#success), or watch it broadcast live on Youtube (http://tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live). Agendas and other related documents are available at huusd.org.