CVSD Interim Superintendent Announcement

 Here's a guest post from CVSD's Board of Directors

Dear CVSD Community

The CVSD Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Adam Bunting, CVU’s principal, has been appointed to the role of Interim Superintendent of the Champlain Valley School District for the 2024-2025 school year. Adam has served as the principal of CVU for nine years and has led collaborative teams to envision, design, and implement personalized, proficiency-based learning for CVU’s 1,300 students.

Prior to serving in his current role as the CVU principal, Adam was a teacher and house director at CVU. He has served on several statewide councils, and was previously the principal at Montpelier High School. These experiences, along with Adam’s focus on students and deep understanding of CVSD’s educational systems, will be critical in executing our strategic plan and addressing the statewide education funding challenges that are impacting our schools.

CVU and CVSD administrators will name an interim CVU principal before the end of this school year. Both Adam and the interim principal will officially begin their positions on July 1, 2024.

We would like to express our appreciation to Superintendent Sanchez for his contributions to the district over the past three years and look forward to working with Adam and his administrative team in the coming year as we continue to focus on the growth and belonging of all of our students.

The school board will begin the search for a permanent superintendent in the fall and will continue to share more information on that process when it begins.

Sincerely,

The Champlain Valley School District Board of Directors

Thank You from CVSD

Dear CVSD Community,

Yesterday, the Champlain Valley School District community voted in favor of our FY25 budget, with 4,358 voting in favor and 2,947 against. First, and above all else, thank you. With the passage of the proposed budget, the school district can return to focusing on preparation for the end of this school year and the beginning of the next one.

We know that the past few months have been difficult. We had to make hard decisions affecting programming and services supporting our students in our schools—directly or indirectly—every day. We value and care for all of the people who hold positions that are impacted and appreciate all they have done for our schools.

Seeing how our community came together to support our schools has been a bright spot. We would like to thank everyone who engaged in the effort - the educators who held visibility events, our parent groups who organized budget meetings, our students who voiced their concerns, community members who spoke to neighbors about the school budget, and every other person who supported our schools. Hearing what you love about the district, what you feel is most valuable to our students, and the importance of CVSD's collective work will continue to guide us.

We know we still have more work to do over the coming years to control costs. We are committed to this work and are actively working through these strategic decisions both at the district level and advocating for CVSD at the state level. We encourage you to stay engaged in this process going forward.

Again, thank you, voters, for supporting our schools.

Rene Sanchez, Superintendent

Meghan Metzler, Chair, CVSD Board of Directors

 

Proposed Budget Updates and Resources

 Dear CVSD Community,

We are writing to share a reminder and resources about the proposed 2024-2025 budget. 

• Reminder: Please join district administration and school board members at tomorrow's CVSD Budget Virtual Town Hall. 
• Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 6:30 pm
• The Zoom information to join is on the left side of the district's website and on the budget page of the website

• The new Budget FAQs (frequently asked questions) resource is now available. We will add to it as we receive more questions, so check back! 

• Included in the FAQs is a link to a separate document with a chart of specific reductions. 

• Please check out the Budget Information for the April 16th vote.

• See this blog post about yesterday's Legislative Breakfast. Our school board hosted the event to connect with legislators. Education and property taxes were the main topics discussed. 

We hope this information is helpful and provides answers to any questions you may have about the proposed budget. We will post this on the budget page of our website for easy future access. 

For more information, please visit our Budget page on the district's website, use the Let's Talk School Board or Budget topics, or email the school board with questions. CVSDschoolboard@cvsdvt.org

CVSD Hosts Breakfast with Legislators

 

On Monday morning, members of the Champlain Valley School District’s board of directors, along with district and building leaders, hosted an annual breakfast meeting with several members of the Vermont legislature, most of whom represent towns in our school district.

The meeting opened with an acknowledgment that, though this is called a Legislative Breakfast, the meal hasn’t been an element since before COVID. It was a pleasure connecting in person for the first time in many years!

CVSD Board Chair, Meghan Metzler, welcomed everyone and shared a summary of the work that the Board and district administration had done for years to prepare for the implementation of Act 127. The late changes in the process and the arrival of H.850 felt like a gut punch. They knew that there would be budgeting challenges but thought we had five years to ease into them. Instead, it all happened at once. Even though the overall budget increased by around 10%, many towns were facing nearly a 30% increase in their property taxes. As the second-highest impacted district in the state, CVSD is facing significant challenges.

We are now presenting voters with a new budget which includes $5 million in reductions. The estimated property tax impact, still not fully determined, is going to be significantly less than the budget proposed on Town Meeting Day. The reductions in the new budget result in a large impact on our schools and ultimately on the community.

Other board members chimed in to say how the failure of our budget passing has impacted people who currently work in our schools, their livelihood, and their families. We all know and understand that voters wanted to send a message. However, the ones who feel the message the most are those who work in our schools and students who rely on our schools for their education, other needs, services, and especially a connection. When cuts are made at schools, it’s the students who will suffer most.

Legislators, including Erin Brady, a former CVSD board member who is the vice chair of the House Committee on Education and a teacher in another district, provided insight from their perspective. This is a much larger topic and the issues related to education will not be resolved at the end of this session.

Some main points that were made at the meeting include:

• There’s an understanding that many school district budgets were voted down to send a message to the legislature. They heard that message. However, community members should directly reach out to our legislators to provide thoughts and feedback about education and education funding in Vermont. Keep sending messages.
• We need to right-size public education that serves all students and uses public funding sustainably. It is a systems problem and a funding problem. We need to fix both at the same time.
• The House Ways and Means Committee focuses on how education is funded, not education itself. We can’t lead with taxes. It’s purely a funding formula; it’s not about what our students need.
• We’ll be using the tax rate in H.850 for the next fiscal year. There is likely no change to the funding formula coming before the end of this session.
• Another challenge is that the Agency of Education is under-resourced. It doesn’t have the capacity to fix and improve things.
• Mental and behavioral supports are in school budgets - that is not going away. Here’s a piece from Senator Doug Racine in VTDigger about children’s mental health and property taxes.
• There’s work underway to explore school facility needs across Vermont. Again, this won’t be solved soon, but it is a focus.
• We have this year and maybe next year to buy time to find ways to add revenue to the ed fund. That’s competing with other priorities the legislature is working on. The state, the legislature, the governor, and the people of Vermont must be committed to education.

Toward the end of the meeting, CVSD Board members summarized our current environment for the legislators - say that you heard us. Say that more money is going into our education fund. We are all taxpayers. Failing budgets only impact the system negatively. We have a high-quality school district. The longer this system continues, the worse it’s going to get because we’ll have to decimate our district.

We need communities to reach out to our legislators so they continuously hear that we have to deal with public education now. Send an email, make phone calls. They need to hear more and directly from taxpayers. Tell them how you feel. Communicate as widely as you can and encourage friends and neighbors to do the same.

Here’s a recording of the Legislative Breakfast.

-----------------------------------------------------

Legislators attending the breakfast: Rep. Chea Waters Evans, Senator Tom Chittenden, Rep. Jessica Brumsted, Rep. Erin Brady, Rep. Angela Arsenault, Rep. Phil Pouech

CVSD Board Members attending: Angela Arsenault, Erika Lea, Erin Henderson, Cassandra Townshend, Kate Webb, Dave Connery, Meghan Metzler, Brendan McMahon, Keith Roberts, Lindsay Colf

Contact information for some of our legislators:

• Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale kramhinsdale@leg.state.vt.us
• Sen. Thomas Chittenden TChittenden@leg.state.vt.us
• Sen. Virginia Lyons VLyons@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Kate Lalley KLalley@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Jessica Brumsted JBrumsted@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Phil Pouech PPouech@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Chea Waters Evans CEvans@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Erin Brady EBrady@leg.state.vt.us  House Committee on Education Vice Chair
• Rep. Noah Hyman NHyman@leg.state.vt.us
• Rep. Angela Arsenault AArsenault@leg.state.vt.us
• Sen. Brian Campion BCampion@leg.state.vt.us  Senate Committee on Education Chair
• Rep. Peter Conlon PConlon@leg.state.vt.us  House Committee on Education Chair

Welcome to Our New School Board Members

CVSD's Board of Directors

 At last Tuesday's Champlain Valley School District's Board of Directors meeting, we welcomed two new members. But first, we want to thank and acknowledge those who have left the Board. 

Josilyn Adams from Williston, and Barbra Marden from Shelburne, both served on the CVSD Board for many years. We thank them for their dedication to our schools and our district and for the many contributions they made over their years of service. 

We welcome Sarah Showalter-Feuillette from Williston, and Kate Webb from Shelburne, who were elected on Town Meeting Day for three year terms. In addition, Brendan McMahon from Williston, and Meghan Metzler from Charlotte, were re-elected to three year terms on the board. 

Also at the March 12th meeting, elections took place for Board positions. Meghan Metzler is our new Board Chair and Dave Connery is the Vice Chair. We thank outgoing Chair, Angela Arsenault, for her tireless efforts on behalf of CVSD. 

Two days after officially becoming Chair of our school board, Meghan Metzler testified before a joint meeting of the House Education Committee and House Ways and Means Committee. 

• Here is the text of Meghan's testimony.
• View a video of the meeting
• View the full text of all testimonies

We encourage community members to reach out to the legislature to share your thoughts about education funding and tax increases. 

Learn more about our School Board on this page of our website. 

Summary of the Proposed 2024-2025 CVSD Budget

Dear Champlain Valley School District Voters,

This year has presented significant challenges and complexities regarding our proposed budget. Initiated by the school board and administration in line with Act 127, the new education funding law passed in 2022, the budget development process began in September. However, considerable changes arose in late January. Rather than attempt to explain what has transpired in a lengthy post here, the district has compiled a series of articles published by local media and state representatives in recent months. These can be found at the bottom of the Budget page on the district’s website.

This budget represents what the CVSD School Board does have control over. It continues to provide the programming and support that have served our students well, including consistent class sizes.

With that being said, the Board makes changes when they need to. This budget does reduce five teaching positions and four unfilled paraprofessional positions while maintaining class sizes within CVSD recommendations.

In addition to maintaining programming, this budget continues some of the previously ESSER-funded positions, but not all. The Board has reduced the number of positions in place this year by 20% for the coming year. These positions have provided critical social/emotional support to our students where the need has never been greater, and where finding support outside of the school has never been harder. We are committed to phasing them out over time and our strategy was to do it over five years. We may have to accelerate this going forward.

The final “add-on” in this budget is for certain one-time facilities projects- including some HVAC work that is needed to provide the learning environment needed for our students.

There is nothing in this budget that the Board considers to be irresponsible or unneeded spending.

We encourage you to get informed. Please reach out to the CVSD School Board with any questions. cvsdschoolboard@cvsdvt.org or use the School Board or Budget Let’s Talk topics 

Please join the CVSD Annual Meeting on Monday, March 4, 2024, at 5:00 at CVU. Information about how to join in person or remotely can be found on the left side of the district's homepage or on the Budget page.


More information:

CVSD’s Budget page

CVSD Annual Report

 

Understanding the Proposed 2024-2025 Budget

At Tuesday night's Champlain Valley School District's school board meeting, the board voted to adopt the finance committee’s recommendation to move forward with the originally warned budget that they spent more than six months reviewing and evaluating.

• At the meeting, CVSD Board vice chair and finance committee chair Meghan Metzler read this statement to begin the discussion. https://bit.ly/FinanceCommStatement

• After the meeting, Superintendent Sanchez shared this letter as well. https://bit.ly/SuptFeb2024

• Here are some budget highlights to help our community understand important elements of the proposed budget. https://bit.ly/FY25BudgetHighlights

If you are able, please attend tonight's CVSD Virtual Budget Town Hall to get more information about the proposed budget and your questions answered. To join, please find the Zoom link on the left side of the district's homepage. https://www.cvsdvt.org/

We deeply appreciate the support this community has shown us and we hope you can continue to do so.

All of the documents above are also shared on the Budget page of the district's website:
https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget

CVSD Budget Town Hall

 

Earlier this week, the CVSD School Board's Finance Committee had a productive meeting to discuss the options and implications for the district and taxpayers regarding the proposed 2024-2025 budget. At next week's school board meeting on Tuesday, 2/20 at 6:00 pm, the full board will come together to discuss the budget and work toward a decision on how to move forward.

On Wednesday, 2/21 at 6:30 pm, the district's administration and school board will host a virtual Town Hall at which they will provide the latest information available about the proposed budget and answer questions.

We hope you can join us for these events. See the calendar on the left side of the district's homepage for details about how to attend. https://www.cvsdvt.org/ 

 We will share another update next week.

February 12 CVSD Proposed Budget Update

We wanted to follow up on the email and notice we sent last week with another update about the Champlain Valley School District’s proposed budget. Last week, Vermont's lawmakers discussed making a significant change to Act 127. They're considering getting rid of the 5% cap on pre-CLA tax rates and replacing it with a tax-rate discount (as outlined in H.850). It's an unusual discussion. Nothing has been decided yet.

The new bill also includes language about potentially delaying school district budget voting if districts choose to do that.

It's important to know that any changes to Act 127 have to go through the whole legislative process. If this law is changed, it would start affecting things from the 2024-2025 school year onwards, and it could impact the tax rate increase we proposed.

CVSD’s finance department, superintendent, and the Board’s chair and vice-chair have been closely monitoring the meetings in Montpelier. On Tuesday, February 13 at 6 pm, the Board’s finance committee will meet to discuss options for CVSD. Information to view that meeting is posted on the district’s website calendar on the left of the homepage. https://www.cvsdvt.org/ The next full Board meeting is scheduled for February 20th.

These articles may provide some helpful information.

• Lawmakers move to replace controversial property tax cap with targeted ‘discount’, VTDigger, February 9, 2024 
• With Large Tax Hikes Looming on Town Meeting Day, School Districts Ask the State for Help, Seven Days, January 31, 2024 
• Story from Vermont Public on the rising cost of education, January 12, 2024 

We will do our best to keep all members of the CVSD community informed about the next steps for our district’s proposed budget.

Rene Sanchez, Superintendent

February 5 Proposed Budget Update

The CVSD School Board approved the proposed 2024-2025 budget to present to voters on Town Meeting Day ballots at the January 23, 2024 school board meeting. The proposed budget is now a warned article on the ballot.

However, the Vermont legislature is currently considering changes to Act 127, the new education funding law. Their review may require us to modify our proposed school district budget and possibly when we vote on the upcoming school year’s ballot articles.

We wanted to let all of our community members know that we are aware of this and will do our best to keep you informed as we learn more. We will reschedule community presentations about the proposed budget and will update associated materials when we have clarity.

Rene Sanchez, Superintendent

CVSD Update, January 2024

 

Hello CVSD Community,

We are happy to share the January issue of the CVSD Update, a newsletter for all CVSD families, caregivers, and community members. 

In this issue, you will find: 

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• Reminders about upcoming events 
• Information about the proposed school budget and bond for 2024-2025
• The full version of our Strategic Plan
• Information about the K-4 report cards
• Updates from our community partners
• and more

Thank you for taking the time to read it. Feel free to reach out using Let's Talk with any questions, comments, suggestions, concerns, or kudos. 

Welcome New CVSD Board Members

 We are thrilled to introduce four new members to CVSD's Board of Directors!

Dr. Cassandra Townshend is the Co-Director of Building Effective Supports for Teaching (BEST) and VT Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (VTPBIS) Project at the University of Vermont. She has over 20 years of experience in education and has spent that time advocating for the needs of all families/caregivers, children, and the community. As Co-Director of
BEST/VTPBIS, she provides consulting, coaching, and training to school and district staff across Vermont to develop inclusive and equitable systems and practices to support all students'; social, emotional, and behavioral health and well-being. Before joining UVM, Cassandra worked in various roles in education, including an elementary/middle school paraeducator, high school social worker, behavior specialist, outpatient adolescent clinician, director of special education (Charlotte Central School), and director of behavior systems (CVSD). Cassandra enjoys juggling the busy schedules of her 3rd and 4th graders at HCS, talking about education with her husband (a teacher at a local career and technical education high school), coaching and serving as a board member of the Iroquois Soccer Club, and hiking in the Hinesburg Town Forest with her family, and fun-loving yellow lab, Cheddar.

Megan Siket: I currently work as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel at UVM. I earned my law degree from Columbia University School of Law and practice in the areas of education law, labor & employment law, and related litigation. I was born and raised across Lake Champlain in Clinton County, NY. Before coming to UVM, I was a partner at a law firm in Providence, Rhode Island. I also taught employment law and employment discrimination as an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University School of Law.

I have a fifth grader and eighth grader at Charlotte Central School. The 8th grader will be at CVU next year.

Dave Connery is returning to the school board after a three year break, having previously served for 8 years on the board. A graduate of UVM’s School of Engineering, he works as a helmet design engineer for Burton. He lives n Shelburne with his wife, his two kids who both attend CVU, as well as their Boston Terrier, JJ Abrams. In his spare time, he loves to ride bikes, referee ice hockey, and hike with JJ.

Erin Henderson: I am excited to join the CVSD School Board as a representative from Williston.

I was a high school teacher for 15 years and have held other jobs within the education field. I currently work for the Department for Children and Families as their Workforce Development Director. I am the mother of three children who have gone through Allen Brook, Williston Central, and CVU. My sons graduated from CVU in 2020 and 2022, and my daughter is currently a sophomore at the high school.

I think that my background, both professionally and personally, gives me a lot of insight to our district and schools. I recognize the many things that CVSD does well and the places where we can continue to grow. I am really proud of our school district, and I look forward to guiding and supporting policies and systems that work for our community, staff, and students.

We look forward to working with you on behalf of CVSD's students and schools. 

Gratitude For Outgoing School Board Members

We want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for four CVSD board members who are stepping down from their roles as of Town Meeting Day 2023. They have dedicated themselves to the well-being of students, made exceptional contributions to the effective and efficient operation of the Champlain Valley School District, and have championed CVSD through many different challenges, changes, and successes. Though their terms of service to CVSD vary in length, they each have made their mark on the district, its schools, and students in meaningful ways. 

Colleen MacKinnon

Hinesburg, CSSU, & CVSD School Boards
28 Years of Service 

Lynne Jaunich
Charlotte, CVU, CSSU, & CVSD School Boards
13 Years of Service

Erin Brady
CVU, CSSU, & CVSD School Boards
7 Years of Service

Ken Scott
CVSD School Board
3 Years of Service

Thank you, thank you. 

If you are a resident of a CVSD town, please remember to vote on March 7 and help select their successors. 

Summary of the Proposed Budget

This is last post in a series to update you on the upcoming 2023-2024 proposed school district budget. Please take the time to view the previous posts that provide information as well. 

Here are important takeaways for this year’s budget:

• The Champlain Valley School District is committed to supporting all students.
• CVSD will receive funds to support pandemic recovery through September 2024. We will continue to provide mental health services, social-emotional guidance, and academic support that acknowledges the unique needs of each student. These funds are separate from the proposed FY24 budget.
• We strive to maintain class sizes within the state’s recommended range.
• This budget supports the continuation of our commitment to CVSD students. All program and staffing changes have been offset by increases in revenue or reduction in other areas.

Superintendent Rene Sanchez, along with Gary Marckres, COO, and Board Chair Angela Arsenault shared this presentation on Town Meeting TV.  

You may be wondering, why, if the budget is going up by 7.5%, your tax increase is different. The reason for a different tax increase despite a 7.5% increase in the budget can be explained by two factors. The first factor is the "net cost per equalized pupil," which is used to calculate property tax rates, rather than the budget increase. The second factor is the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA), which is the adjustment made by the state to assessed property values to reflect current market values. This adjustment can have a significant impact on local tax rates and is applied to the tax rate based on the rising property values in the community. The estimated Pre-CLA tax rate is expected to decrease by 9.3¢ from last year, but the gross tax rate impact may vary by town.

We hope this is helpful information for you.

Please reach out to the CVSD School Board with any questions. 

cvsdschoolboard@cvsdvt.org or use the School Board or Budget Let’s Talk topics.  

The CVSD School Board appreciates your generous support.


Please join the CVSD Annual Informational Meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 5:00 at CVU.

More information:

• Budget page 
• CVSD Annual Report
• 2023-2024 Budget Booklet
• Budget FAQ’s 

See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 7th or earlier.

2023 Articles on the CVSD Ballot

 

This is another post in a series to update you on the upcoming 2023-2024 proposed school district budget. 

In our previous post, we provided voters with information about the school district’s proposed budget. In addition to seeing the ballot article about the proposed budget, voters will also see these additional articles on the ballot.

Article VIII – The FUND BALANCE QUESTION: this question requests permission from the taxpayers to spend reserved money to offset budget increases. FY24 Article VIII asks: Shall the voters of the Champlain Valley School District authorize the Board of School Directors to allocate $600,000 of the school district's current fund balance as revenue for the 2023-2024 operating budget and assign the remaining balance as revenue for future budgets?

Article IX - The BUS QUESTION: This question asks taxpayers to approve the District’s need to borrow funds for bus purchases. The article gives the District authorization to borrow up to $395,000 to maintain our fleet. This year it is proposed that we purchase three new buses to replace older buses. (These older models are 12-15 years old and each has more than 170,000 miles on the odometer).

We hope this is helpful information for you.

- The Champlain Valley School District's Board of Directors

Please reach out to the CVSD School Board with any questions. cvsdschoolboard@cvsdvt.org or use the School Board or Budget Let’s Talk topics https://www.cvsdvt.org/page/268. On behalf of the CVSD School Board, we appreciate your generous support.

Please join the CVSD Annual Informational Meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 5:00 at CVU.

More information:

Budget page www.cvsdvt.org/budget

CVSD Annual Report https://www.cvsdvt.org/Page/602

2023-2024 Budget Booklet https://bit.ly/FY24CVSDbudget

Budget FAQ’s https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFY23FAQs

See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 7th or earlier.

Get Informed About the Proposed FY24 Budget

Dear Champlain Valley School District Community Members and Voters,

CVSD’s Board of Directors is reaching out to you with information about the proposed FY24 budget. We hope that you’ll take the time to read this message and will access additional materials to get informed before voting. This is the first in a series of posts about the proposed budget and articles voters will see on the ballot.

Voters can cast early ballots or for those who prefer to vote in person, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, is your chance to vote on the 2023-2024 proposed CVSD Budget and school-related Articles.

As an informed voter, it is important to understand the significance of the proposed budget for the Champlain Valley School District. This year, the district has proposed a budget of $96,119,804, which represents an increase of 7.5% from the current year.

Despite these increased costs, the CVSD proposed budget is still 1.2% below the statewide average for equalized pupils and 1% below the state average spending increase. This demonstrates the district's commitment to being financially responsible while still providing the best possible education for its students.

The budget proposal takes into account various external forces, such as statewide and national healthcare increases, inflation, and a tight labor market. Despite these challenges, the Champlain Valley School District remains dedicated to supporting all students and providing a high-quality education.

By voting for the proposed budget, you are supporting the education of the students in the Champlain Valley School District. Investing in our future through education is a vital part of ensuring a strong and thriving community.

Please reach out to the CVSD School Board with any questions. cvsdschoolboard@cvsdvt.org or use the School Board or Budget Let’s Talk topics https://www.cvsdvt.org/page/268. On behalf of the CVSD School Board, we appreciate your generous support.

Kind regards,

The CVSD Board of Directors



Please join the CVSD Annual Informational Meeting on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 5:00 at CVU.


More information:

Budget page www.cvsdvt.org/budget

CVSD Annual Report https://www.cvsdvt.org/Page/602

2023-2024 Budget Booklet https://bit.ly/FY24CVSDbudget

Budget FAQ’s https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFY23FAQs


See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 7th or earlier.

Welcome Back CVSD Faculty

Today marked the official first day back for our faculty across CVSD. For the first time in three years, we gathered together at CVU for Convocation and professional development. With nearly 500 faculty members in CVU's auditorium and library (livestreamed), we started the day with speeches and a fabulous keynote. 

First, CVU's student co-presidents Asa and Kyle spoke to the whole group about their experiences in CVSD schools, with shout-outs to the many educators that had a direct impact on them. They reminded us that they have yet to experience a high school year not impacted by COVID-19 and are excited to embark on this final year of learning and connecting. 

Angela Arsenault, our School Board chair, shared an inspirational welcome message. She acknowledged the challenges we've all faced through the pandemic. She led us through an exercise to envision our dream school and district that is supportive and inclusive for all children. 

Superintendent Rene Sanchez told of the work that the district's leadership team engaged in this summer, helping to develop a focus for the year. With teaching and learning at the center of our work, we will emphasize growth and belonging for all. Incorporated into that are the more specific topics of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. We'll be sharing more information about how we will define and incorporate those terms into our work with students and one another soon. 

Rene also recognized faculty and staff who had been in the field of education for longer than 30 years, culminating with CVU teacher, Norm McClure, who is starting his 50th year! (Yes, you read that number right!)

Our keynote today was Joelle van Lent, a licensed psychologist who focuses on resiliency. Her presentation was authentic, inspiring, and engaging. There are many things that resonated with everyone, especially after the last few years. She provided ideas and suggestions for how we can support our students and each other. 

After a short break, we shifted the focus to those four areas of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. Everyone was offered the choice of reading an article, listening to a podcast, or watching a video (there were multiple options for each under each topic). Then we gathered in rooms by topic and discussed our experiences and ideas. 

Our final activities were community circles of about 10 in each group. There were 50 groups spread out in rooms around CVU. We responded to questions about identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. And then each group created a collaborative quilt square with some plans and intentions for the year. These squares were collected and displayed together for all to see and appreciate. It's an impressive collection of creative and thoughtful expression and ideas. Zoom in if you can!

It was a great welcome to a new school year with a positive tone, engaging speakers and activities, and inspiration for a fabulous school year. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, coordinate, and facilitate the day. We're excited to welcome students back next week! 

Highlights of the Proposed Budget

Kelly Bowen, CVSD School Board Finance Committee Chair, has shared the following on Front Porch Forum in each CVSD town. It's the next in a series of posts to help inform voters about the proposed budget for 2022-2023.

Dear CVSD Community Members and Voters,

This is the final post in a series to update you on the upcoming 2022-2023 proposed school district budget. Thank you for your continued support and for reading these updates. And most of all, thank you for taking the time to VOTE on March 1, 2022.

Here are important takeaways for this year’s budget:

• The Champlain Valley School District is committed to supporting all students.
• During pandemic recovery, we will continue to provide mental health services, social-emotional guidance, and academic support that acknowledges the unique needs of each student.
• We are committed to diversity, equity, & inclusion.
• We strive to maintain class sizes within the recommended range.
• The bond proposal focuses on critical health & safety needs at CVSD facilities.
• The estimated Pre-CLA (Common Level of Appraisal) tax rate is down 9¢ from last year. After applying the CLA factor, we estimate that the tax rate will be down for most CVSD towns.

It has been a pleasure to serve this community as Chair of the Finance Committee these past two years. With a growing district and a growing budget, I recognize the need for frequent and clear communication. As this budget cycle closes, I urge community members to get involved with your school district. A vibrant district with strong fiscal health can only be maintained by an active community. Please reach out to me: kbowen@cvsdvt.org if I can be of assistance.

Kind regards,

Kelly A. Bowen, CVSD Finance Committee Chair


Please join the CVSD INFORMATIONAL MEETING via Zoom on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 5:00. ZOOM meeting information: https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget or directly: https://cvsdvt-org.zoom.us/j/88634652241 Meeting ID: 886 3465 2241 - Passcode: cvsd11

Phone Participation: 1-646-876-9923 - Passcode: 854788

More information:
Budget page www.cvsdvt.org/budget
Annual Report https://www.cvsdvt.org/Page/602
2022-2023 Budget Flyer https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFlyerFY23
Budget FAQ’s https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFY23FAQs

See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 1st or earlier.

 

What are the other Articles on the Ballot?

 Kelly Bowen, CVSD School Board Finance Committee Chair, has shared the following on Front Porch Forum in each CVSD town. It's the next in a series of posts to help inform voters about the proposed budget for 2022-2023. 

Dear CVSD Community Members and Voters,

This is the fourth post in a series to update you on the upcoming 2022-2023 proposed school district budget. Look for bi-weekly updates on Front Porch Forum or other school news outlets. Thank you for your continued support and for reading these updates.

In this post, I will talk about ballot Articles I-VI. As mentioned in prior posts, articles are simply questions and each question is listed by a Roman numeral. There are ten total articles on the ballot this year.

Articles I-VI - Typically these standard articles are voted upon in person at the CVSD Annual Meeting. Because this year's Annual Meeting will, once again, be held online, the articles will be printed on the ballot and voters will be asked to cast their vote during the regular election. Voters can cast early ballots or for those who prefer to vote in person, TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022 is the voting day.

• Articles I-III – Approves three non-voting CVSD administrative support positions: moderator, clerk, and treasurer. These positions are not full-time or salaried.
• Article IV – A yes vote allows the District to engage in short-term borrowing in anticipation of upcoming tax payments which allows CVSD to meet payment schedules during the fiscal year.
• Article V – Asks: Should CVSD continue to mail a notification announcing the availability of its annual report in lieu of distributing it to all residents?
• Article VI – Confirms the date for next year’s Annual Meeting.

You might have noticed this year that the District opted for a more detailed budget flyer in lieu of sending a full CVSD Annual Report to every home. This was done for a couple of reasons. First, the CVSD Annual Report is costly to print. Making it available online on the district’s website with the option to request a printed version (please call 985-1914) saves the taxpayers money. Second, many in our community continue to experience delays in regular mail deliveries.

As Finance Committee Chair, I appreciate and share the public’s concern for fiscal conservatism. Please reach out to me: kbowen@cvsdvt.org if I can be of assistance.

Kind regards,

Kelly A. Bowen, CVSD Finance Committee Chair


Please join the CVSD INFORMATIONAL MEETING via Zoom on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 5:00. ZOOM meeting information: https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget or directly: https://cvsdvt-org.zoom.us/j/88634652241 Meeting ID: 886 3465 2241 - Passcode: cvsd11

Phone Participation: 1-646-876-9923 - Passcode: 854788

More information:

Budget page www.cvsdvt.org/budget
Annual Report https://www.cvsdvt.org/Page/602
2022-2023 Budget Flyer https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFlyerFY23
Budget FAQ’s https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFY23FAQs

See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 1st or earlier.

What Is ESSER and What Does that Have to Do With The Budget?

Kelly Bowen, CVSD School Board Finance Committee Chair, has shared the following on Front Porch Forum in each CVSD town. It's the next in a series of posts to help inform voters about the proposed budget for 2022-2023. 

Dear CVSD Community Members and Voters,

This is the third post in a series to update you on the upcoming 2022-2023 proposed school district budget. Look for bi-weekly updates on Front Porch Forum or other school news outlets.

In this post, I will talk about the third installment of ESSER funding including: What does ESSER stand for? Where do ESSER funds come from? How much money will CVSD receive in this third grant? How does ESSER impact CVSD? While ESSER funds are not included in our budget financials, it is important for taxpayers to understand how these federal funds impact CVSD.

What do ARP and ESSER stand for?

ARP is the American Rescue Plan of 2021. ESSER is the acronym for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. ESSER Funds were allocated in three separate grant offerings. ESSER 1, ESSER 2, and this final round of funds ARP ESSER.

Where do ARP ESSER funds come from?

ESSER funds are federal tax dollars that the US Government allocated to schools to support pandemic recovery. CVSD receives funds via the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) that manages Vermont’s grant.

How much money will CVSD receive?

ESSER funds are allocated to each school district based on a formula that considers the proportion of students receiving free and reduced-price meals to the whole of the student population. Like any grant, all ESSER funds come with spending restrictions, and ARP ESSER funds must be used over the next three years.

CVSD's ARP ESSER grant amount is $4,351,752 or $374 per student/per year of the three year grant term. This 4.4 million dollar grant is welcome and will be used constructively. But, to keep it in fiscal perspective, compared to our annual cost per pupil, the ARP ESSER grant translates to $374/per student or less than 2% of annual per student spending ($18,454.)

For the upcoming 2022-2023 year, ARP ESSER funds will be used to fund eleven professional positions including: social workers, school counselors, and reading and math specialists.

For details about all ESSER Funds including ARP ESSER Funding and CVSD’s COVID Recovery Plan visit: https://sites.google.com/cvsdvt.org/cvsdrecovery/home

As Finance Committee Chair, I appreciate and share the public’s concern for fiscal conservatism. Please reach out to me: kbowen@cvsdvt.org if I can be of assistance.

Kind regards,

Kelly A. Bowen, CVSD Finance Committee Chair

Please join the CVSD INFORMATIONAL MEETING via Zoom on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 5:00. ZOOM meeting information: https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget or directly: https://cvsdvt-org.zoom.us/j/88634652241 Meeting ID: 886 3465 2241 - Passcode: cvsd11

Phone Participation: 1-646-876-9923 - Passcode: 854788

More information:

Budget Page www.cvsdvt.org/budget
Annual Report https://www.cvsdvt.org/Page/602
2022-2023 Budget Flyer https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFlyerFY23
Budget FAQ’s https://bit.ly/CVSDBudgetFY23FAQs

See the Annual Warning on the budget page of our website for all of the ballot articles. We encourage all eligible residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote on March 1st or earlier.