The Stowe School Board once again thanks the community, administration, teachers and parents for your continued support of Stowe’s schools.
The combined dedication of all stakeholders provides outstanding public education for our students. The Stowe School District’s excellent reputation continues to attract families from within Vermont, the U.S. and the world to relocate to the Stowe community.
Our equalized student enrollment once again increased this year by 16.3 students, an increase of 2.2 percent. This is in sharp contrast to most Vermont communities, whose enrollment continues to decline on a consistent basis.
The board communicated to the community — in an open letter in the Stowe Reporter Aug. 29, 2017, and through our email lists — our five goals for the 2017-18 school year. They are:
1. Act 46: Continue our self-evaluation work and submit a proposal for an alternative governance structure.
Last November, we worked with our dedicated colleagues at Elmore-Morristown Unified Union, the administration, and our community to craft and submit our alternative governance structure proposal. Both the Stowe School District and the Elmore- Morristown Unified Union, along with our respective communities, believe this proposal makes a strong case for an alternative governance structure.
We are now waiting for the Agency of Education and Board of Education to review and discuss our proposal.
Act 46 currently requires the Agency of Education to submit a statewide plan by June 1, 2018. The State Board must approve that plan by Nov. 30, 2018.
Implementation of the new governance structure will take place on July 1, 2019.
2. Proficiency-based learning: Monitor the implementation of proficiency-based learning and our progress toward personalization.
This new approach to education is designed to be the driving force in determining the learning style that is best suited for each individual student.
Vermont’s education quality standards require that schools’ graduation requirements be rooted in demonstrations of student proficiency. This requirement will take effect in Vermont beginning with the graduating class of 2020.
Our goal is to insure a successful implementation of this significant shift in the education process.
The administration and teachers are working hard for a successful proficiency-based learning implementation by attending summer curriculum camps, employing outside resources, providing proficiency-based learning coaching, offering in-house mentoring programs, and actively seeking teacher, student and parental feedback.
The 2019 budget includes $30,000 toward professional development to support proficiency-based learning implementation.
The board has added proficiency-based learning as an agenda item frequently at meetings to ensure that both the board and the community have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. We will continue to do so for the balance of the school year.
The school’s web page, “The Road to Proficiency,” offers additional information at stoweschoolsvt.com.
3. Budget: Review our year-round budgeting process and develop a school budget that taxpayers value.
Over the summer of 2017, the board did an extensive review of the school budget process with a focus on enhancing transparency.
We made the following changes in our budget process that were reported in the Stowe Reporter on Dec. 21, 2017:
For people who prefer prose to numbers, an executive summary explains whether the budget is increasing or decreasing and by how much, walking the public through the main additions or subtractions.
The summary is followed by line-item expenditures broken down by function, with each category sorted even further to include salaries and benefits, supplies and materials, and other items that go into that function’s costs.
The line-item budget is trailed by an explanation of what each function covers within the district.
As the budget proposal is amended, each version of the draft will includes a summary of changes made from the original draft budget, helping the board and public track individual budget decisions.
Revenue is categorized in a similar fashion.
The board asked the community to bring iPads, laptops, or smartphones to the budget meetings to follow along with the same documents being reviewed by the board, which are posted on the school district website.
The board and administration provided a linked Excel spreadsheet to see, in real time, what happens to the total budget and tax rates if expenditures are added or subtracted.
Lastly, in a special meeting held in Stowe on Jan. 24, 2018, both the Stowe School District and the Lamoille South Supervisory Union boards made available the auditors of both entities for the public to review audited financials to comment and ask questions.
• 2018-19 proposed budget: The board continues to provide a high-quality education on a cost-effective basis.
Stowe’s education spending per equalized pupil is projected to decline in the 2018-19 budget by $67.89 to $14,939 versus $15,007 in 2017-18.
For comparison, the 2017 Vermont’s average education spending per equalized pupil was $15,368.
We are also pleased that, with some very hard work by our administrative team, the fiscal 2019 overall budget is projected to increase just 1.2 percent.
4. Capital Committee: Establish a capital committee.
At the time of this printing, the superintendent has drafted a committee charge and is accepting nominations and volunteers. This committee will form after the conclusion of the 2018-19 budget process.
A five-year facility capital needs plan was reviewed by the board at each of its three January 2018 budget meetings. Elements of the plan are included in this budget.
A detailed listing of the five-year facility capital needs can be found in the 2018 town meeting book.
5. Rigor and Equity: Raise the bar for all students while working to close the achievement gap.
Last year, voters approved the 2017-18 budget that contained the following investments to elevate the rigor of our curriculum and close the learning gap among students.
• Implementation of eighth-grade algebra.
• Full implementation of a math coach for the middle and high school.
• Creation of a language coach position for the middle and high school.
• An additional literacy interventionist at the elementary school.
• The full implementation of the STAR student evaluation system, designed to identify learning opportunities on an individual student basis in real time.
Test results will be monitored closely over the next few years to evaluate our progress and opportunities.
The Stowe School Board attributes the success and increasing popularity of the Stowe School District to a committed and talented administration team, an experienced and dedicated faculty, and a passionately involved community that wants what the board wants — a superior education for every child in our community.
If you’d like to receive regular emails recapping our board meetings and agendas, please go to stoweschoolsvt.com to sign up.
Stowe School Board members are Cara Zimmerman, chair, and Emily Bradbury, Jim Brochhausen, Tiffany Donza and Emily Rosenbaum. Tracy Wrend is superintendent of schools.
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