Next Steps for Wolcott School
by Amy Kolb Noyes
WOLCOTT – Last week the Wolcott School Board met to grapple
with the question of how to house students next year,
following a third construction bond vote failure. Meanwhile,
a community petition has been turned in that will force the
latest construction plan back up for a revote. That measure
failed by a mere 14 votes last month.
At its meeting Wednesday, November 30, the school board
decided against bringing the construction bond back up for a
revote, favoring to support the community petition. Board
Chair DJ Masi said he was enthusiastic about the possibility
of “a ground swell of support” for the project.
A petition signed by five percent of the voters must be
turned into the town clerk’s office within 30 days of a vote
to force reconsideration of an issue. In Wolcott, at least
50 signatures must be turned in by Thursday, December 8, to
mandate a revote within 60 days. As of Wednesday morning,
December 7, Town Clerk Linda Martin said petitions
containing about 90 signatures had been filed. Martin added
she was told a few petition pages had yet to be turned in.
Whether or not the bond passes on a revote, the school
board is committed to closing the School Street Center at
the end of this school year. While all school directors
agreed the SSC needed to close down, the timing was a topic
of considerable discussion at the board meeting.
School Director Rod Kreis’ initial reaction was, “It’s
time to get out now.”
Kreis argued the bond vote failed because residents did not
understand the many problems and expenses of housing the
kindergarten and preschool programs at the SSC. He said,
rather than endure the overhead of running the SSC any
longer, the school board should close the building at the
end of the quarter. Kreis suggested Wolcott should tuition
out its sixth grade class for the second half of this school
year and bring the kindergarten class up to the main Wolcott
School campus.
Superintendent Mark Andrews responded it would not make
financial sense to tuition out the sixth grade class “let
alone the educational effect on the sixth graders.”
Despite the considerable expense of running the SSC,
Principal Merri Greenia agreed it would cost much more to
tuition sixth graders out to other schools. In addition,
Greenia said, she believes Wolcott offers a superior
education to its sixth graders with staff that is in place
for this year.
School Director David Bain posed the question, should the
school bond pass on a revote, would it be prudent to operate
the SSC one more year, until the school addition
construction is complete? The consensus of the school board
was a commitment to close the SSC, regardless, come June.
How then is Wolcott to house all its students at the
Wolcott School next year? The board was split on the option
of using a mobile unit to house one or more classes. Andrews
argued mobile units are a better option, educationally, than
trying to double-up classes and reduce the kindergarten
program back down to part time.
Greenia said she had met with her staff and,
collaboratively, came up with ways to fit all the kids into
the main Wolcott School building. She said it would involve
combining two classes from one of the split grades into one
classroom, perhaps with two teachers in that classroom. The
freed-up classroom would then be used to house a part-time
kindergarten program and a part-time program for
four-year-old preschool students. Preschool for
three-year-olds would need to be eliminated in Wolcott.
Although the above scenario would sacrifice Wolcott’s
full-time kindergarten program, Greenia noted kindergartners
now spend approximately five hours per week in transition
between the Wolcott School building and the School Street
Center. Therefore, she said, the program could be cut by
five hours without sacrificing any instruction time, if
entirely housed at the main school building.
“We can do it without mobile classrooms. We will be able to
do it with a higher level of service with mobile
classrooms,” Greenia summarized. She added it is up to the
board to weigh its priorities.
“We will make it work, whatever you decide...we will make
it work for kids,” Greenia told the board.
Andrews polled the board to see what, if any,
objections the school directors had to utilizing mobile
classroom units. Masi responded he is primarily concerned
about the cost of the units, saying he is not sure it is the
greatest use of resources at this point. In addition, Masi
said he is concerned, once in place, the mobiles will be
seen as a permanent solution to Wolcott’s space problems.
School Director Pam Peck said she agrees money spent on a
mobile unit would take away funds the board has set aside
for long-term solutions. School Director Tracy Judd said
Masi’s second point is the biggest problem.
“Once they come, they don’t go,” she said of
mobile classroom units. If Wolcott does utilize a mobile
unit, Judd said the board should rent, rather than buy a
unit. Kreis, who has previously researched mobile units for
the board, said Wolcott would need to go to Massachusetts to
rent a unit, as there is no one renting them in Vermont.
The board decided to further research mobile units to
get a better sense of cost and availability, pending the
outcome of a revote.
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Polhemus Road to Be Closed?
by Alicia Morissette
CAMBRIDGE – In an amicable meeting held Tuesday, November
29, among the neighbors of Polhemus Road and the Cambridge
Selectboard, discussion began on the fate of Polhemus Road,
which is off Pratt Road off Rt. 108.
Currently, Polhemus Road is a Class 4 dead end road,
that “isn’t maintained” by the town, said Steven Vance, a
resident of the road in question. According to all of the
neighbors, Cambridge does not maintain Polhemus Road and has
not done so for several years.
For Steven Vance, and his wife, Polly, the “main issue”
with the road is that it’s “beginning to show signs of a
free for all.” With their home extremely close to the road
and their 4 year old child, the Vances are concerned by
hunters walking by with guns, four wheelers whipping down
the road and people partying.
Lisa Viljanen, another resident of Polhemus Road, said the
activity on the road is also a concern for her. She also has
young children and lives close to the road. Viljanen added
that it has been approximately three years since the town
has plowed Polhemus Road.
Cambridge Selectboard Chair Dana Sweet said, “Everybody
has to be in agreement for the road to be closed.” At this
juncture, Robbie Nuzzo, owner of approximately one side of
the road, expressed that he does not want the road closed.
Nuzzo’s concerns focused on property value and the agreement
people had when they moved to Polhemus Road.
When Nuzzo was finished, Sweet said the selectboard’s
policy has been to work with landowners to accomplish what
they want, but if Polhemus Road residents decide they want
the road closed, they will be responsible for upkeep.
The longest term landowner, Joe Vanat, who represents one of
several generations of family residents, said his issue with
the closure of the road was maintenance. He has a brook and
culvert that need care, and the cost for this maintenance
would be very expensive.
Nuzzo and others also discussed the option of putting
up chains, but the opinion of Steven Vance and Vanat, was
that chains can be broken.
Polly Vance said, “My concern is not the drivers,” and she
questioned if it would be legal for everyone to place chains
on a Class 4 road. With all of these options and several
unanswered legal questions, Vanat said the town “needs to
come up with a policy.” Vanat said he understands his
neighbors’ concerns, both sides, and “I think it’s an
accident waiting to happen.”
Once again, Nuzzo pointed out the economic issues of
closing the road. He explained that he owns a farm and wants
to safeguard his land value for his children. His concern is
that if he lengthens the road, the expense will be
completely his, but some neighbors will have a right to half
of the road, as well as the monetary benefits.
Sweet said, on behalf of the selectboard, “We will do
some research,” but in response to several voiced opinions
that likened Polhemus Road to the residents’ driveway, Sweet
added, “They’re maintaining their driveway like the rest of
us do.”
The selectboard was unclear about the laws surrounding
the use and maintenance of Class 4 roads, but it did know
that the State of Vermont is currently re-evaluating all
Class 4 roads in the state.
With the laws unclear, Vanat suggested trying fences first,
saying, “Fences do deter,” but they “won’t do anything for
hunters.” Nuzzo said, “Chain it until somebody complains.”
However, an additional concern for Steven Vance and Viljanen
was in the instance that someone became injured on their
properties. Vance said, “It’s a liability thing.”
The meeting ended with the selectboard agreeing to check on
resident liability, laws regarding installing a fence on a
Class 4 road and the town’s current maintenance policy. |
New Food Shelf
Targets “Working Poor”
by Amy Kolb Noyes
Keith Bradley Sr. helped a lot of people in his day. He
believed in neighbors helping neighbors. When he died of
cancer two years ago, Keith’s daughter set up the Bradley
Foundation in his honor. With donations made in his memory,
Katherine J. Bradley and her business partner, Julia Winter,
have established Bradley’s Food Shelf, housed at Central
Vermont Community Action’s office, on Harrel Street, in
Morrisville. The shelves were stocked with a first shipment
of food this week.
“He fed a lot of people. He helped a lot of
people. At times he was on the receiving end as well,”
Katherine said of her father. She added, “That’s what
community’s all about.”
Katherine said her goal in setting up Bradley’s Food
Shelf is to help those people who are living
paycheck-to-paycheck, and happen to find themselves falling
behind. She added there should be no stigma attached to
needing help.
Katherine said she chose to house the food shelf at
CVCAC because people seeking services such as housing and
fuel assistance are already going there. In essence, it is
“one stop shopping” for social services, making it easier
for those in need of assistance.
“We’re really trying to reach the people who need it,”
Katherine told the News & Citizen.
CVCAC donated the space and employees have volunteered to
operate the shelf during CVCAC business hours. This means
the food shelf will be accessible Monday through Friday,
from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The all-volunteer staff also
means 100% of every donation to Bradley’s Food Shelf goes
directly to purchasing food. Katherine added she hopes the
new food shelf will free up CVCAC money for other basic
necessities, such as housing and fuel.
While Bradley’s Food Shelf is located at CVCAC, it is
open to anyone, not just CVCAC clients. Katherine said she
has received some criticism saying Morrisville already has a
food shelf. To that she responds, “Charitable giving and
feeding the hungry is not a competition.”
Lamoille Community Food Share Manager Debbie Krempecke
agreed. She said she is anxious to see if the new food
shelf will take some of the burden off the Puffer-based
operation. Despite the existence of other Lamoille County
food shelves, Katherine said there is still a need to fill.
Before Bradley’s Food Shelf even opened, Katherine and Julia
gave out 35 Thanksgiving turkeys. A few more turkeys are
available at Bradley’s Food Shelf. They are in a freezer
actually purchased by Keith and donated by Katherine.
Bradley’s Food Shelf received its first shipment of
1,200 pounds of food from the Vermont Foodbank on Tuesday,
December 6. Katherine and Julia have also stocked the
shelves with new toys to give out for the holidays. Thus
far, everything on the shelves has been purchased through
the Bradley Foundation, by Katherine and Julia personally,
or through their business, Excel Physical Therapy.
While they are happy to accept food donations, Katherine
noted cash donations will go a lot farther. The food shelf
can purchase food through the Vermont Foodbank for five to
18 cents per pound.
In addition to stocking the public food shelf, the Bradley
Foundation will be conducting “food drops” for CVCAC
clients. During a food drop, CVCAC clients will receive an
invitation to come down and pick up food at the time of
delivery. The first drop, to be held Friday, December 23,
will be of 10,000 pounds of food.
Katherine said she would like to find enough local
businesses to sponsor one food drop a month. She explained
food drops can be of 5,000 or 10,000 pounds of food. A 5,000
pound drop feeds 100 families, and costs just $250.
Tax deductible donations for Bradley’s Food Shelf can be made
care of CVCAC and mailed to Katherine at 281 Fox Hill Drive,
Jeffersonville, VT 05464. Credit Card donations can be made
directly to Vermont Foodbank by calling 802-476-3341.
Bradley’s Food Shelf can be specified as the designated
recipient.
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Community
Supports Hockey
by Alicia Morissette
MORRISTOWN – Peoples Academy (PA) added a new chapter to its
school history on Wednesday, November 30, when the
first-ever PA hockey team played its first game of its first
season.
Held at Pam’s Pond in the CREW arena, the first PA
hockey game was well attended. Turning into the CREW drive,
a line of vehicles and many parked vehicles were seen, and
people were available to guide vehicles to suitable parking
spaces.
A long line was joined inside the CREW arena, as supporters
waited for tickets and programs. Upon entering Pam’s Pond, a
wave of air colder than outdoors hit bare skin, and a throng
of spectators awaited the game’s face-off. PA even had its
mascot, the Wolf, skating on the ice before the game began.
The crowd exuded a high level of excitement, the
sportscasters from WLVB prepared to broadcast the game and
people busily rushed around getting everything ready for the
start.
A handful of PA students sang the National Anthem, each
player from both PA and St. Johnsbury was announced and a
list of people were thanked for their exceptional gifts of
time, money and resources to make PA’s hockey team possible.
Last, but not least, John Connell, the husband of the late
Pam Cole, for whom the ice rink was named, was honored by
throwing the first puck.
Then, the game began, and PA made quick work of St.
Johnsbury. A mere 12 seconds into the first 15 minutes of
the game, PA sophomore Nicolas Drolet scored! With the
assist by fellow sophomore Ryan Demars, the PA hockey team
had scored its first goal and the crowd went wild!
Throughout the game, the crowd seemed very involved as it
cheered for PA’s goals, applauded close saves and booed when
the net was knocked off its mooring, robbing PA of a point.
When the game ended, the PA hockey team had won its first
game 3-1, and 300 community members had attended! |
Board Reconsiders LUMS RIF
by Alicia Morissette
HYDE PARK – After three hours of discussion as 115 people
were crammed into room A-210 in the Lamoille Union Middle
School (LUMS), the Lamoille Union District #18 Board of
School Directors decided to reconsider the November 1 vote
to reduce LUMS staff by three full-time positions.
The meeting began as planned with public input, but the
number of attendees made it impossible to keep to the half
hour public input schedule. Of the questions and comments
made by parents, elementary school board members and
educators, one plea surfaced almost every time: please
reconsider.
One of the first to speak was Becky Penberthy, who works
with Lamoille students and is a Waterville Elementary School
(WES) director. She asked the board if it had examined the
ripple effect its decision would have on other agencies.
Another elementary school board member said she felt as if
the board had “pulled a fast one.” Grant Harper, a
technology teacher at Lamoille, said the board’s decision
had “no regard for AP [advanced placement] classes,” and
added that “small size helps” when it comes to educating
students.
Steve Reber, Johnson Elementary School (JES) director, said
he didn’t agree with the “quickness of the the decision.”
Parent Linda Pollander said she “felt in the dark with this
issue,” and went to the Cambridge Elementary School (CES)
Board to discuss the LUMS reduction in force. Pollander also
inquired if the board had looked at the Lamoille County
Planning Commission’s growth projections, and she quoted one
of LCPC’s findings: “states an 11 percent increase in
students... the largest from Eden.”
Margo Warden, of Johnson, began by saying, “I trust... the
board is truly heartened” by the number of people present at
the meeting. Warden then handed the board a petition with
several pages of signatures asking the board reconsider its
RIF decision.
Continuing, Warden said the board has claimed the three cuts
are “not based on budget;” so she asked the board, “Why
decrease staff at this time when enrollment is not
decreasing?” Warden recommended the board reconsider so it
can make the decision “when we can involve the public.”
A letter was even read on behalf of a CES teacher who
couldn’t be at the meeting! The letter stated the board’s
RIF decision “will compromise student learning.”
Lisa Viljanen, parent of a student who attended LUMS seven
years ago, said the class size was 20 and education “was
lacking.” Viljanen recommended the board “take advantage of
possibly smaller classes,” and ended by saying, “Life is
getting more challenging and they [students] need to be
prepared.”
One parent recognized that a member of the board who had
previously voted for the LUMS RIF would have to bring the
motion to reconsider. As part of this, the parent asked,
“What do we have to do to change that rule?”
Angela McNab, of Eden, said her special needs daughter “is
getting good grades,” and McNab is worried about her
daughter’s future if the LUMS staff is reduced by three full
time educators.
Eden Central School (ECS) Board member Anita Gagner asked
the board, “How long did it take us to get where we are?” in
terms of LUMS.
Brian Long, a Lamoille teacher and soon-to-be parent of a
LUMS student, said two full- time special educators have
already been cut, and LUMS teachers were “told this fall
those cuts don’t count.” In regards to cutting three
full-time educators (FTE) at LUMS, Long said, “It’s really
going to damage the education.”
However, Kalee Roberts, a Hyde Park Elementary School (HPES)
director, had a different point to make: “You can’t come to
one meeting and change a school... If you really care, come
all the time.”
John Hayden, last spring’s Lamoille boys varsity lacrosse
coach, said he doesn’t have time to attend every board
meeting, and he feels he doesn’t have to, because he voted
for the board members and trusts them to make the right
decisions. Hayden added that it is his responsibilty to come
to high profile meetings when the board makes a decision he
doesn’t agree with.
LUMS teacher Tamra Higgins, said a survey was taken last
week that identified Vermont as the smartest state in its
region. The report also revealed that our region’s schools
have smaller class sizes. Higgins said, “This is why Vermont
excels.”
The teachers had a chance to present after public input was
taken. LUMS teacher Marc Gilbertson and Lamoille Union High
teacher Chris Whitlock, had prepared a PowerPoint
presentation that expressed the teachers’ opinions.
According to Gilbertson, LUMS Principal Paul Lowe asked the
board not to make cuts last year and teachers were informed.
Looking at student enrollment, Whitlock said, “some kids
come... some kids go” and added that LUHS received 45
students this year “out of the blue.”
In addition to elementary school students in the Lamoille
North Supervisory Union (LNSU), LUMS and LUHS receive
students from the Bishop Marshall School, children who are
home schooled and elementary schools in Wolcott and Elmore
that have school choice. Lamoille also enrolls foster
students, and Whitlock discovered that “Lamoille County is
the number one sending area” for foster children.
In regard to town growth and student enrollment, teachers
have found that all LNSU towns are growing, with Eden being
the highest.
Gilbertson outlined the impact teachers believe the RIF
would have on students: discipline issues, lower test
scores, less help for students with special needs and a
dramatic negative change for Applied Academics -arts-
classes.
On one slide, it showed that the board has made cuts in
music, health, Spanish, and technical education classes
already, and has added only one computer class.
The final slide presented several questions to the board.
Collectively, teachers questioned the accuracy of the
Curriculum Committee’s enrollment projections, the
motivation for the proposed cuts, community involvement, the
six year plan for LUMS, LUHS and the Green Mountain
Technology and Career Center and how the board measures LUMS’
success. Gilbertson asked, “How do we figure out if we are
succeeding?”
The board then attempted to answer questions. Board chair
Peter Ingvoldstad said, “This is not something that just
came up,” adding that teachers have known about the possible
RIF since last year.
LNSU Superintendent Terry Bailey let everyone know that
meeting warnings are posted online, at town clerk’s offices,
schools and the LNSU office. After some discussion, Whitlock
said there was a “gap in communication.”
Then Dave Wells, Waterville representative and chair of the
Curriculum Committee, addressed everyone saying, “I commend
the community for its lowest student/teacher ratio...
remarkably low.” However, he wants to adjust the staff to
“best address the needs of the children.”
Wells also said his assessment is “based strictly on what we
saw in the classroom.” In response to a question, Wells
admitted that he “did not compare specific counties” nearby,
but Lamoille County has one more teacher than most schools.
After this session, LUMS Principal Paul Lowe was given the
opportunity to present his |
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