December 17, 2024
Dear BSD Community,
I hope everyone is enjoying that last week before break!
Earlier this year, students, families, and staff participated in our Annual Restorative Climate Survey. My team and I have spent quite a bit of time with the results, which highlight both the strengths of our district and areas where we need to improve.
On the bright side, many people feel positive about the District—most students and parents feel respected, appreciated, and supported, most students have trusted adults at school, and most staff feel they are treated fairly. We want to continue building on these strengths, and we also recognize the need to focus more on belonging, well-being, and student engagement in learning. Our leadership teams are aware of this and are working together with staff on these areas. Our strategic plan also includes a number of strategies to help:
- Partnering with multilingual families and those from historically marginalized groups to strengthen belonging.
- Expanding our work with school leaders and the Equity Collaborative to improve restorative practices (RP) and anti-racism efforts.
- Focusing on IEP quality and implementation for students with disabilities.
- Working with principals and teachers to develop a learning framework that defines our values for student learning.
This feedback is also guiding our budget planning for next school year, as we seek to:
- Increase RISE funding for schools to support school-based initiatives in an equitable way
- Continue current program investments while maintaining low student-to-teacher ratios in general education, special education, and for multilingual learners,
- Reduce Central Office budgets by another 2% after cutting $300K last year (BSD has a fairly low overhead costs compared to many other districts in the state that we can compare ourselves to)
After a big tax increase last year to support the new high school building, our School Board has asked us to keep the tax impact between inflation (2.9%) and 5% this year. As we shared with the board last week (via memo and presentation), we are projecting that the approach above will achieve this goal. However, we are still working to verify the most recent numbers we received from the state. We will have more to share at the City’s Town Hall on January 6th, as well as our next board meeting on January 7.
I hope you all enjoy the break next week and have time to do things that bring you joy!
In partnership,
Tom
P.S. Questions about the budget or anything else in BSD? Join me for “Coffee (and Tea) with Tom” on Friday at 8AM at the Skinny Pancake in Burlington. Come late, leave early, or stay the whole time – either way, coffee is on us!
Congratulations Sage Wyndorf! Sage, a BHS/BTC Class of 2025 Design & Illustration student, has been selected as one of Vermont’s Presidential Scholars of the Arts! She was nominated by her teacher, Ashley Stagner and will be recognized at the Vermont State House on Monday, January 27th. You may remember Sage for placing 2nd overall (1st place in Rail Jam, 2nd place in Giant Slalom) in last year’s female division of the VPA Snowboarding Championships… Keep up the awesome work Sage!
Congratulations Principal Westdijk and Principal Oliver! Last week the board unanimously accepted my recommendation that Sabrina Westdijk and John Oliver be named principals of BHS and EMS, respectively. They had both been serving in interim roles… we are excited for Sabbrina and John and our school communities!
Congratulations Vermont Outstanding Educator Award Recipients! In November, two BSD teachers were honored at the University of Vermont for being Vermont Outstanding Educators (See below)! The event was hosted by UVM’s Department of Education and Social Services and recipients were congratulated by Vermont NEA President, Don Tinney, and Education Secretary, Zoie Saunders.
Champlain Elementary – Tracey Bellavance – Known as the “kindergarten whisperer,” Tracey Bellavance is known for her creativity, positivity, and ability to establish consistent routines that set students up for success. She leads by example, supporting her team to ensure kindergarten is a magical experience for every Champlain student. Families often credit their children’s success to her gentle guidance and student-centered approach. With high expectations for all students, she fosters confidence by empowering them as leaders. Tracey is an exceptional teacher and colleague, well-deserving of this award.
Burlington Technical Center – Jason Raymond – Jason Raymond’s Digital Media Lab program offers customized learning experiences that cater to each student’s interests and identities as developing artists. He fosters creativity and relevance while providing clear college pathways through dual enrollment options in the arts and humanities. His students build professional portfolios, contribute to regional events like Burlington’s Juneteenth celebration, and gain real-world experience in music studios and film locations. Jason’s mentorship extends to middle school programs and community digital media clubs, including work with the Association for Africans Living in Vermont. A recipient of multiple arts grants and the Voya Unsung Hero award, Jason’s students have frequently earned recognition as Presidential Scholars of the Arts.
Learning Walks – This week our entire leadership team participated in Learning Walks at Sustainability Academy today. Learning Walks are non-evaluative classroom observations that help teachers and school leaders gather information about how students are learning and how the curriculum is being implemented. Learning walks can help improve student outcomes, build instructional leadership, and monitor school-wide progress. The purpose of this activity was to:
- Refocus our work on our students’ learning.
- Better understand the current reality of being a student and/or educator by focusing on what students are doing.
- Practice sharing objective, non-judgmental statements about what students are doing to build a shared understanding of the learning core.
Math Pilot—Ten educators in grades 3-5 are participating in a year-long pilot of Illustrative Mathematics (IM). This pilot and, eventually, the implementation of high-quality curricular materials are critical to advancing our work in Priority Area 2 of the Strategic Plan (Deeper Learning for Every Student). In addition to the focus on real-world application and problem-solving, the IM materials were chosen for the pilot because the unit lesson structure is aligned with Zaretta Hamond’s culturally responsive teaching and the brain framework. (Last year district instructional coaches participated in professional learning with Zaretta and are working to implement the practices from the framework in coaching cycles with teachers.)
Roles and Responsibilities – Each year as we update our Org Chart, we also strive to provide a bit more information about the roles and responsibilities of employees in Central Office. This year’s version is complete. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Facilities Reports
PCB Reimbursement – BSD has submitted what we believe is the final request for reimbursement from the State of Vermont for PCB costs. This request is for about $1.77 million, and if approved, it will use up the full $16 million total amount available. So far, BSD has received about $14.23 million of that amount.
Congresswoman Balint – Congresswoman Balint toured the new BHS/BTC building to see the progress and learn more about how Vermont’s federal delegation funding will help improve our stormwater facilities on the campus! WPTZ, WCAX, and MyChamplainValley were all in attendance!
Electric Busses – We are working with Highland Fleets to apply for some electric school buses that would replace some of our older diesel buses. Highland has recently worked with South Burlington and CVSD to provide electric buses for their fleets, and Burlington Electric Department (BED) helped us with the application by providing a letter of support and rate information for the process.
IAA – Our IAA project is on schedule and looking great. We are looking at the possibility of adding some kitchen work into the project if the budget allows! The new attic insulation in the 1904 section was completed this week, which will help reduce the size of the icicles we have been dealing with for years. Check out PCI’s weekly reports on our website.
HMS – The stormwater project at Hunt is complete and was working well the day of the recent rain storm. We will be hooking the pump up to power in the spring and will have access to stored rainwater for watering gardens or grass if needed. We had the contractor install a small dry well system in the courtyard near the system to take care of the area that has been nicknamed Lake Hunt, this was a large area of lawn that turned into an unwanted skating rink in the winter months.
Sustainability Academy We planted a 4-foot-tall hedge along the North Street playground fence which serves to provide some green space between the school and North Street.
SCHOOL NEWS
Burlington Technical Center (BTC) Recruiting – BTC’s outreach to prospective students is in full swing. Prospective student visit day is set for January 23rd. Students from all of our regional sending schools are invited to attend. Students can sign up with their sending school counselor, and by registering at this link. If you know a prospective student, they can reach out to James Yepez, School Counselor, jyepez@bsdvt.org. Check out the videos for each program!
Local Heroes of Sustainability – On December 12 C.P. Smith students Claire Dombrowski, Eleanor Dabritz, and Cefini Filemo participated alongside 2nd-grade teacher Suzanne Weishaar in a webinar presented by CWSD entitled “Local Heroes of Sustainability.” During the webinar, the students presented information on the importance and positive impact of recycling and composting and shared their story of the recycling program they are spearheading at Smith. Big thanks to Claire, Eleanor, Cefini, and Mrs. Weishaar for their efforts to protect our precious environment!
Check out these Superpower Raps from IAA! Mr. Benton, IAA’s music teacher, worked with 3rd-grade students in Mr. Whitman and Ms. Rose’s classes who wrote raps about the superpowers they’d have! This project demonstrates students’ understanding of the writing process and sense of rhythm. What a great opportunity to combine literacy and music performance through arts integration! Check out Part 1 and Part 2.
EMS Carols the Community – Senator Bernie Sanders hosted “Cookies and Carols” community gathering. 28 EMS chorus members sang and did an amazing job!
Prek Serving BTV – SA’s preschool led a community-wide event for at least the 10th year in a row to help upcycle winter essentials to our community. Thanks to the generous donations we were able to provide coats, boots, snow pants, hats, etc.. to our school and wider community.
Walk for Ruby Bridges – Hunt Middle School students walked together on Thursday, November 14th in honor of Civil Rights icon Ruby Bridges. After learning about how Ruby Bridges desegregated her all-white elementary school in New Orleans in 1960, the students made signs and walked through nearby neighborhoods and past CP Smith school to show how students can stand up against racism and bullying. The walk was followed by a ceremony with speeches by student leaders as well as Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale. Thank you WPTZ for joining us!
