KidBits!
News from Charlotte Central School

School Bond Vote Count Holds
A re-count of the recent bond vote on improvements to the Charlotte Central School, a resolution that passed by four votes, found the original count correct at 310 in favor, 306 opposed. A petition is being circulated to hold a re-vote on the issue. If the petition receives the required 140 signatures within 30 days of November 3, the Selectboard will reschedule a second vote for sometime in the following 60 days.
Townspeople weigh in on qualities for CCS co-principal candidates
A small but thoughtful group of about 15 townspeople met with Chittenden South School District consultant Brian O’Regan to facilitate the search process for co-principals for Charlotte Central elementary and middle school. O’Regan introduced the discussion by saying that his charge focused on co-prinicipalship and not on the question of whether that structure was the only one the board might consider. His questions to the audience, therefore, addressed traits and qualities of candidates and townspeople’s assessment of what needed to be accomplished.
O’Regan also delved into establishing priorities and how the candidates might accomplish them. He stated that the two principals at Shelburne Community School, while hired with the charge that they would each administer separate grade levels, found after working together that they were most effective when their skill sets allowed them to cut across levels. He felt it was an important issue to consider when looking for co-principalship because neither individual may have the entire set of desired skills. It would, therefore, require that candidates demonstrate an ability to collaborate.
The audience identified traits, skills and experience they deemed important for the positions, ranging from a passion for the job and for educating young people to an understanding of development at young ages, from ability to exhibit a positive demeanor to being able to mentor teachers. Someone suggested that genuine enjoyment of the job and a willingness to have fun would be a necessity.
One of the challenges mentioned several times was building a cohesive community within the school and helping meld this internal culture with that of the larger Charlotte community. Defining and assessing deficiencies in the current situation while maintaining trust was a high priority for the group. O’Regan agreed that identifying problems was a crucial step prior to entertaining fixes. He said that when he came on board as the Chittenden South Superintendent, he was handed two charges: to bring finances in order and to coordinate the curriculum district wide. He appreciated the prioritization of issues that had occurred prior to his hiring and urged the Charlotte board to present its new principals with well-defined and doable tasks. He hoped the board would incorporate the ideas generated from both the school staff and the community. He believed that if all went as planned, the search would begin next spring.