School Board Schedules Budget Work Session and Community Forum on Construction
by Nancy Wood, April 11, 2010.....

At the April 6 meeting, the CCS School Board scheduled a work session for Monday, April 19, on the defeated budget. There is also a Community Forum the next night, April 20, on the construction project.

The Board is inviting community members to provide input about the budget in advance of the April 19 meeting. It was defeated for a second time on April 6. No date has been set yet for a third vote.

The Community Forum on April 20 is an opportunity to view plans for reorganization and management of the school buildings and property during the construction project, which is scheduled to begin this June and extend throughout the school year.

According to Superintendent Elaine Pinckney, school administrators throughout the state have been notified that the Legislature anticipates an additional $23 million in reductions in school spending next year, and that the per student grants will not increase again, for the third year in a row.

She said that one of the guidelines for cuts would be to increase the staff to student ratio statewide from the current 1:4.5 to a higher ratio of 1:4.75. She said a calculation of the ratios for all the CSSU schools combined is already at a higher ratio of one staff person to 5.05 students. The definition of staff includes all people who for for the school, including teachers, administrators, custodians, kitchen service, bus drivers, etc.

In other action at the April 6 meeting, the board voted to adopt a Code of Conduct for the Board, similar to the Hinesburg code with some amendments. The vote was 4-1, with Clyde Baldwin opposing.