Summary of 1/9 School Board Meeting:

The board expressed gratitude for Magnet Schools, raised budget concerns and emphasized the importance of spending time with students. Recognition was given to Seahorse Cafe, and the purpose of creating magnet schools to support specific demographics was reiterated. The Board appreciated YPAR at Hunt, thanked parents and teachers and discussed various agenda items, including appointing a new BHS Assistant Principal. The Superintendent presented data on racial disparities and discussed the FY25 budget impact, tax implications and possible scenarios. Equity-oriented investments through RISE Allocations were highlighted. The meeting concluded with details about the upcoming school budget vote and a mention of the Board’s self-governance.

Public Comment

• Thank you for the Magnet Schools
• Concern for budget
  • Spend time with students
  • Hope to serve the whole school population
  • We aren’t using the staff and students to their full potential

• Seahorse Cafe recognition and appreciation to the board
• The reason magnet schools were created were to help raise up a certain demographic
  • push for other schools to get similar treatment

Board Reflections

• Thank you to the YPAR at Hunt
• Thank you to the parents and teachers 

Consent Agenda

Student Representative Report

• Report

Superintendent’s Report

• December Reflection and Student Recognition

• Vermont Presidential Scholars
  • Ayowunmi Adewuyi, Sarah Ali, Kennedy Desautels, Greta Ketterling, Apolina Mcbeleci
• BHS/BTC Project is coming out nicely
  • Most demolition has been completed
• BHS and Edmunds Principal committees
• BHS Interim Assistant Principal Recommendation – Action
• Action to pass Jada Payea as the new BHS Assistant Principal for the remainder of the 2023/2024 school year
• The motion is passed unanimously
• Strategic Plan Priority Area 3 – Discussion

• • Reimagined High School

• Goal: Burlington School District will be student-centered and responsive to the full range of identities, abilities, cultures, and languages in our community, such that every student is challenged, empowered, and engaged in their learning throughout their time in our schools.

• • • Student-Designed Learning Experiences, Professional Development & Resources, and Enrollment Checks & Balances
      • BHS Honors Enrollment – Racial disparities continue to exist in Honors classes but there was a 3 percentage point improvement
      • BHS Advanced Placement Enrollment – BHS Advanced Placement Enrollment Outlined Circle Outlined Circle The percentage of students of the global majority in AP classes remained 15 percentage points lower than the student population at BHS.

• BHS Dual Enrollment – Students can take college classes for credit while they attend BHS. The percentage of students of the global majority exceeded the student population.

• • BHS Postsecondary Plans
    • Over 90% of graduating seniors reported a plan to attend college, the military, or join the workforce for the second year in a row.
  • BHS Math Class Enrollment
    • 22% of the global majority are in advanced, while 52% of the global majority are in preparatory.
  • Middle School Algebra
    • Edmunds had 16% of the global majority and Hunt had 31% of the global majority complete Algebra.

3) FY25 Budget Development IV – Discussion

• • Impact of Bond for BHS/BTC Project
    • BSD has borrowed $130 million of the total $165 million authorization
    • The biggest tax impact of the project is in FY25 (+11% on taxes)
    • The remaining $35 million is borrowed, it will increase tax rates by an additional 2.8% ( holding all other variables constant)
  • Act 127 and Tax Cap
    • Act 127 includes a tax cap to help communities adjust spending over the years in response to new pupil counts.
    • A 5% cap on the increase in equalized tax rate (before CLA)
    • A review by the AOE if growth in spending per pupil is over 10%
    • A 5% cap is applied to equalized tax rates, it does not shield communities from tax rate increases resulting from CLA changes.
  • Impact of Common Level of Appraisal
    • Because of the CLA, the only way to reduce the tax rate below 10% is to reduce FTEs (educators in schools) by 12% (Unrealistic and unsustainable)
  • Scenario Development
    • The recent information about our CLA, and its impact on taxes, has been disruptive to our process in BSD and across the region.
    • We can only achieve below 8% tax by making huge reductions in force (around 50 teachers
• Scenario 1: This was our original proposal before we received updated CLA information on January 3. After receiving that information, we revisited the initial proposal to further refine our additions and reductions. 

• Scenario 2:  This is the Superintendent’s recommended scenario because it responds to CLA pressures while allowing necessary programmatic and operational investments.

• • Scenario 1 and 2 have the same Capped Actual Tax Rate (After CLA) with 13.97%

• Scenario 3: The Superintendent does not recommend this scenario as it does not lower capped taxes from Scenario 2, nor does it include investments that support our Strategic Plan.

• Scenario 4: The Superintendent does NOT recommend this scenario, as achieving this tax rate would require a reduction of approximately 50 FTEs (equivalent to 12% of our teachers).

• Scenario 5: The Superintendent does NOT recommend this scenario, as achieving this tax rate would require a reduction of approximately 74 FTEs (equivalent to 18% of our teachers).

• RISE Allocation Themes: Nearly $1.5m of School-directed, Equity-oriented Investments

• Elementary: Full-time art teachers, RP specialists, Interventionists, Special Education positions, co-teaching PD

• Middle School: Literacy and guidance positions, project-based learning curriculum, social-emotional supports, and PD

• High School: Mental health counselor, STEM Interventionist, co-teaching PD and release time, Special Education delivery model redesign, deeper learning activity funds, community-building funds (student-led investments).

• Ballot Language: Shall the voters of the Burlington School District approve the school board to expend $119,604,584, which is the amount the school board has deemed necessary for the support of the school system for the ensuing fiscal year?
• January 16th – School Board Meeting (vote)
• March 5th – Town Meeting Day budget vote

Board Self-Governance

• 4.4 Board Officers and their method of selection

Committee Updates

Executive Session