Dear Middletown Springs Community Members,
Thank you to everyone who came out to vote at Town Meeting Day. The school budget failed to pass, 165-161. Join us for “Soup with the School Board” on Monday, April 29 at the Middletown Springs Elementary School multipurpose room. We will serve a free, light meal, planned and prepared by our own new school cook, Marianna Charalabopoulos. With the help of the farm to school committee, the school has brought a new level of healthy, delicious food to the town’s children. We know you will love her cooking, so join us from 5:30-6:30 for the light meal. The informational meeting will start at 6:30. Childcare will be provided. Bring your questions and concerns to the meeting so we have a well-informed public ready to vote the following day.
And now, for the final installment of “Budget on the Brain”!
Tinmouth’s vote to petition the state board to change Supervisory Unions will not take effect for at least a year, if it does happen at all. The community of Tinmouth voted to ask the Vermont State Board of Education to reassign the school district of Tinmouth from Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union to Rutland South Supervisory Union effective July 1, 2014. Since the Tinmouth voters approved the article, a needs assessment will be required to be completed by both supervisory unions. A consultant, hired by the Tinmouth School Board, will collect the data and forward it to the Vermont State Board of Education, when all is completed.
The needs assessment will include an analysis of academic areas such as curriculum and professional development, as well as financial costs of special education services and support of the superintendent’s and business manager’s staffs. The Agency of Education will re-evaluate the amount of Consolidated Federal Program funds and possibly IDEA-B funds allocated to each supervisory union.
The school districts in Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union (Middletown Springs, Wells, Tinmouth, Ira, and Poultney) met periodically over the last two years to discuss required legislation of merger discussions. Although discussions about possibilities have occurred, none of the Boards have considered any differing configuration, but have talked about ways to save the school districts costs by working together. This committee has suspended its meetings until the Vermont State Board of Education acts upon the Tinmouth request.
Tinmouth changing supervisory unions will not happen in the next fiscal year and will have no financial impact on Middletown Springs on the budget for FY 14. Should Tinmouth move to Rutland South Supervisory Union in July 2015, then the RSWSU assessment for Tinmouth will need to be absorbed by the other school districts based on the average daily membership. If Tinmouth were granted their request, the assessments would change in the budgets voted on in March of 2014, not this year.
The Middletown Springs vote on the revised budget will be held at the Firehouse on Tuesday, April 30. Polls will be open from 7am to 7pm.
Sincerely,
The Middletown Springs School Board
Clarence Haynes- Chair
Kendra Larson- Vice-Chair
Karen Mach- Clerk
Meredith Morgan
Chris Smid