Newark Street School schedule included com- mon planning time for Timothy Mulligan, Principal staff. The results of these Newark Street School models how a changes are positive. small rural school provides a path- When the Governor re- way to exciting experiences, happi- quired us to teach re- ness, and lifelong learning. Commu- motely with health and nity members work side-by side as safety measures put in partners. We explore the world and place, we creatively ad- serve our community through re- justed. This year teachers sponsible actions. While the pandemic has created are utilizing meetings at barriers for this endeavor, it has opened our minds the end of the school day to greater creativity. We recently formed the edu- and during school hours to identify and address cation for sustainability committee with the pur- student needs. Our work is based on data, plan- pose of bringing students and adults together to ning, co-teaching, and effective small group inter- make plans for the future. Plans are developed vention enrichment opportunities to address these with environmental integrity, social justice, and needs. economic prosperity in mind. Grant Writing and The Afterschool Program has adapted to the cur- Community Projects with the Vermont Rural Edu- rent environment by providing virtual opportuni- cation Collaborative, examples of the communities ties and self-directed kits to engage students. We works includes the winter activity program at have recently opened in person programming for Burke Mountain and our school, constructing gar- students in grades K-2. Newark afterschool has an den beds, exploring and preserving Newark’s cul- incredible participation rate! tural and natural heritage, and developing flexible Newark Street School maintains a collaborative pathways for student learning. relationship with the residents of Newark. As a The exceptional programming at Newark is a re- community, we will continue our development and sult of a shared vision among the high quality maintenance of a sustainable, small, rural school staff. This year, all professional staff re- that can be showcased as a model for others to fol- turned. The staff at Newark is committed to learn- low. ing, utilizing strengths, reaching out to community partners, and modeling professionalism and citi- Grades: K–8 zenship. Our staff have taken higher education Classroom Teachers : 6.83 courses and attended learning opportunities within Special Educators: .88 the district and collaborated with other institutions Support Staff: .33 and organizations via Zoom (the online video con- # Students PreK-8: 52 ferencing tool). Enrollment Trends (As of 10/1/2020) The highlights of the first half of the school year include a cultural exploration of New- ark via a Town Quest, a forest excursion day led by commu- nity partners, Friday work- shops with the Fairbanks Mu- seum, and a lot of outdoor learning! Last year, we creatively intro- duced a schedule in which students received daily small group instruction for interven- tion and enrichment. The
Sutton Village School students worked in small groups to identify an environ- Rachel Robillard, Principal mental issue of interest, and then become experts on the It is an honor to serve the commu- issue. Students then worked nity of Sutton as your principal. In together to develop a solution my second year as your child’s in- to the issue- which included structional leader I continue to be developing a prototype for committed to providing all students their solution and presenting it with rigorous and engaging com- to the class. And the great munity-based academics that devel- news is that this isn’t just hap- op a strong sense of self in each pening in the middle child. school. Students in grades K-8 in all subjects throughout the Engaging academics is the heart of the Sutton Vil- school year are being given the lage School. Students in kindergarten through 8th opportunity to explore topics grade have the oppor- of interest to them- and the students are loving it! tunity to become ac- tive participants in I would like to express my deep appreciation for their learning as they the dedicated staff at the Sutton Village School. explore various topics Even during a pandemic, this staff has gone above in all content are- and beyond to make the school a safe and inviting as. The student day place for all students to learn. I would also like to is structured so that thank the parents, families and community mem- the majority of a stu- bers in Sutton for supporting the school. Without dent’s time is spent their continued commitment to providing the chil- exploring, practicing, dren in this community with a high-quality educa- and reflecting on new tion, none of this would be possible. I look forward learning and to our continued work together and what we are skills. In the literacy sure to accomplish in the years ahead. classroom this looks like a student having Grades: K–8 the opportunity to select a book of interest and find- Classroom Teachers: 7 ing a quiet, cozy spot in the classroom to read it. We Special Educators: 2 recently updated all classroom libraries in the school Support Staff: 5 so that all students have more books to choose from # Students PreK-8: 64 when they are looking for that “just right book”. Enrollment Trends (As of 10/1/2020) Students being able to explore topics of their own interest is also an important aspect of engaging aca- demics. In the middle school classrooms this fall,
KESD Virtual Academy day mirrors the best practices of our brick and mortar schools, with social-emotional learning Jon Rice, Acting Principal and community building during our morning and afternoon meetings. The teachers have applied the research based practices embraced by the It has been an honor to serve as district to ensure strong core instruction in litera- the founding acting principal of cy and mathematics. In addition, students have the Kingdom East Virtual Acad- been able to access synchronous and asynchro- emy for the 2020-2021 school nous Allied Arts throughout the school year. year. Born out of the need to I would like to express my tremendous gratitude support our students and fami- to the Virtual Academy staff who have devoted lies from all of our communities themselves to supporting student engagement, within the district during the pandemic, the Vir- growth, and social and emotional wellness. The tual Academy currently serves 170 students staff have dedicated themselves to supporting from Kindergarten through 8th grade. This our students virtually and worked tirelessly to makes the Virtual Academy the third largest craft lessons to ensure that students have a ro- school within the district. The teaching and sup- bust experience while learning remotely for the port staff is comprised of Kingdom East teachers 2020-2021 school year. As a group, the staff who elected to transfer to the Virtual Academy were formed in late August and the school was for the 2020-2021 school year. launched in early September. Looking forward, As with most schools within the district, the be- the Virtual Academy has allowed a space for ginning of the school year focused on the social- staff to be innovative and open new opportuni- emotional wellbeing of our students and fami- ties for our community of learners. lies. As a new school, one of our first tasks to en- Grades: K–8 gage students was Classroom Teachers: 9.4 to ask them to se- Special Educators: 2 lect a mascot to Support Staff: 2 # Students PreK-8: 170 represent our com- munity. The stu- dents adopted the Enrollment (As of 10/1/2020) wolf. The wolf traditionally sym- bolizes self-reliance, trust, loyalty, and compas- sion. All these traits are central to the learning and growth that Virtual Academy is focused on during this school year. As the school has progressed and grown over the last few months, the staff and students have built a community of learners during these challeng- ing times. The teachers have built a strong part- nership and worked to deliver a high quality learning experience aligned with district out- comes in a virtual setting. The overall school
Secondary School Students All residents of Kingdom East towns can exercise high school choice for their children. We are fortunate to have high quality independent and public schools in our region. Each year students select local and/or regional independent or public high schools. The richness in variety of choices is a benefit for our communities. In 2020-2021, approximately 59% of our students attend Lyndon Insti- tute, 26% attend St. Johnsbury Academy, 15% attend other schools which include the following : American School for the Deaf (1), Arlington School (12), Burke Mountain Academy (5), Buxton Academy (1), Danville High School (5), East Burke School (11), Easter Seals-NH (1), Kimball Un- ion Academy (1), Lake Region Union High School (6), LEARN (5), Maple Hill School (1), Milton Academy (1), Mount Prospect (1), New School of Montpelier (1), Proctor Academy (2), Twinfield High School (1), VAST-Vermont Technical College (1), White Mountain Regional High School (23), White Mountain School (1). Chart 22 2019-2020 High School Enrollment 2020-2021 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ENROLLMENT Lyndon Institute St Johnsbury Academy Other Burke 60 27 12 Concord 9 25 20 Lunenburg 22 15 17 Lyndon 157 48 17 Miller's Run 37 16 7 Newark 15 7 2 Sutton 35 13 5 335 151 80 Total
Kingdom East, each year, addresses fluctuations in the high school population. An 8th grade class might have ten more students than a graduating 12th grade class. With a tuition rate of $19,835 per student, this could result in $198,350 added to a single budget. This year we have seen migration into our district. This creates an increase in the high school tuition line item. The Announced Tuition is set by each individual high school. As a school district we do not have any control over the high school tuition rates. These rates vary depending on the type of school and the programs offered. If an independent high school operates a Vermont Technical Center (Lyndon Institute, St. Johnsbury Academy), the tuition rate is based on school costs. If there is no Vermont Technical Center at an independent school, then the tuition rate is the state high school aver- age. We pay the Announced Tuition Rate to all public high schools. Chart 23 2021-2022 Estimated High School Tuition Rates * Anticipated Announced Tuition Rate Number of Student Days Kingdom East Schools $17,337 Minimum 175 High Schools Lyndon Institute $19,835 Approximately 150 St. Johnsbury Academy $19,150 Approximately 150 Varies Secondary (7-12) School State Average $ 16,808* (paid to schools such as Arlington, Minimum 175 LEARN, Burke Mt. Academy) NCUHS: $18,500 LRUHS: $16,000 North Country Union High School Lake Region Union High School
2021 WARNING ANNUAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT March 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Notice to Voters: Residents of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District (the “District”), comprising the voters of the Towns of Burke, Concord, Lyndon, Lunenburg, Newark, Sheffield, Sutton, and Wheelock, who are not al- ready on the voter checklist, may register to vote up to and including the date of the vote, March 2, 2021. For Australian Ballot issues, registered voters may apply for an early voter ballot at the Town Clerk’s Office of their resident town during the office’s regularly scheduled hours. (See Warning Addendum) Warning Notice: The Legal Voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District (the “District”), comprising the voters of the Towns of Burke, Concord, Lyndon, Lunenburg, Newark, Sheffield, Sutton, and Wheelock are hereby notified and warned to meet Via ZOOM (Meeting ID : 051978) on Monday, March 1, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. to hold the Kingdom East Unified Union School District Informational Meeting on Articles One (1) through Article Twelve (12). Voting for Articles one (1) through Article Eleven (11) will be by Australian Ballot on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the following voting locations and times Burke, Burke Community Building, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Newark, Newark Town Offices, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Concord, Concord Town Hall, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sheffield, Sheffield Town Offices, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Lunenburg, Lunenburg Town Office, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sutton, Sutton Town Offices, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Lyndon, Lyndonville Municipal Building, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Wheelock, Wheelock Town Hall, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Information on how to access the remote meeting: By telephone: Dial 1-929-205-6099. When prompted enter the meeting ID: 051978 By computer: Download meeting software here: zoom.us/download. Join the meeting by visiting http://www.zoom.us/join. You may be prompted to enter a meeting ID: 051978 By smartphone, tablet, or other device: Download and open the ZOOM Cloud Meetings app. You may have to create a free account or sign into your existing account. Select the option to join meeting and enter the meeting ID: 051978. Please review our \"Informational Handout for Remote Public Meetings” to understand how these electronic meeting will be managed. If you wish to make a public comment but do not have the ability to comment re- motely during the meeting, please email your comment(s) to the Kingdom East District Offices at in- [email protected]. To ensure smooth access, we recommend that you test your remote meeting software in advance of the meet- ing.
2021 WARNING ANNUAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT Continued Article 1: To elect the following officers to serve from their election and qualification for one year or until the election and qualification of their successors. (Australian Ballot) Clerk Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Article 2: To approve compensation, to be paid to District Officers. (Australian Ballot) Clerk Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Article 3: To elect seven (7) school directors from the nominees to serve on the Kingdom East Unified Union School District Board. (Australian Ballot) One (1) school director who is a resident of Concord for a three-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Lunenburg for a three-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Lyndon for a three-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Newark for a two-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Sutton for a three-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Sutton for a one-year term. One (1) school director who is a resident of Wheelock for a three-year term. Article 4: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District approve the Board of School Directors to expend $35,568,494, which is the amount the Board has determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year? It is estimated that this proposed budget, if approved, will result in education spending of $15,933 per equalized pupil. This projected spending per equalized pupil is 3.41% higher than spending for the current year. (Australian Ballot) Article 5: Shall the voters of the district authorize and empower the Board of School Directors to bor row money in anticipation of receipts and to give a note or notes in the name of the District to secure payment thereof? (Australian Ballot) Article 6: Shall the voters of Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to establish a KESD Technology Reserve Fund on or before June 1, 2021, and authorize the district to deposit funds from the sale of outdated computers as they are replaced? (Australian Ballot)
2021 WARNING ANNUAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT Continued Article 7: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to transfer two thirds 66.66% of surplus funds in the school year ending June 30, 2021, if any, to the KESD Educational Facilities Reserve Fund? (Australian Ballot) Article 8: Shall the voters of Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to establish a KESD Tax Stabilization Fund on or before June 1, 2021? (Australian Ballot) Article 9: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to transfer one third 33.33% of surplus funds in the school year ending June 30, 2021, if any, to the KESD Tax Stabilization Fund? (Australian Ballot) Article 10: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to transfer $250,000 from the KESD Educational Facilities Reserve Fund to be used as general fund revenue in the FY22 budget to decrease local taxes; transferring funds July 1, 2021? (Australian Ballot) Article 11: Shall the voters of the district authorize the Board of School Directors to accept and expend such grant monies as may from time to time become available to the school district? (Australian Ballot) Article 12: To transact any other school business thought proper when met. Dated this 27 day of January, 2021. Cynthia Stuart Chair, Kingdom East Unified Union School District, Board of School Directors
WARNING ADDENDUM INFORMATIONAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT March 1, 2021 at 5:00p.m. Town Clerk Office Hours by Town Burke Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm Concord Mon, Tues, Thurs 8:00am-4:00pm Lunenburg Monday-Thursday 8:00am-12:00pm Friday 1:00pm-3:00pm 8:00am-12:00pm Lyndon Monday-Friday 7:30am-12:30pm Newark Tues, Wed, Thurs 8:00am-3:00pm Sutton Monday-Thursday 7:30am-4:00pm Sheffield Monday, Friday 9:00am-3:00pm Wednesday 9:00am-6:00pm Wheelock Tuesday 12:30pm-5:30pm Wednesday, Thursday 9:00am-2:30pm
2021 WARNING ANNUAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATIONAL HANDOUT FOR REMOTE MEETINGS Remote Public Informational meeting The public informational meeting will be conducted remotely via electronic means. The public will also be able to access and participate in the remote meeting by dialing in through telephone. Accessing the meeting Please refer to the meeting notice and agenda for information on how to access the remote meeting. Please note that whether you join by telephone, computer, or device, you may be put on hold or in a waiting “room” until granted access to the meeting. You also may be muted or restricted from using any chat function until the public comment portion of the meeting. Participation The Kingdom East School Board of Directors will follow its agenda and allow public attendees to partic- ipate through voice (audio) means where feasible or alternatively using any chat function during the designated public comment periods on the agenda and at other applicable times as needed. Initially, the meeting host/organizer will mute all participants. This is necessary to control background noise. The host/organizer will then unmute participants or allow participants to unmute themselves when invited to speak by the Schoolboard Chair. Please review the following guidelines: ► The Chair will invite comment: ► during the time designated on the agenda for public comment; ► during any open public comment period, if applicable; and other times as determined by the Chair. ► When a participant/attendee is unmuted, they must state their name before commenting. When the Board of Directors adjourn the meeting, the host/organizer will end the electronic meeting by turning off/closing the remote meeting software. Attendees will be automatically disconnected. Minutes and other public records that were part of the meeting will be made available in accordance with VT’s Open Meeting and Public Records Laws. To learn more about Remote Public meetings and the Open Meeting Law, please visit the Secretary of State’s Municipal Assistance webpage at https://sos.vermont.gov/municipal-division/laws- resources/covid-19-response/.
2020 ANNUAL MEETING KINGDOM EAST UNIFIED UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT Lyndon Town School Library, Lyndonville Vermont March 2, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. Present: (School board Members): Shannon Chapman, Tony DeMasi Miranda Fox, Clare Irwin, Biff Mahney, Alyssa May, James Peyton, Erin Rossetti, Jake Simpson, Cynthia Stuart, Kasey Tal- bot, Holly Taylor, Harry Williams; (KESD Administrators): Jennifer Botzojorns, Stacy Rice, Sherri Gregory, Amy Gale, Ann Hatch; (Public): Serena Parker, Cara Hill, Carol Rossi, Celeste Girrell, Dianna Simpson, Dianne Peyton, Don Steen Jr., Wanita Gardner, Don Gardner, Loralee Tester, Lorrie Mawhinney, Darlene Ahrens, Gwen Kinney 6:31pm-Meeting called to order by Jennifer Botzojons Kasey Talbot moved and it was seconded by Harry Williams to elect Mary Ann Riggie to serve as Moderator from their election and qualification for one year or until the election and qualification of his/her successor. No Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Kasey Talbot moved and it was seconded by Tony DeMasi to elect the Serena Parker to serve Clerk from their election and qualification for one year or until the election and quali- fication of their successors. No Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Celeste Girrell moved and it was seconded by Holly Taylor to elect Dianna Simpson to serve as Treasurer from their election and qualification for one year or until the election and qualification of their successors. No Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Compensation to be paid to KESD Board members- Biff Mahoney made a motion concern- ing this matter there was a brief about this subject not being on the agenda and as a result compensation would remain the same as the prior year. The motion was withdrawn. Kasey Talbot moved and it was seconded by Biff Mahoney to pay the District officers as follows Moderator: $50.00 Clerk: $100.00 Treasurer: $5000.00 There was discussion about in the prior year there was $1000.00 approved to pay an assis- tant treasurer. It was stated that the line item in the budget for treasurer was actually $6,000.00 and this allowed for $1,000.00 to be paid to an asst. Treasurer. No Further Discussion- Motion carried unanimously It was stated by the Moderator that Articles 4-6 will be voted on by Australian Ballot on Town Meeting day, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Article 4: To elect six (6) school directors from the nominees to serve on the Kingdom East Unified Union School District Board. (Australian Ballot)
Article 5: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District approve the Board of School Directors to expend $34,281,306, which is the amount the Board has determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year? It is estimated that this proposed budget, if ap- proved, will result in education spending of $15,408 per equalized pupil. This projected spending per equalized pupil is 3.46% lower than spending for the current year. (Australian Ballot) Article 6: Shall the voters of the Kingdom East Unified Union School District authorize the School Board to transfer any surplus funds in the school year ending June 30, 2020, if any, to the KESD Educational Facilities Reserve Fund? (Australian Ballot) Tony DeMasi moved and it was seconded by Biff Mahoney to authorize and empower the Board of School Directors to borrow money in anticipation of receipts and to give a note or notes in the name of the District to secure payment thereof. No Further Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Tony DeMasi moved and it was seconded by Biff Mahoney to approve the minutes of the March 4, 2019 Annual Meeting? No Further Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Celeste Girrell moved and it was seconded by Jim Peyton to authorize the Board of School Directors to accept and expend such grant monies as may from time to time be- come available to the school district. No Further Discussion- Motion carried unanimously Other business: Cynthia Stuart presented a Presentation explaining the 2020-2021 Kingdom East School District pro- posed budget. The presentation contained 37 slides that covered several areas including KESD’s strategic plan, Vermont’s Education funding System, individual schools reserve funds, estimated tax rates and comparisons from years past for each town, the breakdown of spending for the proposed budget, and definitions of how homestead tax rates were calculated. Jen Botzojorns publicly thanks Shannon Chapman for her work and time spent on the KESD Board of Directors and various committees, as her term expires this year she will be leaving the board. It was announced there was no candidate listed on the ballot to fill the vacant seat in the Town of Concord. There was an individual interested in the position, she would need a minimum of 60 write in votes to be considered for the seat without appointment. 7:39pm- Biff Mahoney moved and it was seconded by Jim Peyton to adjourn the meeting. No Further Discussion-Meeting Adjourned A True Record: Attest Serena Parker, Clerk Mary Ann Riggie, Moderator
Budget Informational Meeting Monday, March 1, 2021 5:00pm http://www.zoom.us/join Phone # 1-929-205-6099 Meeting ID 051878 Budget Voting Times and Locations March 2, 2021 Burke 8am-7pm Burke Newark 10am-7pm Newark Community Building Town Office Concord 10am-7pm Concord Sheffield 10am-7pm Sheffield Town Hall Town Office Lunenburg 10am-7pm Lunenburg Sutton 8am-7pm Sutton Lyndon 10am-7pm Town Office Wheelock 10am-7pm Town Office Lyndon Wheelock Municipal Building Town Hall The purpose of this Annual Report is to provide community members with important and useful education and financial information. If you have feedback on this report that will assist us in informing you better, please email us at [email protected].
NOTES
Strategic Planning Priorities and Action Steps PRIORITY #1 - Robust Academics for All Students I. Access to quality Pre-K services for all children within the district II. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are designed with a focus on content rigor, student en- gagement, and continuous improvement of academic achievement III. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment result in continuous improvement of academic achievement. IV. High quality faculty and consistent and quality professional development V. Resources, availability and consistent training and use of technology to improve student learning PRIORITY #2 - Character Development and Strong Social and Emotional Health for Students I. Personalized Learning II. Positive school culture and environment III. Employee Self Care and Wellness IV. Quality facilities that promote a positive school culture V. Active and equitable co-curricular participation VI. Active and equitable student health and wellness participation PRIORITY #3 - Maintain and Build Strong Community Connections I. Develop and maintain regular and routine engagement activities - school and parents/community II. Develop and maintain regular and routine engagement activities - board and community III. Develop and maintain regular service learning/volunteer and civics participation of students in the local community IV. Facilitate routine community events and use of the school and volunteer opportunities within the school PRIORITY #4 - Assure Effective and Efficient Management of resources I. Transparency and fiscal responsibility when building budgets II. Budget reflects equitable access and results focus from Priority #1 Robust Academics for All Stu- dents III. Budget reflects equitable access and results focus from Priority #2 - Character Development and Strong Social and Emotional Health for students IV. Budget reflects a facilities plan which addresses Priority 1-3
BURKE TOWN CONCORD SCHOOL SCHOOL SUTTON SCHOOL LUNENBURG SCHOOLS NEWARK STREET LYNDON TOWN SCHOOL SCHOOL MILLER’S RUN SCHOOL
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