School board takes a pause to reflect and set goals for 2020-21
August 29, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Last week’s School Board meeting focused on big-picture topics the board will work on over the course of the coming school year. Screenshot of Zoom meeting.
After a flurry of meetings over the past several weeks all focused on planning the details for reopening schools next month in a pandemic, the Harwood Union School Board made time for a rare discussion of the big picture and its place in it.
For four hours Wednesday – two in closed session, two in public session – the board met via Zoom for a meeting billed as a retreat led by a facilitator from the Vermont School Boards Association to steer the discussion, offer slide presentations and advice, and take notes.
The first half of the retreat to which the public was not invited was described as a board training particularly in its roles and responsibilities. The second half was a session to set goals for the upcoming year.
The facilitator, Susan Holson, kicked off the discussion with a slide listing goals the board set for itself last year. Some such as developing a vision statement for the district, passing the budget, and evaluating the superintendent could be checked off as done. Others like setting a PreK-12 plan for the district remain incomplete.
What followed was an individual check-in as Holson asked each member to reflect on the past year and share with the group examples of things they thought the board did well in that time and likewise to offer suggestions on where it can do better.
It was the responses to the latter prompt that Holson said she would synthesize into a draft goals list to share with the board afterward.
The answers spanned a wide range of topics and in some cases were particularly candid, especially when it came to improvements.
Below is a summary. The full board meeting is available to be viewed on the district’s YouTube channel or on Mad River TV.
Self-reflection
Several themes emerged as board members offered examples of their successes in the last year. At the top of the list was the process a year ago to draft a district vision statement. The exercise involved public meetings and discussions and carefully chosen and crafted language.
“I thought that was a high point,” remarked board member Jonathan Clough of Warren who said that exercise “gave some moments of uplift.”
The statement they came up with was: “The Harwood Unified Union School District provides a rigorous, innovative and student-centered educational experience in a welcoming and inclusive environment while ensuring equity, effectiveness, and efficiency. We will partner with our community to achieve our vision for excellence.”
Many pointed to the successful second budget vote in June as an example of where the board worked together after voters rejected the school budget in March.
Work on board policies got high marks along with committees that meet on specific topics.
Michael Frank from Waterbury said he thought Zoom meetings that have become routine this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been good for increasing participation at meetings.
Along those lines, Lisa Mason of Moretown said recent online public question-and-answer sessions around opening schools have been “a successful way to engage the community.” They’ve been well attended and provide a good format, she said, suggesting the board use that format more in the future.
Room for improvement
Holson instructed board members to think beyond their routine work such as drafting a budget or navigating contract negotiations when they suggested goals for this year.
A popular item for the goal list was to complete the elusive plan for PreK through grade 12 across the district that’s been touted as necessary to inform decision-making involving curriculum, building use and ultimately, budgets.
Waterbury board member Alex Thompson also reminded the board that it shelved plans for a multimillion-dollar construction bond envisioned to primarily address building needs at Harwood Union High School and Middle School. “I think we failed our high school students by not dealing with this bond,” she said. “They don’t have the facility they need … that I think they deserve.”
Several members pointed to topics over the past year on which the board was sharply divided, often reflecting division in the community, and how that division affected decision-making. The board last year voted several times on policies affecting middle school choice and steps toward merging the district’s two middle schools.
“I think we lost a lot of trust in our community,” said Theresa Membrino of Fayston.
Jonathan Clough, of Warren, agreed, saying the board’s actions “resulted in some feeling of whiplash from the community as well as a lack of trust.”
The board’s polarization was on full display in January as it was split on the budget to present to voters in March. The board approved a budget that called for merging students from Harwood Union Middle School’s seventh and eighth grades, and fifth- and sixth-graders from Moretown into classes at Crossett Brook Middle School, relying on temporary classroom buildings to augment inadequate space at Crossett. The plan got mixed reviews from board members and the community.
“We passed a budget and we didn’t have everybody supporting that budget,” said Waitsfield member Christine Sullivan. Some board members even campaigned against it and it failed on Town Meeting Day.
Waterbury board member Kelley Hackett said she believes the wide range of opinions on the board aptly reflects differences of opinion in the community. But, to that point, she said, the board could do better: “I’d like to see more community engagement,” she said, adding that she liked a suggestion from the facilitator that the board hold several open-ended forums each year to connect with the public.
Mason pointed out that the board often disagrees on who to listen to from the community, often labeling those who speak up as “a vocal minority.”
Prior to and since the district consolidated in 2017, there was much discussion of aligning curriculum to be more in sync from school to school from PreK to grade 8. That effort has not yet been completed.
“I wonder if that’s the question we need to be asking ourselves more than the middle school merger piece,” Sullivan said.
Many spoke up to lament the board’s tendency to “get into the weeds” in discussions where they ask for more detail or get bogged down with many questions. Other times, some said, they felt votes can be rushed without enough time deliberation, discussion, or getting enough detail.
Board Chair Caitlin Holister of Waterbury pointed out that she prefers the board sets a timeline for decision-making and sticks with it. “When we have deadlines is when we usually do best,” she said adding that the pattern of discussing a topic one week and making a decision the next seems to work best.
Hollister acknowledged though that board members vary in how much information they each need to be comfortable voting on some issues.
The most pointed exchange of the goal-setting session came when Clough asked to add a goal to the list involving the board’s relationship with teachers. “I’d like teachers to feel like they can communicate with the board without any danger of reprisal or being seen as an adversary,” he said. “They're a critical voice.”
Facilitator Holson questioned that notion saying the board and teachers are “operating on two different planes.” Teacher feedback makes its way to the board through principals and the superintendent, Holson said.
“I’m struggling a little bit to understand what the benefit would be of having a dialog with individual teachers,” she said. “I’m just not sure of what you’re going to gain from that.”
Clough pointed out that there are many community members, yet the board engages with individuals from the public.
“Because that’s your responsibility,” Holson replied. “You are accountable to your community. You're not accountable to your teachers.”
Clough let it go saying, “I disagree.”
Later during public comment, former school board member Maureen McCracken of Waterbury raised this point again: “I think the board is the employer and is responsible for a healthy work environment, so I ask you to consider that.”
Before school opens Sept. 8
Chair Hollister wrapped up the session noting that the board’s next meeting will be Sept. 9, the day after the 2020-21 school year begins. Beforehand, there will be another question and answer session Monday at 6:30 p.m. where community members may ask district administrators about details surrounding school opening. That will be available to attend online and by phone on several platforms. Details on how to connect are online on the district’s website.
All of the schools in the Harwood Unified Union School District will open Sept. 8 with one day per week of in-person instruction for K-12 students and four days of remote learning. Classes will be divided into two groups to allow for ample distancing in classrooms, on buses and in school buildings. Students may also choose an all-remote learning option.
District leaders say they are anticipating moving to two days of in-person instruction by the third week of school with classes still split in two groups.
The district on Friday issued a new Community Bulletin emailed to families in the district and posted online. The bulletin contains updates on returning to school with links to a FAQ document and reminders for parents to fill out surveys regarding the learning model they want to choose for their children, their plans for using school buses, and registration for free and reduced-price lunches.
Some new information also was circulated this week from Harwood Middle and High School Athletic Director Chris Langevin regarding middle school and high school fall athletics. The season schedule for fall sports programs is still being revised because its start has been delayed, but all programs will happen with a myriad of new public health guidelines to incorporate. For example, student athletes will need to wear masks, and some programs will alter how and where they play such as outdoor volleyball matches.
Practices begin for high school teams Sept. 8 and middle school teams start Sept. 15. More details and signup forms are online.