School budget season is here

School budget season is here

The Champlain Valley School District School Board is beginning the budget process for the 2021–2022 school year. This budget will be presented to voters before and on Town Meeting Day, March 2, 2021. The board is providing virtual opportunities for community members to give input regarding next year’s budget.

Elementary students could get more in-person school: A letter from the superintendent

Elementary students could get more in-person school: A letter from the superintendent

For the past two weeks, we have been assessing our readiness for bringing back our kindergarten students to four days per week of in-person instruction. This assessment included a review of our ability to maintain social distancing and all other DOH and AOE guidelines, as well as our capacity to provide stable and sufficient staffing.

Navigating response to learning loss with little information

Navigating response to learning loss with little information

A meeting of the Finance Committee of the CVSD Board met on June 3 to discuss the current and future financial picture of the Champlain Valley School District. Jeanne Jensen reviewed the FY 20 financials. The added expenditure of providing food service was balanced by the fact that special education tuition services and professional development were reduced.

CVSD board addresses racism

CVSD board addresses racism

The Champlain Valley School District board spent the June 9 meeting discussing a response to the social upheaval occurring in the nation because of systemic racism. A letter to the board from 60 teachers and staff requested that the board make an affirmative statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and take a stance in addressing racism in the school district.

Sports Report – May 14, 2020

Sports Report – May 14, 2020

The Vermont High School Principals Association has canceled the current spring season sports due to the governor’s order for residents to stay home. The sports are baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, track and field, ultimate frisbee and unified basketball. The last state championship to be played was the March 11 Division I men’s hockey. Fall sports seasons have yet to be determined.

School board approves budget

School board approves budget

At the Champlain Valley School District school board meeting on January 21, the board weighed educational goals, equity concerns, and various budget constraints to approve a budget that will be put in front of the voters on March 2 and 3. Among the educational needs and goals were the immediate needs for a guidance counselor and administrative support at CVU, and the imperative to ensure equity among all schools in their educational offerings and support services. In addition there is an effort to provide more intensive services within the district for students with emotional and behavioral problems. These requests were met by reshuffling of personnel, creatively using grants, and requesting additional personnel.

CVSD School Board  considers general education budget constraints

CVSD School Board considers general education budget constraints

The December 3 CVSD Board meeting focused on a discussion of the FY 2021 general instructional budget and the difficulties of aligning board goals and vision with budget realities. Superintendent Elaine Pinckney guided the board through the process of how the budget is developed through planning meetings with principals and building staff.

Personalized learning in the Champlain Valley School District

Personalized learning in the Champlain Valley School District

This week’s CVSD board meeting featured a discussion of personalized learning, which is designed to maximize student choices around curricula and respond to individual learning styles. It is an important building block in the Proficiency Based Learning (PBL) system that the Champlain Valley School District has embraced across all schools.