Happy Holidays ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT
Vol. 71 No. 51
Middlebury, Vermont
Thursday, December 21, 2017 46 Pages
Board to consider $29.5M fix for Mt. Abe
ANWSD likely to face $7.6M bond
Facilities update eyed; no tax hike seen By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — The Addison Northwest School District Board will probably propose to voters a $7.6 million bond on Town Meeting Day that would fund a long list of energy efficiency, fire safety and security upgrades at all four district schools. And board members believe that bond can be mostly or even completely paid for without increasing taxes. Board members and ANWSD administrators stressed that financial projections are still in early stages, but one central factor is known:
The timing of new bond payments can closely coincide with the end of payments on the bond that funded the 2000-2001 renovation and expansion of Vergennes Union High School. Tom Borchert, chairperson of the ANWSD board’s facilities committee, said numbers are preliminary, but hopeful. “We’re trying to make it as revenue-neutral as possible in terms of the budgetary impact,” Borchert said. “Essentially what’s happening here is that the payments for the upcoming bond would simply take (See VUHS, Page 15A)
State funding news changes ACSD plan Budget problem ‘shrinks’ to $1.3M
By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — Public school officials often lament the unpredictability of Vermont’s education funding system. It is not unusual for state aid information to be released in dribs and drabs, sometimes right up to the point at which school districts must finalize their budgets for Town Meeting Day votes. This year has been no different.
But a batch of state aid information received on Dec. 17 buoyed the spirits of Addison Central School District directors, who learned the Vermont Agency of Education has agreed to increase the ACSD student count by 53. The agency’s new interpretation of the Middlebury area school district’s enrollment — which keys on pre-K children who weren’t counted this (See ACSD, Page 11A)
Government and educators struggle to fund Vt. schools By MICHELLE MONROE St. Albans Messenger NORTHFIELD — How can Vermont provide its students with a quality education at an affordable cost as the number of students across the state continues to decline? That is the question the state has been trying to answer for at least a decade.
It’s a question that is taking on new urgency in the face of a declining workforce, sluggish economic growth and nearly stagnant tax revenues. On Monday, Gov. Phil Scott convened a group of approximately 300 educators from around the state (See Struggles, Page 16A)
Holiday meal
THE BRISTOL RECREATION Department’s annual Breakfast with Santa event drew a big crowd to Holley Hall on Dec. 9.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell
Taking music to Japan By the way Donna Rose, CVOEO food shelf coordinator, shared a little holiday cheer with us when she let us know about how Anita Nadeau and her joyful band of assistants — 17 in all — recently organized, collected and delivered 1,694 pounds of delicious and nutritious food to the food shelf. Rose and CVOEO/ Addison Community Action offered their sincere gratitude and appreciation. She said the enthusiasm and commitment of all of the volunteers to helping out their neighbors was a wonder to behold. Rose also passed on a special thank you to Nova and Trevor, the youngest members of the crew, who helped deliver (See By the way, Page 15A)
Index Obituaries................................. 6A Classifieds........................ 9B-13B Service Directory........... 10B-11B Entertainment.........Arts + Leisure Community Calendar......... 8A-9A Arts Calendar.........Arts + Leisure Sports................................. 1B-3B
MUHS student performs traditional American tunes in Asia By JOHN FLOWERS CORNWALL — Romy Munkres enjoys marching to her own tune, which last month led her from her native Addison County to the Japanese prefecture of Tottori. There, she and four other Vermont youths spent nine days performing traditional American music for their Japanese peers at a major art festival. The trip was organized by a group called “Young Tradition Vermont,” or YTV — a nonprofit organization that seeks to inspire young musicians to embrace traditional forms of music and dance. Participants are urged to share their artistic gifts with others, which has resulted in YTV members traveling to other nations for performances. Munkres, a 15-year-old Middlebury Union High School student, is tailor-made for YTV. She’s been playing the flute since she was in 5th grade and began playing violin at age 6. The Cornwall resident also studies and performs traditional Irish ROMY MUNKRES, A Middlebury Union High School sophomore, plays with other Vermont youth at a music festival in Japan, right, and poses with a new friend made on her trip, above. Courtesy photos
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dance at the McFadden Academy in Colchester. “I really like using music as a way to communicate with other people who might not speak a common language,” Munkres said. It also doesn’t hurt that her parents play music (with Romy) in the Red Dog Riley ensemble and her brother is also an accomplished musician.
When YTV officials invited Munkres to make the trip to Japan — her first ever to Asia — she accepted without hesitation. Mark Sustic, YTV’s touring group manager, had helped organize the nine-day sojourn through a cultural exchange with the Tottori Prefecture in southwestern Japan. (See Romy, Page 15A)
By JOHN FLOWERS BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham Union High School Board will meet early next month to consider a leaner, $29.5 million budget for an MAUHS renovation plan that would be put to five-town voters on Town Meeting Day in March. Mount Abraham school directors agreed to take that tack on Tuesday after “I definitely receiving new hear from i n f o r m a t i o n the public from the that people M A U H S want Renovation something Committee. That panel to be done, met on Dec. but they 14 to chart the really want next steps in to know getting major what their repairs for the deteriorating, options are. 5 0 - y e a r - o l d Because in high school the end we building off are paying B r i s t o l ’ s for this with Airport Road our tax bill.” that delivers — school secondary board member education Sandy Lee to Addison Northeast Supervisory Union (ANESU) students from Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton, New Haven and Starksboro. ANESU voters on Nov. 2 rejected a $36.6 million renovation plan by a 1,261 to 1,168 tally. It was fivetown residents’ second try at passing a major repair plan for the MAUHS building, which opened in 1968. Encouraged by the close margin of the Nov. 2 vote, a re-energized Renovation Committee went back to the drawing board to consider new, less costly project options. Some members considered it important to get a future request below $30 million, acknowledging feedback (See Mt. Abe, Page 14A)