The Colchester Sun WWW.COLCHESTERSUN.COM
MARCH 26, 2015
Prsrt Std ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 266 Burlington, VT 05401 Postal Patron-Residential
VOL. 14 No. 12
School leadership changes on the horizon By JASON STARR The Colchester Sun While setting the agenda for next month’s Colchester School Board retreat, school district Superintendent Larry Waters revealed his plans to retire at the end of next school year. The board plans to discuss the launch of a superintendent search at the Saturday, April 11, retreat — an annual planning session that takes place after the Town Meeting Day election. Board chairman Mike Rogers said the search process will likely begin this fall. “I’m strongly considering announcing my retirement at the start of next school year,” said Waters, 61, leaving open the possibility
of continuing beyond 2016 in the case of something unforeseen. He will have been in the district for 15 years, five as a principal and 10 as superintendent. Waters has spent four decades in education at five different school districts in three different states. His longest tenure has been with the Colchester School District, where he started as Malletts Bay School principal. “It’s not a complete shock,” Rogers said. “It’s understandable. He’s done a great job. And his team, the administrators, have done a great job. They work great together. It is not going to be easy (to replace him). I’m not sure how much the community appreciates him and what he’s done – how well he keeps the board informed.
We know point blank where the money is and what’s going on. I think it’s a pretty well-oiled machine.” One of Waters’ final responsibilities will be hiring a new principal and director of director of student support services at Colchester Middle School. He accepted the resignation of current Principal Dawn Gruss and retirement of Assistant Principal Peg Gillard this month. Gruss is completing her fourth year at the school and has accepted an administrator job at the Shelburne Community School, a K-8 public school in Shelburne, according to Waters. Gruss could not be reached for comment. Gillard has worked at Colchester Middle School for 35 years, starting as an English teacher before a
promotion to assistant principal. Waters is restructuring the administrative team at the middle school, changing the assistant principal position to a director of student support services position. The position has a focus on special education and personalized learning plans. It also is responsible for supervising teachers and guidance counselors. A job posting for principal of the school has already attracted applicants, Waters said. The school board has approved the job description for the director of student support services, but the job has not yet been posted. “We believe Colchester is a very attractive place to work, but it’s challenging today to find administrators,” Waters said.
Porters Point School tradition to end Final year for Project InsideOut, administrators decide By JASON STARR The Colchester Sun
Variety Night TOP:Seniors Tim Lewis, left, and Tyler Cootware have a conversation on stage. Students pictured in the background from left to right: Allison Pilcher, Ashley O’Kane, Caroline Claremont, Steven Sonntag, Cady Dubuque and Sophie Joyce. BELOW LEFT: Sophomore Ethan Dean plays the saxophone. BELOW RIGHT: Colchester High School freshman perform their class skit at the annual Variety Night on Saturday evening at Colchester High School. Pictured from left to right: Grace Carroll, Natalie Garen, Morgan Eaton, Ethan Goedken and Emily White. PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL
Bill banning teacher strikes approved BY AMY ASH NIXON Vtdigger.org A bill that would prohibit Vermont public school teachers from striking passed the House Education Committee on an 8-3 vote on March 17. The bill, introduced by Rep. Kurt Wright, R-Burlington, originally required mandatory binding arbitration in contract disputes, but that language was struck. The bill instead calls for mediation and fact-finding but bans strikes while the two sides work toward an agreement. Teachers cannot strike and school boards cannot impose contracts under the bill. “I think we’ll be doing a good thing for Vermont,” Wright said just before the vote. “I think this is a bill that’s found a reasonable compromise, and I hope that the committee will support it.” Reps. Tim Jerman, D-Essex Junction; David Sharpe, D-Bristol; and Alice Miller, D-Shaftsbury, voted no. “I think it changes the balance of negotiations in favor of school boards and that it will work to suppress wages in the state,” said Sharpe, the committee chairman.
“Recognizing that 80 percent of school costs are in the cost of labor and benefits, the problem, in my view, is the number of people that are hired, not the wages of any individual person.” A spokesman for the Vermont NEA called the bill “anti-union.” “If the Legislature wants to ban teachers’ strikes and ban school board impositions, the final decision must be submitted to binding arbitration,” Darren Allen said. “What happened today can only be viewed as hostile to unions and disrespectful of teachers.” Before the vote, the committee heard from Massachusetts and New Hampshire experts about how those states handle teacher labor negotiations and impasses. Every other state in New England prohibits teacher strikes. In Massachusetts, mandated bargaining is required, the committee was told, and in most contract negotiation cases, the sides bargain to conclusion. The state has had two strikes in the past 20 years, Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, told the committee. He said if –See BILL page 3
After 35 years, Porters Point School’s unique end-of-year happening, Project Inside-Out, will make its last stand this June. Administrators have decided to discontinue the tradition. Carolyn Millham, in her first year as school principal, recently alerted the school community about the decision. Millham could not be reached for comment this week. Superintendent Larry Waters backed the decision, saying the project was too lengthy (four days) a disruption of classroom time, especially given new requirements under the Common Core federal standards. Project Inside-Out took the elementary school’s students and teachers out of their classrooms for the final days of the school year for outside learning. It was first conducted at Camp Holy Cross on Lake Champlain but was moved when the camp changed hands. In recent years, the event has been held on school grounds. “Maybe it’s time to look at something more fitting and appropriate for kids at that age,” Waters said. “To commit four days to that, from my end, is difficult to do.” The event was volunteer-supported and funded through money raised by the ParentTeacher Organization. “I’m disappointed about it ending,” said Marcia Devino, one of the event’s founding volunteers. “The children still learn a lot and have such a great time those last four days of school. I’m going to do my best this last year and that will be it.” Parent and volunteer Mike Romeo said administrators should have consulted longtime event organizers like Devino, and the entire school community, before making the decision to discontinue Project Inside-Out. “In my experience, the kids love it,” he said. “They are learning and they don’t even know they are learning. It’s sad to see it go.”
Mead me at the Gala By JOE CARDELLO The Colchester Sun “It’s because a tuxedo makes a man look as good as a man can look,” said owner of Groennfell Meadery Ricky Klein. “And plus I needed a place to wear my tuxedo.” Anyone who had been in search of a reason to strap on a cummerbund or give their high school prom dress a second breath of fresh night air had that opportunity on March 21 at a very peculiar location. Groennfell Meadery tidied up their brewery on Hercules Drive and hosted a Black Tie Gala to raise money for the Friendly Viking Fund, which benefits Lake Champlain International (LCI) and Vermont Fresh Network. “We had more people than we had expected and more than we hoped for,” Klein said. “We’re really happy that we could make a big chunk of change to help those non-profits because there’s been a lot of news about the lake and it’s going to need some help right now.” Over 60 people costumed in their classiest apparel helped raise $800 in proceeds at the event. For $30, guests had access to an open bar, live music by jazz guitarist Taylor Bickford and an assortment of edible delights served up by Waterworks’ pastry chef Nicole
Owner Ricky Klein gives a speech during the Black Tie Gala hosted at Groennfell Meadery on March 21. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Maddox. Her delicious treats included black bean sliders, artichoke bruschetta and polenta squares topped with pickled grapes. “She’s very creative,” said Groennfell –See MEAD page 3