The meeting began with the normal Call to Order, Agenda Review, and Flag Salute. This was followed by a prepared statement from the board chair regarding school board communications.
The first Community Comments portion of the meeting included a pair of commenters from the school’s Union, MESA, speaking on behalf of the negotiation team and faculty members who read a statement advocating for a new faculty contract stating that “Milton teachers have been working without a
contract since the start of the school year.” The second commenter was a passionate school teacher talking about what he believes kids need to succeed.
The Consent Agenda included approval of a warrant, contracts, and approval of meeting minutes. A correction to one of the board minutes incorrectly listing a board member as absent, who was present online, was requested.
The Reports to the Board portion of the meeting included a Superintendent Report, Committee Report, and Principal Report.
The Superintendent Report discussed summer learning programs that occurred and their outcomes. See information in packet for more details if interested. Sounded very positive. Also gave an update on staff vacancies. She will be representing the Champlain Valley Superintendent Association as a member of the University of Vermont Medical Center’s triennial community health needs assessment committee. Finally, she provided an update on the Commission on the Future of Public Education.
Regarding the Committee Report, the school board meeting was preceded by a facilities committee meeting I also attended that discussed The Vermont Green Schools Initiative Stormwater Agreement. The committee discussed complying with stormwater issues to create an infiltration system at Herrick ideally using 90% grant funding if we are chosen and complete by the end of 2025. If not chosen, we’d pay 100% of the expense, but over five years. The cost of the remediation is currently unknown but sounds significant requiring tearing up the sidewalk and bus loop in front of Herrick. In contrast, the High School’s storm water process was found to be an ideal system by the inspectors. It sounded like the inspections were required by the state and cost approximately $5,000 to inspect the high school and $6,500 for Herrick.
Mold Remediation results hallway A clear but B/C hallways required recleaning and retesting done today to come back to determine if fully remediated. Results due Monday. Testing will be approximately $15,000, ceiling tiles $6,000, and extra electrical costs for running the HEPA filters.
The Structural Engineer Report indicated that some plywood sheeting under the roofing shingles damaged needing replacing, but trusses are undamaged. Need to check for holes in membrane. Rubber membrane is only guaranteed for 20 years. Metal trusses have minor surface rust. Noted trusses don’t have lateral braces, but are not required and not causing leaks. The roof is rated for 70 PSI which is way stronger than we’d ever worry about with our snow loads. Replacing the whole roof is estimated at 1.7 million.
Capital Project Update discussed the stairway A&B are both deteriorating and was noted as a safety issue by the insurance company. Received two bids and desired bid is at $12,756. The bid would close down one stairwell at a time to fix the stair tread of the staircases.
The Presentations portion of the meeting included a Milton Middle School Principal Presentation (more details in the packet) like all principal presentations are formatted to discuss work completed towards
the goals of:
1) Student Achievement and Success – To foster curious and passionate learners through
opportunities that further their academic knowledge and skills and meet the challenges of a
changing world.
2) Social-Emotional Health and Well-being – To prioritize the health and well-being of all members of the learning organization through programming that promotes care for the heart, mind, and body.
3) Family & Student Engagement – To cultivate engaged citizens inspired to meet the demands of a changing society through an awareness of self, others, and the world around them in the local
and global context.
The Discussion portion of the meeting included:
Tax Anticipation Note (loan) regarding borrowing funds to fund the school until VT tax dollars are provided. Two proposals were provided and discussed. Details are provided in the packet.
Herrick Facilities discussion was previously discussed as part of the facilities committee report.
Identifying Dates and Topics for Community Engagements in November, January, and February were discussed. Chose November 9 th at 9:00-1:00 at an event at the High School, January 16 th at 6:00 at the High School Library, and February was held off on for now with the possibility for similar 2-person meet- and-greets as was done earlier for this year’s prior round three budget re-vote. Stay tuned for more information on the topics.
Vermont School Board Association Conference (VSBA) was discussed and who will be attending. The superintendent indicated she would not be attending due to attending another related conference that would likely cover much of the information and would further require her time away from MTSD. Due to the conference, the board also needed to discuss rearranging school board meetings to get warrants timely signed.
Home to School Communication related to a discussion on social media
information/complaints/disinformation and the school not communicating/responding on social media. Basically, the board can direct you to the right person or a person who can get you to the right person, but a school board member is not your primary resource for correcting school issues. The community needs to work up the school chain with issues when they arise and as needed they will reach the board if necessary. Please note that the MTSD has a specific page to aid the community in knowing who to contact if you have concerns. For information on addressing your concerns, please go to:
https://www.mtsd-vt.org/apps/pages/concerns
Discussed rescinding Policies D5 Personnel Files and F28 Wellness in order to adopt new related policies as seen in the Action Items portion of the meeting.
The second Community Comments portion of the meeting included no comments.
The board added a discussion of the quotes for fixing the stairs discussed in the Committee Reports discussing the Facilities Meeting from earlier in the night. The board agreed to add it to the Action Items portion of the meeting to move forward with the bid for $12,756 with New England Floor Covering. The Action Items portion of the meeting included Policy Approvals on A40 Board Committees (MTSD Policy), B32 Personnel Files (Consider), and C9 Nutrition and Wellness (Required). The New England Floor Covering Bid was passed for $12,756.
The Board Comments portion of the meeting included a comment from a board member hoping for a solution to the online complaint comments regarding the MTSD. The student board members also discussed their board presentation.
An Executive Session concluded the night.