Washington Central Unified Union School District - Special Informational Mtg Aug 10, 2026 [WCUUSD]

[music] So, it is 5 o'clock and um not sure clock behind me. I was looking at my computer. So, welcome. Uh this is the uh official that was on our warning the uhformational meeting that is about our vote tomorrow. I do want to just assure you all that what we are here for is to answer the logistical and the uh questions that are about the vote tomorrow. It isn't that we are trying to deny anything. It is just that that is what this meeting has been worn. And so so many have the ballot, many have seen the ballot of what the um vote is. I believe many of you have seen the uh fact sheet that we tried to put out. We completely understand that there's confusion and that uh what it means for uh for people once this vote occurs is what creates a lot of anxiety and a lot of extra questions and that um we do not have um you know I don't have the ability to guess what's going to happen after the vote or even how the vote will go. We will communicate as mo as soon as we have those numbers and we will move forward with plans based upon that. So that uh are there questions that people would like to ask? >> Logistical question will the votes be counted tomorrow night as opposed to the day? >> Yes. So, one of the things that the question our district clerk did resign July 1st as part of um the role the statute allows that the chair which is me to be elected or appoint authorized as a district clerk designign and so I've gone through training with Rosie Leair uh I have we have done test ballots and so I will be meeting them at East Montyard tomorrow we will be doing the ballots tomorrow Good question. >> And will the results be posted anywhere tomorrow night? >> So, we will, you know, the the limit, so to speak, and I'll turn to Jen and Alicia in a minute, uh, is just who controls the ability to post on the website. We will be sending out um emails to this to the board. We will be sending emails out through the Infinite Campus. And I'm wondering if we would have the ability uh to get it posted on the website as well. >> I can certainly talk to Sashley about being able to do that for us. >> Other logistical questions or other questions? Yes. And if you would come up to the mic that might if you don't mind. My name is Marilyn Martin and I live in Worcester and I have a question about article 14 amendments. I have a question about how this was put onto the ballot and how it was um done. I don't think it's following the articles of agreement. So our understanding is um and it's complicated when you look at all of those articles they have all those little asterisks all those little >> Yes. And so then when you have to go down to the different statute of what it looks at the statute that applies to that article in terms of amendments said that 5% of registered voters could put forth a petition for an amendment and that was what was presented to us as a board. >> I get that part. But under article 14 there's different it doesn't agree with what you just said. So, so general and Chris correct me if I'm wrong, but you generally legislate, you know, you know, state law supersedes, you know, a contract like this. >> And so it's, you know, it's it's state law that lays out the process for, you know, how many signatures are needed to put, you know, to require the that a board, whether a select board or a school board, put an art item to the voters if, you know, if it's received the signatures. >> All right. Thank you. Other questions? Yes. >> Do those ballots have to be co-mingled or they are you don't know what town is what voted? >> They will be co-mingled. Other questions? >> Yes, >> I have another one. >> And if you want to use a loud voice, you could >> I think for the people on Zoom. >> Oh, okay. Okay. >> Yeah. Come closer to the Zoom uh to the owl. I'm sorry. >> Under the fact sheet, it said that the board has no current plan. Well, under um [sighs] under the school closing closure, they put uh article C now. And it's and at the it's the uh I'm sorry, I'm frustrated. >> No, no, no. Take your time. >> The C part of the B. Yeah, the C the C part is what the um people wanted changed and on the fact sheet it says there's no plan current plan but in this it it has a plan. The last sentence is a plan when the school will close. >> So the way that that you I can see why you would read that that way. What that is saying is during that school year if there was a vote for closure that's what it would look like. That would be the procedure. I can honestly say to you at this point there is nothing on our agendas bringing that forward. What happens is we all know when there's budget talks that you know that becomes potentially an option and as part of an option it's it's an option. There are other discussions that will occur. So this doesn't say what's going to happen. It depends what what the board decides to do. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Correct. That is always what it will not go to the towns unless the board has voted to approve it. >> Questions? You look like you're thinking of something there, Karen. I was actually wondering how many people are online. >> Yes, that's what I was wondering. >> Yes. And um but that includes the owl myself. >> Yes. So the there are Thank you. 13 >> and any questions from people online as well? Um, >> Linda Gray from Callus, I thought you would present some information. >> The um, >> are you only answering questions? >> So, the only information I mean, yeah, we could present about the ballot, which is the um, and the fact sheet. So, the um, sorry, got distracted. So, and I apologize. I had thought that there was a number of of information that was out there. So we do know that there was an amendment request a petition for the amendment to come forward and that is to change article 4 and the change would be about the closure of the school building that it's the amendment puts forth that in the academic year and what it is using it's using the language from the original article. So that's why it's referencing year 2122 and after through 2627 that the new union school district shall not close any school building or cease using the building to provide direct instruction in at least one grade pre kindergarten through grade 12 unless first approved by both the majority of the union district board and the voters residing in the town in which the school is located. And then the second part of that which you were also referencing was that academic year 2728 and after that in academic year 2027 and 2028 and after the new union school the district board shall not close any school building or cease using the building to provide direct instruction in at least one grade pre kindergarten through grade 12 unless first approved by both a majority of the union district board and the voters of the New Union District. The vote to close a school for the 2728 school year may occur prior to the beginning of that year with the closure effective after June 30th, 2027. Again, none of this says that the closure would occur. It is lining out what the deadline would be around if such a closure. So then as part of the fact sheet because we kept hearing from our community questions about does this change how we consolidate? Does it change how we would uh move forward that with a closure? And what our fact sheet was explaining was that this doesn't expl touch consolidation at all. That continues to be an administrative decision around where the placement of our grades are. It doesn't change um it doesn't make that suddenly a petition could come forward to request a closure. That isn't part of the agreement, isn't part of the article and it doesn't um and it still is registered voters who will be voting on it. >> Would you repeat what you just said that it doesn't something about a petition that you described? So, so just as you know I have had some people ask me well can't um the community of voters also put forward a petition similar to how this request for a vote was couldn't they put that forward to request closure and that is not part of the article that cannot happen it's not a legal process for this >> okay so I keep going back to the why Why have you bought into this petition if there's no plan to close callous or go? Why if that's not what I'm hearing in the in the hallways? >> So, this was and um other board members can feel free to chime in. This was a community petition that was brought to the board. It was not a board petition to put forward to amend the articles. And so that we haven't put together a plan um that hasn't been uh like a step-by-step plan. First, we'll do this and then we'll do that. As a board, that has not been what our plan is or what our discussions have been. This was a petition that legally was brought forward to us and our our um role in that petition was to approve the date of the election. That was our only role in that. And it's basically citizen initiated petition. Um and it that that process is open to any citizens. Um there there are some limits in terms of what petition can actually ask um to be done as as long as it's within the the scope of what a community petition can ask to be done. Uh then it's it's something that we pass through and and the towns would vote on and and but they can't demand that we close a school. Although you someone could petition and we could say that's not within your realm of power as a community. Um but they could certainly do that. Um so and you know petitions it's kind of like having in other states which we don't have in Vermont is um citizen initiated uh moves to amend the constitution of the particular state. We don't have that here but a lot of other states do. Um this is similar to that only not in a constitutional realm. is based on these articles. >> James first. >> You're welcome. >> What's the next step if it's approved? >> That that is a great question. I can honestly say to you, we don't know the next steps other than we will have to meet and figure out where we're going. We know that we have a budgeting cycle that's coming up. We know that there's been different numbers that have been said. It it will be a time where we have to figure out how do we reconnect and understand our budget process in a way that helps all of us to come to that understanding of what is it that we need to do the instruction for our students and where does that where are those impacts of numbers declining as well as the changes in the state. Um so if petition passes it does not compel an action. It what it does it sets forth a process. Um if an action is like if the board decides to try and close the school um it sets forth a process for doing that doesn't compel the board to do that um or direct the board to do that. It's just setting up the mechanism of how it would happen. Much the way this past year um the mechanism when the board voted to um the initial process was of voting to close uh Dodie and Callus and then sending that to the towns to decide whether or not they want to close their school. Uh it was a process questions not a substantive this is what you will do. The board doesn't have to do anything if it passes really just setting up a process for a potential closures. So you >> what you said. So if this passes >> and the board comes up with some kind of a plan, maybe it's to close each one period. >> Does that mean we all get to vote on it? >> Right. >> If that's what passes. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> That is cool. Yeah, >> I feel like it's been said I'm going to say it a different way. I totally come across a little direct according to most people. >> What did you say? >> I come across a little direct >> according to most people, but I'm just going to try to say like this amendment that we would be right the the ballot says to approve or not approve. Approving this amendment to article 14 would change how we can close schools. It changes the procedure. The first part of it is still that the board and the administration collaboratively need to look at what our students need, what would serve them best. And we as a board would need to hear a recommendation that that's what we need to do and we would need to vote as a majority to close schools and then it would go to the entire district. And I think the thing to keep in mind is our our budget is one budget. So all of our money has to be divided amongst all of our students in the best way possible to serve their needs. And this would be a tool to allow us to look at how we can do that best to serve our students. But it would still be our electorate like so all of our district voting members, they get to vote ultimately on whether or not we still close school buildings. >> Correct. >> Oh, sorry. Go ahead. >> I there there's there's a question that's sort of been at the peripheral of a lot of these which is about you know sort of what the board knows which is about timeline. Um when when Ursula made the made a comment about sort of we have to figure out what our students need and what we provide to them and what a there are a lot of questions there that don't [snorts] that sort of don't really firm up until we get later in the budget season and get certain certain numbers. you things like what is our like what what is our people pupil count going to be where we start to where the board starts to get a better understanding of what kind of resources are we working with that we think we can get the taxpayers to support and so it's really one of the reasons you're hearing us say we don't know is because until we have until we until the that information firms up we don't really know what kind of resources we're playing with and until we don't know the resources we you know, it's hard to say how we're going to allocate. >> Okay, Karen. And then >> can you speak a little bit to the budgeting process this year? What would the change in administration just as far as um what's the first meeting where budgets are going to come up and who will be gathering that information that would have typically come from our now previous superintendent? So I don't know it you know one that's off the you know that isn't part of you know ourformational meeting. However I will have Jen and Alicia I can try to answer that question. Help me out. We [clears throat] we talk about budgeting being a year round activity. We've tried to um to set up a timeline that's actually um advanced the it and made it earlier to talk through. There's a sweet spot though because as Zach was saying, there's only so much information that we have at our fingertips early enough. So, we can start to look at our preliminary enrollment numbers, our preliminary programming needs, all of those things as early as the next couple of weeks and we don't have like the hard fast data to move it forward concretely enough until a little later in the process. So, we're always trying to do that balancing piece. I do know that we've tried to up the um on the timeline the board education piece around the budgeting process so that as part of our public engagement and the board's education around it, they have that information upfront as early as we can possibly share it with them so that they can begin the discernment process and really understand what what the factors are. But some of those numbers don't really come until state targets like December 1st, December 31st, those sorts of things. So for us, it's it's a work in progress for a long time. It's why we always have to do multiple drafts because we're drafting based on the data that we have at the time and we just don't have it all from the from the state. What would you add about I would just say and practically speaking Jen and I are serving in this role through the end of August and and it's we've had no conversations nor do either of us plan on starting that process in August. It would be the hope to hire a superintendent and have them decide and help lead that. >> Could you introduce yourselves? >> Yes. Alicia Lifford. I'm the principal at East Montilier, one of the acting superintendent through August. >> And I'm Jen Miller Arsenal. I'm the director of curriculum instruction and assessment. And Alicia and I are serving as co-acting superintendent through the month of August. >> Ursula, did you want >> I was going to address, and I know that it's not part of the agenda particularly, but it's probably on people's minds as they're thinking about this. Our budget processing was never just the superintendent. Our superintendent, even our new one, will have the entire leadership team that comes in and advises, which includes all of the principles of our elementary schools, the principal of East or of U32. We're sitting in the building right now. Um are Suzanne's position. I don't know her title. I'm sorry, Suzanne. um a large number of people over at central office who educate, you know, our curriculum director, special ed, these are all people that come in and talk about the needs of our students that they know, right? The principles are in their buildings, they know the needs of their students. Um they come together and they talk and then they bring us their recommendations. It's a collaborative process that does go back and forth. And I believe last year we started in October with our education and that was when we saw like if we were attempting to offer all of the same services the next year this is what it would cost. >> Do we currently have a U32 principal? >> Yes. Yes. There is an interim. Elijah Hawks is the interim. >> Michael, >> are you taking comments or just questions? >> Comments as well. >> Okay. Um So I'm I'm includ if you want. Um I'm a Worcester resident E32 and Dodie parent and former board member. Um hi. >> [laughter] >> So, I've sat in many places on this whole debate for years, and I just want to say um that I know and believe that everyone wants to do what's best for the students of the entire district. And I also know that Worcester and Callus residents have felt on the defensive for years now, trying to protect their beloved schools. Um, and you know, there's been a lot of heartbreak over the years with this debate. Um, if this is to p if this does pass, I just urge you all administration and board to um to to think beyond think beyond closure. And if closure ends up being the answer, then to think beyond closure of the two schools that have been targeted for the past couple years that the two communities that have largely said they don't want their schools closed. Um it can't be as simple as the answer of like these two schools have to close that is clearly there [clears throat] are other options. So, I just urge you to really take a holistic look at what people have been um fighting for for a couple years and thank you for the work that you do. I do miss you, but I don't [laughter] >> Yes. Yes. >> I have another question. When you start planning your budget, how many schools you planning to plan for? the they will be meeting with typically what the they is the leadership team. So the leadership team and the ad the administration basically begins the process by working with each school and um and uh designating what their needs are looking at what the so the planning involves all now as we move toward it becomes a conversation isn't if and you all can help me because you've been part of those direct conversations. My understanding is it takes a look at if we look at this grade level, what is it that the needs are and then now does that translate to the other parts? It's a very good question because that was a moving piece last year. I'll add a little bit more. I think it also doesn't happen in a vacuum. So um the budgeting really should be a um tell a story of the things that programmatically are important and about our students needs and how we will uh meet them and support them to to achieve the outcomes that we desire for them to achieve. So we use the strategic plan which is the district strategic plan that was created by many people a few years ago through 2030 and those core beliefs and values to guide us and the board also engages in conversation around parameters so that when we're doing some budget work we're also working in tandem with the board around establishing a draft budget that fulfills the parameters that they have set as a school board. So there is some working together to to create a draft budget that is doing the best possible job um based on our knowledge and experience to meet the needs of our students in the community. >> Other questions? >> Anybody have a question >> and admitting people? Yeah. And what I can do um so yeah, so if there are any questions online or comments >> and everybody knows where to Oh, go ahead Denise. This is just I'm [clears throat] used to doing this online and it's really hard to see the board members from an online perspective. So I'm sorry but I don't know the lady sitting between you and Ursula. This is Judy Buchanan who's our newest board member. >> We appointed her to the board >> Wednesday. Last week also you would be a new face. >> From what town? >> East. There was a vacancy since May. >> Yes. Oh, so that doesn't have to be voted on. Not till March. >> March. When there's a vacancy that occurs >> mid >> mid season before like in between the vote >> and the next vote, >> we have 30 days. So statutoily, so by law, we have 30 days to fill that position. There are things we have to do like letting the select board know. The select board lets us know whether or not any candidates who put their name forward are legal voters, our 18, which kind of go hand in hand, but there's still two items on the list. What's the other one? It's legal voters and a resident of that. Yeah. >> Which means they're a legal voter for that. >> What in Berlin still has a a vacancy current and so um you know we have been asking a number of um people. So that one is also >> Yes. >> How are the meetings going to be handled at the polling place? >> There aren't any meetings. It's just you just go and vote. >> Oh, it did. >> I I think that may be an issue of technical language in in the in election in the law about election, it's you know, it's referred to as a meeting, whether it's a town meeting, you know, format or, you know, you or vote by ballot. And so like when you look at things like warning elections um you know petitioning for things to go on to elections it's you know meeting is the word that's used regardless of how the vote happens. >> Sorry I realize that's confusing but that's it. There's a technical reason legal reason why that happens. >> Yeah. >> I don't understand why the state statute takes over all of this. Why do they have the articles of agreement if we're not following them? To be fair, our articles of agreement cite the state statutes that are relevant. >> Well, I didn't say >> the articles of agreement site the state statutes that are relevant to elections so that they were utilizing state law. That is how those articles were written and how they were voted on seven or eight years ago. >> So the model articles came from the state. Um I think the agency of education um and when they came to us we were able to modify them in certain ways and we did uh and so there certain voted on modifications including the one that um provided the the local town with schools located with the vote to close it because the original articles that came from the state um had a district-wide vote on closing schools. Um I think we made other modifications that are probably in articles um after like 14 15 16 about consulting with the community um and various things like that. So um and those those proposed modifications uh were sent to the voters and voted upon you know 2019 I think and became and became our operational uh models. So but the but the underlying model of articles came from state >> other questions online comments. So we do hope that people will vote will come out and vote. We will notify as quickly as we can as soon as the vote is counted and um and then we will move forward. >> Make a comment. I was following Act 46 way back when it all first started and Callus and Worester agreed under pressure and duress to these articles of agreement and now it feels like it was all just a big lie and I think a lot of callous and most of people are feeling that way. So if this passes, you have a lot of work to do to heal those to, you know, bring people together. Um, I think people are open to conversation, coming up with their other ideas and it's unfortunate that this is happening in this way cuz it's really been divisive as you all know and it's going to take a lot of healing if ever. That's just how I feel. >> I agree with you, Denise. I I feel that a promise was made like a lot of work was put into those articles of agreement and it was time a promise was made and to have this petition move forward just what was it six months after your guys towns voted no. >> I it just really hurts really deeply. Yeah, it does. And we've heard that and we understand that and um and we are we are following what we are required by law to follow. And please know that we also as a board have understood what our um commitment is to our communities and we understand the task ahead. Um we don't have a full plan as to what that will look like. It just feels like it's all nice and >> Linda and then sorry [clears throat] >> I guess I can talk about it. I don't have to go up. >> I I'm going to add to what Denise and Karen said. This will be your legacy. They will be talking about this for 50 years. I know you've heard me say this, but I'd like you to think about that because we're still talking about Act 46. We're still talking about how Montpielar pulled out of U32 and that was 50 years ago. So if you want divisiveness to be your legacy, you should think hard about that. I I I don't want that to be my legacy. I don't want to be the generation that gave away the power of the small towns. >> Well said. Yes, >> I agree. There's more going on here than a school closure. Just a destruction of two beautiful small towns. It breaks my heart that this is happening this way and I'm upset and I believe it. Um I and I I just want to say I know that you guys are just following the procedure and that this was a citizen um petition put forward and we don't have a choice in whether or not we vote on this. Um but everything else does stand after the vote happens. The administration under board does have all the responsibility in how this is carried out. And you know, I've spoken with friends and acquaintances in other towns um other than Worcester and Palace who've said yes, of course, if it was our school, we would totally support closure if it because that's what's best for the students. And I challenge you if it comes down to closure to um consider those options before you consider the two schools um that have been the focus in the past couple years. Um but yes, I just wanted to remind everyone this is not a board initiative this current vote. So any other comments, questions and we last call online in person. Our meeting is a jerk. We didn't have corn. Amen. [music] >> [music]