February - Vergennes Union High School

UNAPPROVED DRAFT
2/14/12
Vergennes Union High School
Board of Directors’ Meeting
Monday, February 13, 2012
6:00 p.m.
VUHS Library
Board Administration Guests /Visitors
K. Bristow T. O'Brien Jesse Bunde Kurt Haigis
L. Gutowski K. Cannon Daisy Alexander Libby O’Hara
R. Kerschner P. Reynolds Kathy Kennett Carol Kauffman
N. Kamman Nancy Ambrose Kristina MacKulin
C. Cousineau Ed O’Hara Peter Maneen
C. Wyckoff Marissa Jochum Lynn Coale
D. Jochum Betsy Rippner Darren Donovan
Becky Dowdy Jay Stetzel
C. Jones, Student Rep.
S. Sickles, Student Rep.
** Video taped by Jesse Bunde, RETN.
BOARD APPROVED
3/12/12
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chair Bristow.
Approval of Minutes: Motion was made by R. Kerschner, seconded by C. Cousineau, to approve the
minutes of January 9, 2012. So voted and motion carried.
Public Communications: Lynn Coale, Director of the Hannaford Career Center, presented a budget
overview of the Center. Materials distributed including budget summary, enrollment and anticipated
decreases in grant funding. (See attached handout). L. Coale stated PAHCC’s Annual Meeting is
scheduled for February 22 at 7 p.m. at PAHCC. A new board member needs to be assigned as the
PAHCC representative to replace C. Wyckoff.
K. MacKulin asked when Kristine Kirkaldy will present PBGR’s to the Board. Superintendent
O’Brien replied she is scheduled to present at the March meeting.
J. Bunde spoke on concern for the principal on behalf of the students at VUHS. He expressed strong
support for Mr. Webbley among the student body.
Board Communications: None this evening.
CORRECTIONS
3/15/12
Reports to the Board:
Student Representatives – S. Sickles and C. Jones reported on the following:
- Boys basketball record is at 16-1; girls basketball record is 3:7
- Track team had a great turn-out at States meet in Norwich
- Band and chorus will perform at the Black and White Cabaret on February 14, 2012
- Math Team has their 5 th meet of the season on February 14 at Colchester
- Middlebury Hockey team has their senior game on Wednesday, February 15

VUHS Board Mtg.
2/13/12
Page 2 of 4
Principal’s Report – Principal Reynolds reported on the following:
- Nellie Mae Grant activities – four teachers will be going to Massachusetts to
investigate PBGR opportunities for VUHS
- The second round of Middle School Student-Led conferences will be coming next
month
- NECAP results are in and show significant gains, especially 8 th grade math. There
were significant increases in the percentages of students attaining or exceeding
standards proficiency, in excess of 80% in some instances. “Kids stepped up”
Superintendent’s Report – Superintendent O’Brien reported on the following:
- Policy Subcommittee is proposing five polices for adoption. More members are
needed on the Policy Subcommittee.
- The fifth negotiation session has been held with progress being made.
- Commissioner Vilaseca revised the interpretation of School Choice. The letter was
shared and summarized for clarification that additional students may be able to
participate.
Hannaford Career Center – C. Wyckoff reported on the following:
- Audit for June, 2011 is complete
- Staff cuts have occurred in Video Tech program; but no staff cuts in STEM
academy
- Minimum class size has been revised from 12 to 10 students.
Action Items:
Approval of Bills and Directors’ Orders – Motion was made by L. Gutowski, seconded by R.
Kerschner, to approve the bills in the amount of $444,911.18. So voted and motion carried.
Policy Matters - The Policy Subcommittee has reviewed five policies and is recommending the
board to adopt with revisions.
1) Student Records (F5) – add date of birth and address to directory information. This
is to be able to obtain information from a nationwide clearinghouse on our graduates.
2) Privacy Rights (F27) – removed examples on #3a.
3) Substitute Teachers (D4) – changed basic requirement to be a high school graduate
no fewer than four years before substituting.
4) Hazing – modified wording and grammar corrections.
5) Weapons – clarified definition of weapons (not only firearms).
Motion was made by D. Jochum, seconded by C. Cousineau, to accept the policies as amended.
So voted and motion carried.
Personnel - Superintendent O’Brien recommended the following 2012 spring coaches:
George Ringer Varsity Baseball
Lee Hodsden JV Baseball
Peter Stapleford MS Baseball
Mike Sullivan Varsity Softball
Mike Martin MS Softball

VUHS Board Mtg.
2/13/12
Page 3 of 4
Chris Brady Varsity Golf
Jeff Kauffman Varsity Boys Track & Field
Brad Castillo Varsity Girls Track & Field
Ed Cook Varsity Boys Lacrosse
Tim Hodsden JV Boys Lacrosse
Motion was made by C. Wyckoff, seconded by C. Cousineau, to approve the spring coaches as
listed. So voted and motion carried.
Superintendent O’Brien made recommendations to accept, with regret, the resignation of
Suzanne Buck at the end of the 2012 school year and Nate Kittredge, effective January 31,
2012. Motion was made by N. Kamman, seconded by C. Wyckoff. So voted and motion
carried.
Other – Girls’ Lacrosse Club – D. Alexander and L. O’Hara presented (assisted by A. Bodell) a
proposal to establish a girls’ lacrosse club. There were 26 girls informally signed up at the
informational meeting. The group is prepared to fundraise for a two year period, at no cost to
the school. E. O’Hara and T. Smith are available for coaching. Motion was made by D.
Jochum, seconded by C. Cousineau, to approve the establishment of the girls’ lacrosse club. So
voted and motion carried.
P. Maneen, Athletic Director, announced the Vermont State Dance Competition is scheduled
on February 18 and the Vermont State Cheerleading Competition is scheduled on March 3.
Discussion Items:
Audit Discussion – Chair Bristow asked if the Board had any further questions about the audit
after having a chance to review it since the last meeting. There were no further questions.
Transportation – A meeting was held with Business Manager Cannon and Superintendent
O’Brien with Betcha Transit regarding some questions brought up at the ANWSU board
meeting in January. K. Cannon reviewed the proposal including the costs in savings.
Discussion ensued. R. Kerschner suggested getting a detailed breakdown of extracurricular,
Walden and DUO services. Also, factor in fuel and maintenance. N. Kamman suggested doing
a risk/reward evaluation in addition to the financial evaluation. A decision will need to be
made at the March meeting.
Planning for Annual & Budget Informational Meeting – Chair Bristow stated there would not
be a PowerPoint presentation. The plan is to speak on highlights,highlights; answers from last
years item and address any questions.
Executive Session: Motion was made by N. Kamman, seconded by C. Cousineau, to go into
executive session at 7:29 p.m., for the purpose of discussing a personnel matter, inviting Principal
Reynolds and Superintendent O’Brien. So voted and motion carried.
The Board returned to Open Session at 8:09 p.m. with no action taken, but the Board had a statement
to read as follows:

VUHS Board Mtg.
2/13/12
Page 4 of 4
“While on medical leave for an injury, Co-Principal Ed Webbley, was charged with DUI and
cited to appear in court on February 27, 2012.”
Adjournment: As there was no further business to discuss, the Chair declared the meeting adjourned
at 8:11 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Neil Kamman
Clerk
/gm