[0:00] (upbeat music)

[0:03] At this point we will call-

[0:04] Recording in progress.

[0:06] Meeting of the Addison

[0:08] Central School District

[0:09] School Board to order

[0:11] on July 20th at 6.03 p.m.

[0:15] We will start off with introductions.

[0:19] Jason, if you want to start.

[0:20] Jason Chams?

[0:22] Laura Hartson.

[0:23] May we have a double?

[0:24] Jess Venable-Nodak.

[0:26] Robin South.

[0:27] Steve Orzak.

[0:29] Ron Mecklen.

[0:30] Steve Cash.

[0:31] Nellie Colaso, Assistant Superintendent.

[0:33] Jamie Rital.

[0:35] Sonya Eflin, Director

[0:37] of Equity, Inclusion,

[0:38] and Restorative Practices.

[0:40] Thank you.

[0:42] So at this point we will

[0:44] move to our first agenda item,

[0:48] which is a motion to adopt the agenda.

[0:51] So moved.

[0:53] Right.

[0:55] Do you want to do an amendment now or?

[0:57] Yes, I think we do

[0:59] need to agenda the agenda.

[1:02] (laughing)

[1:04] Amend the agenda.

[1:05] Sorry folks, a little bit

[1:07] of a summer haze coming off.

[1:11] Yes, I think we need to amend the agenda

[1:14] because we have the

[1:15] executive session as agenda item H,

[1:19] and we will need to make a

[1:20] decision on the individual

[1:22] that is going to fill

[1:23] the vacant shore on seat

[1:25] after that executive session.

[1:28] So is there a motion to amend the agenda?

[1:33] So moved to amend the

[1:34] agenda to insert an action item

[1:37] after an H to appoint

[1:40] the shore representative.

[1:42] All right.

[1:43] Is there any discussion about the motion?

[1:49] All right.

[1:49] All those in favor of

[1:51] amending the agenda,

[1:52] please indicate by saying aye.

[1:54] Aye.

[1:55] All those opposed, please say nay.

[1:59] All right, we have amended the agenda.

[2:04] All right, our next item of business

[2:06] is the first public comment period.

[2:09] Actually Jason, before we go forward,

[2:11] do we have any board

[2:12] members joining us online?

[2:15] I think you can see.

[2:17] I think you're seeing Ann.

[2:18] All right, yes, if

[2:19] we've had some of our--

[2:20] That's our Ann.

[2:24] (board members clapping)

[2:27] All right, Ann, if you

[2:28] could please introduce yourself.

[2:34] All right, try that again.

[2:38] We did not hear you.

[2:40] I tried the first time.

[2:44] All right, thank you.

[2:51] All right.

[2:53] So at this point, we're on to our first

[2:56] public comment period.

[2:58] We will start in the room.

[3:00] If there are individuals that would like

[3:02] to make a public comment,

[3:03] and then we'll go online,

[3:05] I will remind everyone that

[3:06] there's a three minute limit

[3:08] on public comments.

[3:10] So if at this point, anyone in the room

[3:12] would like to make a public comment,

[3:14] please raise your hand with this.

[3:18] I'm not good at this sort of thing,

[3:19] so don't pull me responsible.

[3:23] I am-- Do you mind saying your name?

[3:26] Sorry. Yeah, thank you.

[3:27] I've never been to one

[3:28] of these things before.

[3:29] My name is here Bergeron.

[3:31] I am a Shoreham resident.

[3:33] My daughter is a senior

[3:35] this year at the high school,

[3:37] and we have the privilege

[3:39] of being next door neighbors

[3:41] to Ms. Abigail, and

[3:43] I'm here to support her

[3:45] as being on the school

[3:47] board for the Shoreham opening.

[3:51] I think Abigail, does it

[3:55] really matter which one?

[3:57] Okay, I think Abby

[3:58] would make a great addition

[3:59] to the school board.

[4:00] She is very determined,

[4:02] she's very passionate.

[4:03] She cares about the future

[4:06] of the school for the kids.

[4:09] She's a great mother.

[4:10] She's got three

[4:12] wonderful girls who she teaches

[4:16] all kinds of amazing life skills too,

[4:19] and how to just be great girls.

[4:22] Like today, my 15 turkeys

[4:25] wandered over to her yard.

[4:28] And it was great.

[4:31] She was fantastic and patient,

[4:33] and I think she would do her best,

[4:38] and just be determined

[4:42] and will have any issues

[4:44] that need to be addressed.

[4:48] Yeah, she'd make a great addition.

[4:51] So I'm not good at this,

[4:54] so that's all I have to say.

[4:55] That's all right, thank you.

[4:57] You've seen some of my

[4:58] missteps this evening,

[4:59] so it happens.

[5:01] All right, did you

[5:05] have anything else to say?

[5:07] Not that I can think of on this spot,

[5:09] because public speaking, not my thing.

[5:14] (laughing)

[5:15] Thank you.

[5:16] All right, so at this

[5:18] point, we will move online.

[5:20] I see one hand online.

[5:22] Megan, would you like

[5:24] to make a public comment?

[5:30] Go ahead, Megan.

[5:32] Can we now?

[5:33] Yep, you can. Yes.

[5:35] Okay, so I would also

[5:37] like to say my opinion

[5:42] about how wonderful it would be

[5:45] an opportunity for Adam Murphy

[5:46] to be a member of the

[5:49] board representing Shoreham.

[5:51] I am currently a teacher at Shoreham.

[5:55] I had been the pre-school,

[5:56] or I had been the kindergarten teacher,

[6:00] and I did one last year,

[6:03] and I'll be the

[6:05] pre-school teacher there this year.

[6:08] And this year, from

[6:10] wonderful getting snow abbey,

[6:12] she knows the Shoreham community,

[6:14] she knows the people of Shoreham,

[6:17] and she is an amazing

[6:18] advocate for the family

[6:20] and for the children there,

[6:23] and I think she would be an amazing

[6:25] addition to the board

[6:26] as a Shoreham representative.

[6:28] (mumbles)

[6:32] All right, thank you, Megan.

[6:37] All right, is there

[6:39] anyone else in the room

[6:40] that would like to make a public comment?

[6:45] All right, then you'll go back online.

[6:48] Is there other individuals online

[6:50] that would like to make a public comment?

[6:52] (mumbles)

[6:59] Anyone online would like

[7:00] to make a public comment,

[7:01] please raise your hand

[7:03] so that we can see it.

[7:06] All right, at this point,

[7:07] I'm not seeing any other

[7:08] comments in the room or online,

[7:11] and so we will move to

[7:13] our next agenda item,

[7:15] which is agenda item C,

[7:17] recommendation to approve the minutes

[7:20] of June 22nd, 2026.

[7:23] So moved.

[7:24] All right, is there any

[7:26] discussion about this motion?

[7:31] I thought these were

[7:31] especially clear minutes.

[7:33] Thank you very much.

[7:34] No question.

[7:37] So any other discussion?

[7:41] All right, we will move

[7:42] to vote on the motion.

[7:44] All those in favor,

[7:45] please indicate by saying aye.

[7:47] Aye.

[7:48] All those opposed,

[7:50] please say nay.

[7:52] All right, the minutes

[7:54] from June 22nd are approved.

[7:58] Our next order of business

[7:59] is the Addison Central

[8:01] School District Bills,

[8:03] and I will turn that over to you, Jess.

[8:05] Wow, okay.

[8:06] Bear with me, everyone,

[8:07] because there's quite a few.

[8:10] So the first two are from June 29th.

[8:15] So we have a general fund warrant

[8:17] in the amount of $532,927.66

[8:25] and a payroll warrant in

[8:27] the amount of $111,639.80.

[8:34] There's also a general

[8:35] fund warrant from June 30th,

[8:38] because there was a few things

[8:43] in that last day of the

[8:44] fiscal year that needed their own.

[8:48] Stack of things to be approved.

[8:51] So the June 30th general fund warrant

[8:55] is in the amount of $133,469.28

[9:02] as well as a payroll warrant

[9:04] in the amount of $104,634.12.

[9:09] And then there is the first few bills

[9:17] of the new fiscal year.

[9:19] So a July 10th general fund warrant

[9:22] in the amount of $1,182,678.12.

[9:30] And then a July 8th payroll warrant

[9:33] in the amount of $196,000.

[9:36] $625.90.

[9:41] And I'm happy to make the motion

[9:44] to improve the warrants that I just read.

[9:50] Yeah, go for it.

[9:53] Great, I would love to make that motion.

[9:59] Yeah, all right, so you're saying--

[10:02] That's me making the motion.

[10:03] We're a little rusty here.

[10:07] Yeah.

[10:08] All right, is there any

[10:09] discussion about the motion?

[10:12] All right, we will go

[10:14] ahead and vote on the motion.

[10:16] All those in favor,

[10:17] please indicate by saying aye.

[10:19] Aye.

[10:21] Opposed, please say nay.

[10:24] All right, we have approved the bills.

[10:27] Thank you for going through those, Jess.

[10:30] With that, I'm happy to make the motion.

[10:31] With that, I will turn

[10:33] it over to Dr. Colazzo.

[10:35] Wendy is in a CSU meeting currently.

[10:40] She's going to join us

[10:42] later on in our agenda.

[10:44] And she said that if

[10:46] it supports pleasure,

[10:47] she's happy to report on the beginning

[10:49] of the CSU

[10:50] conversations and how that went.

[10:52] But for now, I'll turn it over to you.

[10:55] Hello, everyone.

[10:56] So our first order of business is the

[10:59] personnel appointments,

[11:00] resignations, and requirements.

[11:03] I just want to point out

[11:04] that we're really excited

[11:05] to have built the

[11:06] position of the full-time

[11:09] non-union, non-step for athletic trainer.

[11:13] That's one of those pieces

[11:13] that we're really looking forward to.

[11:16] We are also really happy

[11:18] that Peggy will be covering

[11:20] for the appointment

[11:23] for the classroom teacher

[11:24] that we had filled.

[11:25] But unfortunately, that person

[11:29] couldn't take the position due to a

[11:30] distance and a moving.

[11:31] So we were really happy that we found

[11:33] Peggy to cover for us.

[11:35] And then we had a late resignation.

[11:37] So those are those pieces

[11:38] that I wanted to highlight

[11:39] for today, these are these.

[11:48] I'll make a motion to

[11:49] accept the appointments

[11:51] and resignations as...

[11:52] (indistinct)

[11:59] (laughing)

[12:03] (indistinct)

[12:07] All right.

[12:12] Is there any discussion about the motion?

[12:17] All right, we will go ahead

[12:19] and vote on the

[12:20] appointments and resignations.

[12:23] All those in favor,

[12:24] please indicate by saying aye.

[12:26] Aye. Aye.

[12:28] All those opposed, please say nay.

[12:32] All right, the

[12:33] appointments and resignations.

[12:34] (indistinct)

[12:35] Oh, sorry.

[12:37] Yes, any abstentions?

[12:38] Yep.

[12:40] Thank you.

[12:43] All right.

[12:44] So we have made it to

[12:46] agenda item F this evening,

[12:49] which is board candidate introductions

[12:53] with questions and answers.

[12:56] And so we have a vacancy on

[12:58] the board in the Shore of Sea.

[13:01] That was left by Barb moving to France.

[13:04] So tonight we have two candidates of me

[13:07] that are interested in

[13:08] fulfilling that role.

[13:10] All board members should

[13:11] have letters in their email

[13:15] from each of these candidates, I believe.

[13:19] And so the plan is to have the candidates

[13:23] both introduce themselves,

[13:26] answer questions that the board has.

[13:30] And then after we have

[13:34] gone through that Q&A session,

[13:36] we will go into an executive session

[13:39] to discuss the appointment,

[13:42] and then we will come

[13:43] out of executive session

[13:45] as we amend the

[13:45] agenda to make the decision

[13:47] on filling that seat.

[13:50] Is there any questions from board members

[13:53] as far as processes or anything?

[13:56] Is anyone missing any of

[13:57] those emails that I referenced?

[14:02] All right, so I think at this point,

[14:05] if the individuals that are interested

[14:08] in being candidates for the board,

[14:10] we would like for you

[14:11] to introduce yourselves.

[14:12] If one of you wants to go first,

[14:15] we don't have a particular process.

[14:18] But yeah, either of you

[14:20] would like to introduce.

[14:24] I'll go.

[14:26] Abigail Murphy, most of you have known me

[14:27] because I've been coming

[14:28] to these meetings frequently

[14:30] since before the merge

[14:31] with the Shore and Bridgeport

[14:32] communities.

[14:34] I have been involved with that

[14:37] and all the leading up to that

[14:40] with meetings here, but

[14:42] also in the community.

[14:44] Been on the PTO

[14:47] committees, transportation,

[14:49] trying to figure that

[14:50] out in afterschool programs

[14:52] in our communities.

[14:54] I feel that as a, I've

[14:57] been immersed in Shoreham

[14:59] and the ACSD

[15:00] community since I walked these

[15:03] walkthrough this building.

[15:05] So I graduated from here in 2006.

[15:09] So I have been around for a while

[15:12] and I have a lot of

[15:13] connections with a lot of families

[15:15] with the new ACSD.

[15:17] I am a mom of three, as you heard,

[15:19] and a business owner

[15:21] in the next town over.

[15:24] And so have the

[15:25] flexibility as a mom to be on board

[15:28] and be committed to learning

[15:30] and be here.

[15:33] I have also been a foster

[15:34] parent within Addison County.

[15:37] So advocating for children

[15:39] has been a huge on my list

[15:42] to make sure they are safe and happy

[15:45] finding community and connection.

[15:51] Yeah, and so I think

[15:52] we'll have the other candidate

[15:54] introduce themselves as well.

[15:56] And then we'll move into questions

[15:57] and the answer does that work?

[15:58] All right, yeah, thank you.

[16:01] My name's Deborah Pinkerton

[16:03] and you know that I came in,

[16:05] visited for the last meeting

[16:06] and then also sent the followup letter.

[16:09] So I thought I would just bring that,

[16:10] maybe just highlight some of

[16:12] the things I wrote in the letter

[16:13] and elaborate it a little bit.

[16:16] But I will start off to

[16:17] say that both Abby and I

[16:19] both bring sets of

[16:21] strengths to the table.

[16:23] They're different strengths,

[16:24] but I will attest that

[16:27] Abby is a wonderful neighbor

[16:28] and she's a wonderful mom

[16:31] and I've enjoyed getting to know her.

[16:33] And as she serves, she

[16:35] knows that I would support her

[16:37] and I know that she

[16:37] would do a wonderful job.

[16:39] And so, but again, I

[16:42] bring some different strengths

[16:43] to the table and that's okay.

[16:45] So like I said, I'll

[16:48] just read some of this.

[16:49] And this letter was sent on

[16:50] June 23rd after I visited.

[16:53] And I said, "Dear Dr.

[16:55] Baker and ACSD School Board,

[16:57] thank you for the

[16:57] opportunity last night to observe

[16:59] and to learn more about the

[17:00] duties of a local school board.

[17:03] Everyone was very welcoming

[17:05] and I felt very comfortable

[17:06] following the discussions."

[17:09] And then, well, I kind of

[17:10] jumped to my credentials

[17:12] that I have bachelor of science

[17:15] in secondary education English.

[17:18] My teaching certification is current.

[17:21] I have a master's degree in English

[17:24] and I also have a doctorate in

[17:26] educational leadership.

[17:30] In my career, I've

[17:31] been involved in higher ed

[17:32] for over 20 years as

[17:33] an adjunct instructor

[17:34] and or a writing tutor.

[17:36] Most English teachers serve

[17:39] as writing tutors as well.

[17:40] So I've been in education

[17:42] for a good amount of time.

[17:45] And I have, we were from Pennsylvania

[17:49] and so where I worked

[17:51] was in Philadelphia area,

[17:52] colleges and universities.

[17:56] I currently teach

[17:57] English composition online

[18:00] for one particular university in Nevada

[18:03] and for one in

[18:05] Pennsylvania, that's where we're from.

[18:09] We know with COVID

[18:10] that education went online

[18:12] and so some of these

[18:13] opportunities I had to stay online.

[18:17] I am certified to teach online.

[18:21] I'm also a substitute

[18:22] teacher in the ACSD district.

[18:28] I've subbed in three of the

[18:29] buildings in this district.

[18:33] And I feel like that

[18:33] affords me a perspective

[18:36] that not everyone has.

[18:39] As far as my family, I'm married,

[18:42] I have four grown children,

[18:43] all four of them have

[18:44] graduated from college.

[18:47] I enjoy four grandchildren,

[18:49] one of whom has special

[18:51] needs is on the autism spectrum.

[18:54] And so I feel like again, that affords me

[18:57] a particular

[18:58] perspective that not everyone has.

[19:02] I have owned a home in Shoram since 2014.

[19:09] As far as community service,

[19:11] I volunteer for Meals on

[19:12] Wheels through Middlebury Agewell.

[19:16] I lend a hand as a poll worker in Shoram

[19:18] during election days.

[19:21] I serve on Shoram's,

[19:22] I have served on

[19:23] Shoram's Planning Commission.

[19:28] And the reasons for serving,

[19:29] so if one of the questions would be,

[19:31] why would you like to serve in this

[19:35] capacity on this board?

[19:37] I'm semi-retired, semi-retired,

[19:40] which means I do have the time.

[19:42] And I'm interested in

[19:43] giving back to the community

[19:44] in a way that uses my training

[19:48] and my experiences to benefit,

[19:51] I wanna say not only Shoram's students,

[19:54] I mean, obviously I would be representing

[19:56] Shoram and their needs,

[19:59] but I'd also like to

[20:00] benefit all the students,

[20:02] all of the students who are

[20:05] represented in our district

[20:08] to be able to

[20:09] contribute to creating policies.

[20:13] And I did close the letter

[20:15] by saying that I'm respectful,

[20:17] I'm very respectful, Abby,

[20:19] of the fact that

[20:20] others might be interested

[20:22] in serving this way.

[20:24] And I just close again by saying,

[20:27] thank you for your

[20:28] consideration, Dr. Pinkerton.

[20:32] Thank you.

[20:33] Thank you.

[20:34] All right, so at this point,

[20:36] board members, we've heard introductions

[20:38] from both candidates.

[20:40] I think we can open it up to a Q&A.

[20:43] I think similar to how we

[20:46] navigated the conversation

[20:48] with previous board seats,

[20:50] I think that's we

[20:52] focused on topic at hand

[20:55] for questions kind of concise,

[20:57] and I think use these

[21:00] candidates time efficiently.

[21:03] Anyone with questions?

[21:05] Jason.

[21:07] I was hoping you could

[21:08] each tell us your thoughts

[21:10] on the district's

[21:11] equity based strategic plan.

[21:19] That's fine.

[21:20] (laughing)

[21:21] I would not be able to

[21:23] give a lot of information

[21:25] or details on that,

[21:26] but that doesn't mean

[21:26] if I was on the board,

[21:28] I would make sure that I would become

[21:30] familiarized with it

[21:33] and be able to

[21:33] contribute the best that I could.

[21:35] I think just to make it easy

[21:37] so we don't keep

[21:38] having going back and forth,

[21:39] Abby, you introduced yourself first,

[21:42] and you answered that question first.

[21:44] So the next one, if it's two,

[21:46] we'll have you go first, Abby.

[21:48] We'll just kind of go back and forth

[21:50] so there's some sense to it.

[21:52] Is Abby going to answer that?

[21:54] Abby's answer the same way.

[21:56] I think that equity and

[21:58] equality is a huge thing.

[22:00] I grew up with a handicap aunt

[22:02] who was nonverbal or non-agilatory.

[22:05] So there's some back there.

[22:12] Jamie.

[22:14] Thanks you guys for coming here.

[22:16] I was wondering if

[22:16] maybe you could just say

[22:18] the extent to which

[22:20] you're familiar with our work,

[22:21] what you see as a few important things

[22:27] facing the board over

[22:28] the next year, let's say.

[22:30] What do you think?

[22:31] What's your

[22:31] understanding of what kinds of things

[22:32] we'll be dealing with?

[22:34] Right now there's conversations

[22:36] of the Cornwall and Waveridge.

[22:40] And I think that's pretty big.

[22:42] I think that being an open

[22:44] conversation has been good

[22:45] from what I've heard from the community.

[22:49] And I think another year of

[22:52] keeping an eye on our budget

[22:54] is gonna be huge with all this coming

[22:57] down from the state.

[22:58] I think that we are,

[23:05] there's a lot of change

[23:07] in the next five years

[23:10] across the state, not

[23:11] just in our small towns.

[23:14] Thanks.

[23:16] Well, I would agree with

[23:17] the budget and finances

[23:19] and some of the changes that have

[23:20] transpired recently.

[23:22] But I'd also say as an educator

[23:25] that one of my priorities that I see

[23:28] and that I think I've heard more about

[23:30] is supporting students in the classroom

[23:37] outside of, I wanna say

[23:40] technology and cell phones

[23:43] and in education there was a shift

[23:46] to get technology into the classroom.

[23:48] And now I think there's

[23:49] a little bit of a shift

[23:50] to manage it a little bit better,

[23:53] especially with students

[23:54] coming in from the summer

[23:57] and just having free

[23:58] reign over cell phones

[24:00] and iPads and all kinds of digital.

[24:02] So, and I see it in higher ed as well.

[24:05] So these seniors are gonna

[24:08] hopefully go off into college

[24:09] or into a trade where they would not,

[24:14] they have to be equipped.

[24:15] They need to be

[24:16] equipped to be able to use AI

[24:20] and AI tools and chat GPT tools.

[24:26] However, we want to also manage that

[24:31] as they come into the classroom.

[24:32] I think one area that I

[24:35] see could use improvement

[24:37] is working with students to get back

[24:40] to understanding how

[24:43] just the art of reflection

[24:46] and mindfulness and instead of always

[24:49] having to be so busy

[24:52] that they sometimes

[24:54] have concentration issues.

[24:56] And so I think I would be

[24:58] very supportive of the teachers

[25:00] and all the grade levels

[25:02] on how to manage technology

[25:05] and their ability to focus and yeah,

[25:10] to be able to focus

[25:11] better in the classroom.

[25:12] And I think that'd be

[25:13] advantageous all around

[25:15] for the educators and for the students

[25:17] to be able to manage that, so.

[25:21] Okay.

[25:25] So, all right, question Steve.

[25:28] Both of you mentioned that you would be,

[25:31] that part of your job is to advocate

[25:33] for the community.

[25:35] This is a district wide appointment.

[25:37] Can you please address

[25:39] how you will keep the focus

[25:40] on the district rather

[25:41] than the individual school?

[25:44] I think it's your turn Deb.

[25:48] It's fine.

[25:49] (laughing)

[25:53] Well, I think my focus first of all,

[25:55] coming in would be as a learner

[25:58] and to show humility

[26:02] in being able to learn

[26:04] from the members that

[26:05] were on the board already.

[26:08] And I think that some of the policies,

[26:12] I would be interested

[26:13] in some of the policies

[26:16] of being set for the students and,

[26:26] I think it would just really concentrate

[26:28] on whatever the policies

[26:29] are that would be presented

[26:31] to be able to learn the most that I can

[26:33] and to be able to

[26:34] contribute some of my background,

[26:37] some of my experiences.

[26:38] I mean, things like curriculum mapping,

[26:44] being able to analyze data on how

[26:49] students are performing

[26:52] as far as the learning outcomes.

[26:58] I think identifying the learning outcomes

[27:01] for the different age

[27:02] groups, from different grades,

[27:04] being able to analyze the

[27:06] data of how they're performing

[27:08] and how to turn it around

[27:11] and improve their performance.

[27:13] And to learn what their challenges are.

[27:17] And again, filling the shore, see,

[27:22] but also seeing what the

[27:23] needs are of the other buildings

[27:27] in the district and trying

[27:28] to just make a difference

[27:30] in contributing to the

[27:31] policies that the board would make.

[27:34] I wanna say as a team,

[27:35] community, a team person,

[27:39] as far as what's

[27:41] discussed and what's decided,

[27:42] the best that it could.

[27:47] My understanding is

[27:47] that we all represent,

[27:49] all children and staff within ACSD.

[27:51] And my decisions to take this chair,

[27:58] the C is based on the conversations

[28:01] that are being had in these communities.

[28:03] I have been in the Bridgeport community.

[28:05] My children are in 4-H clubs there,

[28:09] with Shoreham community, as you all know,

[28:11] but also Cornwall and

[28:12] Webridge communities.

[28:14] I'm pretty, my kids,

[28:16] I chose my kids to do

[28:17] a different daycare or

[28:21] pre-kip school program,

[28:23] because, and so I met

[28:25] with Ripton families

[28:26] and Cornwall families

[28:27] and Webridge families.

[28:28] And these conversations,

[28:31] all school conversations have happened

[28:34] with all of those people

[28:36] through my connections there.

[28:39] And I have some

[28:40] pretty strong relationships

[28:41] with other individuals in other schools.

[28:44] And I grew up in schools.

[28:46] My mom is a retired teacher.

[28:48] So I do see the importance

[28:50] of education and public ed

[28:53] and what it really means to kids.

[28:58] And I think that that's my...

[29:03] Thank you.

[29:10] So while it's selected for the C,

[29:15] you would definitely

[29:16] represent all of these CSD voters

[29:20] and families.

[29:22] We would, as the Shoreham representative,

[29:24] be counting on you as kind of a liaison

[29:26] in the Shoreham community.

[29:28] Sure.

[29:28] So, and that community

[29:31] will be going through

[29:32] like a lot of changes in the coming year,

[29:35] as you're well aware.

[29:36] So, yes, my question

[29:38] is what you're hearing

[29:40] from your neighbors that

[29:42] you would like to bring

[29:43] to the work of the board.

[29:46] I think there's still a

[29:47] lot of unanswered questions

[29:48] for both communities

[29:49] on this consolidation.

[29:52] But we're, this is

[29:53] the second time around.

[29:54] So I think we're, as a community,

[29:57] trying to make the

[29:58] best of it and figure out

[30:00] what is best for all these children

[30:04] in this big transition for them,

[30:06] how we can support all of the teachers

[30:08] because it's a big

[30:09] transition for teachers as well.

[30:12] I think there is only

[30:13] two teachers from Shoreham

[30:16] that are gonna be at

[30:17] the Recorder building,

[30:19] but other support staff

[30:20] will be there, I think.

[30:22] Just making sure that the

[30:23] kids are, I think that for me,

[30:25] and I'm in the building,

[30:27] I've been in the

[30:28] Shoreham building every day

[30:31] and having conversations with my kids.

[30:32] They're in T-ball and soccer

[30:34] and having open conversations with

[30:37] parents at those events.

[30:39] And just, yeah, so.

[30:46] Well, I think we all realize that change

[30:50] is not easy for a lot of people.

[30:54] There are some people

[30:54] that thrive on change,

[30:57] but some people, it's just

[30:59] difficult and any sort of change.

[31:02] So, I mean, I would be

[31:03] going in with the mindset that,

[31:06] this is change and

[31:08] it's change for families.

[31:09] It involves

[31:11] transportation and it involves sports.

[31:15] I mean, I served with Molly

[31:17] Kerr on one of the committees.

[31:19] I mean, she's a wonderful

[31:20] addition to our community.

[31:23] But when I served in

[31:26] the Shoreham building,

[31:28] is it Jenny Erbman,

[31:29] who's the principal over at

[31:30] at Pittport now?

[31:32] And so I worked with

[31:33] her and worked with other,

[31:36] some of the other teachers.

[31:38] And again, I feel like

[31:40] being in the classroom,

[31:42] understanding classroom management,

[31:44] understanding curriculum,

[31:46] understanding the needs of the children

[31:49] from an educator's

[31:50] perspective of being in the classroom

[31:54] and things like the library subbing for

[31:58] Abby in the library.

[32:01] And just understanding

[32:02] how the school functions

[32:04] is a different perspective

[32:05] that I feel like I can bring

[32:07] to helping the

[32:08] families in the transition.

[32:12] So we do know families also

[32:14] and have heard different conversations.

[32:16] And some of those

[32:18] conversations can get quite emotional.

[32:22] And I think something that

[32:24] I would bring to the table

[32:25] would be trying to keep a calm demeanor,

[32:29] try to be a good listener,

[32:32] try to come up with different options.

[32:37] And so, I may be

[32:39] thinking one option might be,

[32:42] advantageous and I

[32:43] might have a conversation

[32:44] with someone else that

[32:45] would have a comfortable

[32:46] and personal perspective.

[32:47] And I'd like to feel like

[32:49] I'm a flexible kind of person

[32:50] that way when it

[32:52] comes to making decisions.

[32:54] I would like to be firm when

[32:57] the decision needs to be made

[32:59] but I'd like to also be

[33:00] flexible to hear the hearts

[33:03] and not just, it's

[33:04] not just paper and names

[33:07] written somewhere, their families,

[33:09] they represent many years

[33:11] of being in the community.

[33:12] Like Abby's been in

[33:13] the community many years

[33:15] and she could tell

[33:17] you some of the stories

[33:18] of these families a

[33:19] lot better than I could

[33:21] but I do feel like since

[33:22] I've been here 16 years,

[33:25] two years, that I've

[33:27] gotten to know families

[33:29] and have served in the town

[33:30] and could represent the town

[33:32] and this transition as best they could.

[33:37] Thank you.

[33:43] Other questions?

[33:52] All right.

[33:54] Call.

[33:57] All right, I think at this

[33:58] point for the two candidates,

[34:00] is there any last

[34:01] statements you would like to say

[34:03] to the board or anything?

[34:05] Thank you.

[34:06] And I will, if I don't get the seat

[34:08] but I will still be here, as you know,

[34:11] sitting right here

[34:13] supporting as best I can.

[34:16] I'm sorry, I just was

[34:17] trying to actually remember

[34:19] the question that I asked when

[34:21] we've gone through this before

[34:22] so that's why I've sort of joined.

[34:25] Your question.

[34:26] Yes.

[34:28] (laughing)

[34:29] I didn't wanna just, okay, thank you.

[34:33] I just wanted to be consistent

[34:35] as we've done this process before

[34:38] and I feel like it's a little more fair

[34:40] if we have our questions kind of similar

[34:43] as the issues are similar.

[34:46] So the question that I asked last time

[34:48] and I'll just repeat again

[34:49] if you guys will indulge me

[34:51] is what thoughts or

[34:54] creative solutions do you have

[34:56] for the board as it tackles the challenge

[34:58] of facilities planning

[35:00] and our five-year

[35:01] capital improvement plan?

[35:06] Deb, I believe you're

[35:08] up first on this one.

[35:09] Thank you.

[35:11] Well, if I read

[35:12] correctly, I think Barbara,

[35:14] that was the committee that she served

[35:16] on, is that correct?

[35:18] It's one of the committees she served on.

[35:21] Come on, come on.

[35:21] Okay.

[35:23] I think that I would have to,

[35:31] I would have to first of all,

[35:37] go to the sites and learn more

[35:40] about the needs of the sites.

[35:43] I can't say that I

[35:45] know all of the buildings

[35:47] from that perspective.

[35:49] So I would need to go and I would, okay.

[35:52] So one thing that I've

[35:53] learned in life is that,

[35:55] when you take on a particular venture,

[35:59] you don't have to know

[36:00] everything about that,

[36:02] but you do need to

[36:03] know the people who know

[36:05] or you don't know.

[36:07] And so I think if I served on the board,

[36:10] I don't expect myself to,

[36:14] I mean, I have a lot of confidence,

[36:15] but I don't expect

[36:16] myself to know everything.

[36:19] And what I would do is

[36:21] I would find the people

[36:22] who know the things that I don't know

[36:26] and know them better than I know them.

[36:30] And I would just ask a lot of questions.

[36:33] I mean, education, that's really,

[36:35] one of the first things

[36:37] we learned as educators

[36:39] to learn how to ask questions.

[36:41] And so I guess I would

[36:42] just visit the sites.

[36:44] I would ask a lot of questions.

[36:46] I would try to connect

[36:47] with the people who know

[36:50] and understand what all of that involves.

[36:54] And then hopefully I would

[36:56] be able to bring to the table

[36:58] information that would benefit, again,

[37:00] the whole school district.

[37:03] And that's the best way I

[37:04] can answer that right now.

[37:09] It's about issues, exactly right.

[37:11] About learning and

[37:12] listening to our communities

[37:14] and listening to just our communities,

[37:20] and parents and kids.

[37:23] I think also

[37:23] listening to our little kids,

[37:25] they might be little,

[37:26] but there's a lot in there.

[37:30] This is, for instance, my kid is six,

[37:33] never ridden the bus.

[37:34] And she all of a sudden is

[37:36] calling one of the bus drivers,

[37:38] not the, that's not the nice bus.

[37:41] And so these kids are

[37:44] having baseline conversations

[37:45] and we may be listening to them as well

[37:47] as kind of a gist of that.

[37:49] But also I think our

[37:51] five-year plan is gonna change.

[37:54] It could change over the next five years

[37:57] based on what happens at a state level.

[38:01] And so I think we also,

[38:02] we'd be ready for that

[38:03] and thinking about bigger changes

[38:06] and how to support all of our community

[38:10] through those changes, not

[38:11] just what our thoughts are

[38:13] for the next five years.

[38:15] (keyboard clicking)

[38:19] In the interest of asking

[38:21] basically all of the questions

[38:23] that we asked last week,

[38:24] I'll ask Taryn's question, which is,

[38:27] what's the main motivation

[38:28] that brings you to the board?

[38:32] I think having three

[38:33] little girls that are young,

[38:36] entering the school's system,

[38:41] and been a foster parent and seeing

[38:45] that end of things as well.

[38:47] I also wanna be able

[38:50] to support our children

[38:52] and the best way that I can is serving

[38:57] and learning from you guys

[39:01] and working as a team to continue

[39:03] to support our children and our staff.

[39:06] (keyboard clicking)

[39:09] For me, my motivation is I'm an educator.

[39:14] I've been an educator and

[39:16] I want to stay an educator

[39:18] and my experiences, my credentials.

[39:22] I'm a community member that pays taxes.

[39:24] I am a parent, so I understand,

[39:28] even though my children are

[39:29] grown and I have grandchildren,

[39:31] I remember the days when

[39:33] they were coming through

[39:35] school just like this

[39:37] and I was involved then.

[39:39] And I just feel like

[39:41] some of these experiences

[39:43] that I can use to

[39:45] benefit the school district

[39:48] with new decisions and

[39:49] policies that are made.

[39:54] Thank you.

[39:58] Board members, is there

[39:59] any further questions?

[40:01] (keyboard clicking)

[40:03] All right.

[40:06] All right, so Abby, you've had a chance

[40:09] to address the board.

[40:10] Is there any additional thoughts

[40:11] that you would like to share

[40:12] after this last couple of questions?

[40:14] All right, then I will

[40:15] turn it over to you, Deb,

[40:16] for any final thoughts.

[40:18] I would be excited to be able to serve.

[40:21] I've had a chance to get to

[40:22] know some of you a little bit.

[40:23] Now, when I had this first

[40:24] conversation with Barbara,

[40:25] I wasn't sure, and that

[40:27] first time when I came,

[40:29] it was just to really

[40:30] kind of check it out.

[40:31] We do not have a lot of confidence,

[40:33] but I feel like as I've

[40:35] gotten to know some of the issues

[40:37] and some of the people

[40:38] and how the board functions

[40:41] and the jobs of the board,

[40:45] I started getting more and more excited.

[40:47] And so I would like to be

[40:49] able to bring that confidence

[40:51] and excitement to the board.

[40:55] All right, thank you both for your time

[40:57] and for submitting your emails

[41:01] and taking time on

[41:03] previous occasions to be here.

[41:06] Yes, great, thank you so much.

[41:08] Is this?

[41:09] What does this say or who does this say?

[41:12] At this point, you are

[41:14] welcome to either come or go,

[41:16] your own accord.

[41:18] We will continue to

[41:19] move on through our agenda.

[41:21] We do have an executive session

[41:24] where we'll be discussing the appointment

[41:26] after we come out of

[41:27] that executive session,

[41:29] we will be voting.

[41:30] At this point, as a board,

[41:33] Wendy has offered to share

[41:35] an update on her CSU meeting.

[41:38] If we would like to do that now,

[41:40] we could do that later

[41:41] in the agenda as well.

[41:44] So I don't know what

[41:45] folks would like to do.

[41:47] Wendy, you are willing to...

[41:50] I am, I serve at the

[41:51] pleasure of the board

[41:51] and I'm getting these

[41:52] latest phone numbers for me.

[41:54] (laughing)

[41:56] Can you just quick clarify?

[41:57] I'm sure, so they will not be here

[41:59] during the executive session?

[42:00] Correct. Correct.

[42:01] Okay, so make sure you

[42:02] guys don't have to understand.

[42:03] Okay. Yeah.

[42:06] Second public comment.

[42:07] Yes, so we can do it in

[42:09] the second public comment

[42:11] and then do the CSU update.

[42:12] We can do the CSU update before.

[42:15] You just don't wanna

[42:16] miss that opportunity.

[42:18] Gooder, it's still what people want.

[42:20] Yes, we definitely will get

[42:21] to the second public comment

[42:22] would people like to do the CSU update

[42:25] before that?

[42:26] Yes, we can. All right.

[42:28] Do we need to amend

[42:30] our agenda to do that?

[42:31] I don't think so.

[42:32] All right.

[42:34] So Wendy, we will turn it

[42:36] over to you for the CSU update.

[42:39] And then what we will do

[42:40] is it will go CSU update,

[42:43] second public comment,

[42:45] then we will go into

[42:46] the executive session.

[42:48] And then after that, we will

[42:50] come out and vote on vacancy

[42:53] and then we will adjourn.

[42:55] And so you are both welcome to stay

[42:57] until the point that we get

[42:58] to that executive session.

[43:00] And then we'll come back.

[43:01] The question is how long

[43:02] is your executive session gonna be?

[43:04] Should I just, can we

[43:05] stay until you like come back

[43:06] or should we, could you vote before?

[43:09] Like if you wanna be here for that?

[43:12] No, we will do what we have on our agenda

[43:14] and as we amended it,

[43:15] I am not going to speculate

[43:17] on how long our executive session,

[43:19] just so I don't put myself in a position

[43:21] where I waste a bunch of your time

[43:23] waiting for us to be done

[43:24] and we are having

[43:25] important conversations.

[43:25] Your link will be back open now.

[43:27] Is that how that works?

[43:29] Yes, that is the plan afterwards.

[43:32] Right, correct.

[43:33] After your executive session,

[43:34] you're gonna vote back up.

[43:35] And I'll also call both of you.

[43:37] Okay.

[43:38] And so we're welcome

[43:39] to stay for Dr. Baker's,

[43:42] Yep, correct.

[43:43] I'd like to take some notes.

[43:47] Turn it over to you.

[43:48] Okay, so we did have the first meeting

[43:51] of the CSSA that we were a part of,

[43:56] which I think is the Chittenden South.

[44:01] You know, I might not

[44:02] have that name quite right

[44:04] in that sense.

[44:05] We were all happy to

[44:06] be in the room together

[44:07] and there's a lot of interest.

[44:12] There were staff from all districts

[44:16] that many of the districts that,

[44:19] I think I was never worth a mark,

[44:20] but many of the

[44:21] districts who also attended,

[44:23] a couple of board

[44:23] members from the districts.

[44:27] Today was an organizing meeting.

[44:29] We have set a scheduled meetings

[44:31] where the third Friday of every month,

[44:36] we'll be meeting from about 9.30 to noon.

[44:39] And it's a lot of up front work.

[44:42] Adam Bunting and I are co-chairs

[44:45] of the CSSA.

[44:46] So we will be trying to learn,

[44:51] especially if we can, about the processes

[44:53] that we follow and so

[44:55] that we can get it up

[44:56] and going as smoothly and

[44:59] efficiently as possible.

[45:00] There is a statewide

[45:03] cohort that is forming

[45:06] of members of CSSA's

[45:11] that can learn together

[45:13] around some of the national models.

[45:15] And so forth so that we're all able

[45:18] to kind of do that

[45:20] efficiently and at scale

[45:21] and move on to go

[45:23] ahead and join that cohort.

[45:26] I think there's some maybe some worry

[45:31] on the part of all of

[45:33] us about the process

[45:36] of standing up a CSSA

[45:38] and the cost of that

[45:40] while we understandably have to continue

[45:43] to do some very complicated services

[45:45] inside the district.

[45:46] So, for example, to get an

[45:49] executive director on board

[45:50] that is gonna be able

[45:51] to move things forward,

[45:53] they aren't gonna be able to

[45:54] move it forward right away.

[45:57] So that those are

[45:57] kind of a duplicate cost.

[45:59] So that's on all our minds.

[46:03] For each of the districts,

[46:05] the superintendent is

[46:07] the designee voting member.

[46:11] I thought that we would

[46:11] appreciate understanding that.

[46:15] So, we kind of just worked

[46:17] through some of the basics

[46:19] and the next time we're

[46:20] gonna meet is September 18th.

[46:23] Yes, and the dependent and the seven days

[46:26] are our papers of record and CDSD,

[46:29] Champlain Valley School District

[46:31] will host the website for now.

[46:34] So there will be a dedicated website

[46:35] and we will have a

[46:37] link that points to that.

[46:39] So we'll make sure that

[46:41] Darcy puts on our calendar

[46:43] those meetings as well,

[46:45] they're public meetings

[46:46] and the board members themselves

[46:49] will try to be in attendance,

[46:51] but I'm sure there'll

[46:52] be a Zoom link as well

[46:54] for anybody that would like to come in.

[46:57] They're recorded and posted just like,

[47:02] we follow all the same open meeting laws

[47:04] as where the boards do.

[47:07] So are there questions or thoughts?

[47:12] Can you just remind us of the districts

[47:14] that we are group with?

[47:16] Yep, so Champlain Valley School District

[47:20] has the high schools people know most,

[47:22] that's where CBU is the high school

[47:24] and the surrounding towns around that.

[47:26] Mount Mansfield School District

[47:27] is Mount Mansfield Union High School,

[47:29] Jericho, Richmond, those are the towns

[47:34] that are kind of in that area.

[47:35] And then there's as in

[47:37] Central, as in Northwest,

[47:39] Mount Aide School District

[47:40] and Lincoln School District

[47:42] and the Career Center as well.

[47:49] Any other questions?

[47:53] Well, thank you Wendy.

[47:56] Stepping into the spotlight quickly.

[47:59] That's okay, it's

[48:00] fortuitous that that was this evening

[48:03] so I just thought

[48:05] you'd appreciate knowing

[48:06] that we at least we had made a start

[48:08] and we have a series

[48:10] of scheduled meetings

[48:10] and we'll continue.

[48:13] All right, so at this point,

[48:16] we are onto agenda item G,

[48:18] which is our second public comment.

[48:21] We will operate the same as we did

[48:23] during our first public comment.

[48:26] Comments are limited to three minutes.

[48:29] We will start in the room.

[48:30] If there's anyone that would

[48:31] like to take a public comment

[48:34] and then we will move online.

[48:35] Is there anyone in the room that would

[48:38] like to make a comment?

[48:41] All right, so we will go online

[48:44] and then I'm seeing one hand, so Rebecca.

[48:51] Hi, I also wanted to just

[48:53] speak on behalf of Abigail.

[48:55] I am proud to support

[48:56] Abigail for the school board,

[48:57] she's a thoughtful listener,

[48:59] a strong advocate and a proven leader

[49:00] who is deeply invested in our community.

[49:03] While she is running for the short on C,

[49:05] Abigail understands

[49:06] that every decision made

[49:07] by the school board

[49:08] impacts children and families

[49:09] across all of our towns.

[49:11] She is committed to ensuring

[49:12] that every child is supported,

[49:14] valued and given the

[49:15] opportunity to succeed.

[49:17] Abigail consistently puts kids first,

[49:19] listens with an open mind

[49:21] and leads with integrity and compassion.

[49:23] She has my full support

[49:24] and I encourage others

[49:25] to support her as well.

[49:27] Please know that I had to pre-write this

[49:30] so that I didn't

[49:30] fumble over all of my words,

[49:32] but I am super excited that

[49:34] we have some Sharm residents

[49:36] who are willing to take that toll

[49:39] and join the board and helping others.

[49:44] Thank you, thank you Rebecca.

[49:49] All right, well, continuing on,

[49:52] I'm not seeing any

[49:53] public comments in the room

[49:55] so we will stick with

[49:56] the online public comments.

[49:59] Is there anyone else online

[50:00] that would like to make a public comment?

[50:06] All right, we'll do one last call.

[50:09] I'm not seeing any

[50:10] hands online or in the room.

[50:14] All right, so that concludes

[50:16] our second public comment period.

[50:19] So at this point,

[50:22] we are contemplating

[50:25] entering executive session.

[50:27] Is there a motion?

[50:29] I move to enter executive session

[50:30] for one of the SA 31383 to

[50:33] appoint the public officer.

[50:35] I'd like to invite Doctors Closso,

[50:38] they've got a plan,

[50:39] I'll call on them inside their second.

[50:41] All right, is there any

[50:44] discussion about this motion?

[50:48] All right, we will vote on the motion.

[50:52] And did you have a comment?

[50:55] No, I'm just waiting to

[50:58] be unmuted for voting.

[50:59] All right, thank you.

[51:01] All right, all those in favor,

[51:04] please indicate by saying aye.

[51:06] Aye.

[51:07] All those opposed, we say nay.

[51:11] All right, the motion is approved

[51:13] and we will move into executive session.

[51:16] (upbeat music)

[51:18] All right, at this

[51:22] point, Mary and Heather,

[51:24] I think I will turn it forward to you

[51:27] if you're prepared or

[51:28] if you need another--

[51:28] Sounds good, so for the board action

[51:33] of appointing the

[51:34] Shoreham seat on the board

[51:38] until the end of the term,

[51:42] and I guess it's ends March.

[51:44] March of 27th.

[51:46] I'm not sure what

[51:47] specific date March of 2027.

[51:50] So I'm gonna go around and

[51:51] just name board member names.

[51:54] And if you can, please

[51:56] identify whether you are voting

[51:58] for Abby Murphy or Deb Pinkerton.

[52:01] And it would be helpful if

[52:02] you just start very clear

[52:03] about that, so I have--

[52:07] That's lots of B's in those names.

[52:08] Top of my list is Steve Cash.

[52:11] I'm assuming you'll be voting Steve, so.

[52:15] Abby.

[52:16] Okay.

[52:18] Jason Shanks.

[52:19] I'm Deb Pinkerton.

[52:21] James is not here.

[52:23] Laura Hartson.

[52:25] Deb.

[52:27] Ron Matt.

[52:28] Abby.

[52:30] Jamie McCallum.

[52:31] Abby.

[52:33] Myself, I'm voting for Deb.

[52:36] Steve Orrzeck.

[52:37] Deb.

[52:39] Jess.

[52:42] Abby.

[52:44] Ellen.

[52:45] Abby.

[52:49] Barb Wilson is obviously not here.

[52:50] Robin, Abby.

[52:53] And Anne.

[52:55] Abby.

[53:02] Seven votes in favor of

[53:03] Abby, four in favor of Deb.

[53:05] So Abby.

[53:07] Bye.

[53:09] All right.

[53:11] Well, we have selected

[53:13] the Shoreham board member

[53:15] at this point, and that

[53:17] is the end of our agenda.

[53:19] Is there a motion to adjourn?

[53:23] So moved.

[53:24] All right, thank you.

[53:27] Thank you.

[53:29] So you're calling?

[53:30] Thank you.

[53:31] (laughing)

[53:31] (static)

ACSD School Board Meeting 07/20/2026

Transcript