RSSAll Entries in the "Act 46" Category

Analysis: Act 46 impacts 'mental exercise' of shuffling schools between districts

Analysis: Act 46 impacts ‘mental exercise’ of shuffling schools between districts

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the last Green Mountain Unified School District meeting on Oct. 19, member Scott Kendall of Andover asked for an analysis of whether it would be advantageous for Cavendish to “redistrict” to the Ludlow-Mount Holly District and if there would be an advantage or disadvantage to LMH […]

GM board restores priorities, bets on programs to attract more students

GM board restores priorities, bets on programs to attract more students At least two board members will not run for re-election

By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Presented with a 2020-21 budget that stripped out all of the educational priorities it adopted in mid-2019, the finance committee of the Green Mountain Unified School District on Monday pushed back to restore programs, teacher positions and supplies while taking a gamble that offering more would make […]

Sharpe on Act 46: Were we hoodwinked?

Sharpe on Act 46: Were we hoodwinked? Former legislator looks at promises, realities of consolidation

By David Sharpe I am distressed by the proposals for school closings in Addison County. The legislature’s education committees took many weeks of testimony over a six-year period regarding how we move forward as a state in providing quality education for Vermont children in a way that taxpayers could afford. As the chairman of the […]

TRSU won't to reopen budget for more cuts

TRSU won’t to reopen budget for more cuts

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Two Rivers Supervisory Union board of directors, meeting on Monday night, voted 4 to 1 against reopening the SU’s budget. The Green Mountain Unified School District Finance Committee had asked the board to look at reducing the assessment it bills to the district in the committee’s […]

News Analysis: Oversight or overreach by TRSU board

News Analysis: Oversight or overreach by TRSU board

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC As the Two Rivers Supervisory Union prepares to return to its board on Thursday, Jan. 3 with a level funded budget for FY20, resistance to one item has cropped up over and over and that seems to be telling a larger story with larger questions. Namely, what […]

Required spending vexes GM finance panel

Required spending vexes GM finance panel Tasks administration with finding cuts, lowering increases

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC After four meetings, the Green Mountain Unified School District’s Finance Committee elected to punt last Thursday night. Staring down a nearly 6 percent increase for the 2020 fiscal year (which begins on July 1, 2019) the board sent the budget back to the administration with the directive […]

CAES restoration may stretch into November

CAES restoration may stretch into November First phase of work to begin Sunday, Sept. 23

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC As late as last Friday, Two Rivers Supervisory Union Superintendent Meg Powden was still hoping that Chester-Andover Elementary School students would be able to return to the school four to six weeks after water damage knocked out many of the building’s mechanical systems. But at a Facilities […]

State Board of Ed holds hearing Wednesday on Act 46 recommendations for S. Vermont

State Board of Ed holds hearing Wednesday on Act 46 recommendations for S. Vermont Note Updated Agenda

The Agency of Education will be holding a meeting to consider the responses to the state’s proposed plans for southern Vermont school districts that have not merged under Act 46. That meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 18 in the auditorium at Green Mountain High School, 716 Rt. 103 south in Chester. It is an […]

Oversight or micromanagement on TRSU board?

Oversight or micromanagement on TRSU board?

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC While some members of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union board at its Sept. 6 meeting questioned several purchases and initiatives recommended by Superintendent Meg Powden and her staff, board chair Marilyn Mahusky expressed concern that the board was micromanaging and needs to look at its role in […]

TRSU board talks vision retreat, Powden goals

TRSU board talks vision retreat, Powden goals School panel also mulls job descriptions, $150,000 transition fund

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing  LLC The board of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union worked on a number of ongoing issues at its Aug. 23 meeting including the fate of a $150,000 grant for Act 46 transition costs, job descriptions for TRSU employees, ongoing questions around evaluation of the superintendent and the planning […]

GM board adds new twist to transition fund flap

GM board adds new twist to transition fund flap Powden again recommends nursing cut; board says no

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC The saga of the Act 46 transition fund grant took an unexpected turn at Tuesday night’s Green Mountain Unified School District meeting as one member asserted that splitting the funds between TRSU’s two districts was not justified because all the funds belong to Green Mountain. And the […]

Ludlow-Mt. Holly board rejects Powden spending

Ludlow-Mt. Holly board rejects Powden spending Panels opts to look at district's transition needs

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Wednesday, Aug. 8 meeting, the Ludlow-Mount Holly Unified Union School board rejected TRSU Superintendent Meg Powden’s proposal for spending more than $90,000 remaining from a state grant intended to help with the transitions resulting from the Act 46 merger that created two new districts in […]

TRSU board refuses to approve SU spending plan

TRSU board refuses to approve SU spending plan Powden again proposes to spend district funds, gets one-year contract with smaller raise

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing, LLC On the same night that it offered Superintendent Meg Powden a one-year contract with a 2.75 percent raise, the new Two Rivers Supervisory Union Board also rejected her proposal to spend more than $90,000 of a state grant earmarked for the use of the local school boards […]

TRSU exec committee holds last meeting

TRSU exec committee holds last meeting Defers spending approval, Powden evaluation for new board

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its last meeting before disbanding, the Two Rivers Supervisory Union Executive Committee on Thursday declined to approve a number of administration requests including TRSU job descriptions, a curriculum management program and other purchases totaling $130,000 – one of which had been removed from the SU budget […]

GM board splits, but hires interim CTES principal

GM board splits, but hires interim CTES principal 2 of 3 Cavendish reps vote no; board sends new budget to voters

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC With two of three Cavendish members voting “no,” the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted on Tuesday night to hire Madeline Carlock — the sole remaining candidate — for the position of interim principal of Cavendish Town Elementary School. Also on the agenda was the consideration […]

GM board endorses budget, but doesn't vote

GM board endorses budget, but doesn’t vote Waiting to see what cuts come from supervisory union

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC When the GMUSD Vision Committee could not see its way clear to a direction for adding educational opportunities to next year’s course of studies at its three schools on Monday night, it asked TRSU Superintendent Meg Powden to come up with a plan based on its discussion […]

GM vision panel weighs planning vs. acting

GM vision panel weighs planning vs. acting Act 46 'opportunities' seem out of reach for next school year

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC   For the second time in a week, the group charged by the Green Mountain Union School District Board with examining a vision for its three schools to see what added educational opportunities could be included in the next school year was instead ankle deep in paper […]

Taconic & Green School District budget passes by wide margin

Taconic & Green School District budget passes by wide margin

By Bruce Frauman ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC Voters of the nine towns encompassing the Taconic and Green Regional School District overwhelmingly approved the five articles presented by Australian ballot on March 6, 2018, including a $32 million budget for the next fiscal year. T&G represents the Act 46 outcome of the nine towns and the […]

New GM school district budget information meeting Tuesday, Feb. 27

New GM school district budget information meeting Tuesday, Feb. 27

© 2018 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The first annual meeting of the new Green Mountain Unified School District will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Green Mountain High School at 716 Rt. 103 South in Chester. This will be the last opportunity residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and […]

Ludlow re-vote fails, merger will go forward, BRHS to close by mid-2020

Ludlow re-vote fails, merger will go forward, BRHS to close by mid-2020

By Shawn Cunningham © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC A last ditch effort to keep Black River High School open fell short Tuesday night as the re-vote of the Ludlow/Mt. Holly merger failed. According to Ludlow Town Clerk Ulla Cook, the vote was 288 in favor of the merger and 231 against. Back on Nov. 28, […]