October 11, 2009
Dear neighbors,
The leaves are falling, and that means that budget season is upon us at the school district once again. I will have much more information in coming weeks as to the shape of the proposed budget for fiscal 2011, but I can tell you so far that it will be a year of extraordinary hand-wringing, in which our pursuit of excellence and equity for Burlington’s children will square off against our knowledge that city taxpayers are experiencing many economic pressures. . . Superintendent Collins has been working with a large budget task force of knowledgeable community members to look at possible ways to cut costs, and the Board will have the opportunity to review all of their ideas as we go into decision-making mode. The ideas range from accounting changes to facilities consolidation, and we will look at them all. All we can do, as ever, is to try our best to balance our community values and resources, and do the best we can for kids.
On that front, there is much good news to report. Our two magnet elementary schools opened with a great deal of fanfare. They are off to a superb start, with the help of committed administrators, teachers, parents, and lead partners – namely the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Shelburne Farms, and Saint Michael’s College. Many more organizations in Burlington are also involved, and demonstrate on a daily basis how much we deserve the title of “America’s Best City to Raise Children” (awarded to us recently by Children’s Health Magazine). Throughout the District, we are moving forward with desperately-needed upgrades to buildings thanks to the bond and charter change items the city approved in March. These improvements will continue over coming years, and will help us bring down annual maintenance and energy costs.
A very hot topic lately at the Board has been diversity – chiefly in terms of hiring, but also in our curriculum. We already employ the only school district diversity coordinator in the state to help us with these goals, and we also benefit from the advice and assistance of many committed parents and experts who live in our community. Increasing the resources we commit to diversity hiring will be a subject of discussion in our upcoming budget planning. At the curriculum level, we have asked the administration to report all current efforts to “welcome diversity” and increase cultural competence, with the goal of sharing what is going on at our various schools and planning for further efforts. You can help us spread the word – the District is committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and faculty, and welcome applications for employment that may help us achieve this goal.
Enjoy the autumn chill,
Amy Werbel
Ward 5 School Commissioner
12 Catherine Street
awerbel@bsdvt.org
www.amywerbel.info