Renovations enable Starksboro preschool expansion

The Starksboro Cooperative Preschool has served children in and around town for five decades. Locals are working hard to ensure the organization is well-equipped to continue doing so for many years to come. 

A panel charged with recommending ways of strengthening Vermont’s public education system — as well as making it more affordable — convened in Middlebury on Monday as part of a statewide listening tour.

Ripton residents are joining forces to reimagine how public education might be delivered in their small town, in light of declining enrollment that’s placed the future of their local school in jeopardy.

The task for the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont is straightforward: devise a system that provides equitable, quality public education to all Vermonters — and make it affordable.

The Addison Northwest School District Board recently looked at a draft budget for next year that would bump up spending 1.9% and see average school taxes rise roughly 5%.

There are now nearly 400 Addison County children enrolled in Universal PreK (UPK) programs — 158 of those from the Middlebury area alone. This is a number that could grow significantly next year even as the number of Addison County children continues to d … (read more)

Middlebury’s Mary Hogan Elementary School is getting creative with its staffing to mitigate the impacts of a major, ongoing shortage of paraeducators.

What will it take for the school district to keep the overall tax increase in the coming year to only 6%? Superintendent Patrick Reen on Tuesday presented a budget proposal that would do that, in large part by cutting more than 15 jobs — many of them in t … (read more)

The Addison Central School District board on Monday asked ACSD staff to begin crafting a fiscal year 2025-26 budget reflecting a 2% increase compared to the current spending plan. But holding the spending increase to 2% would still require the district to … (read more)

Middlebury Union Middle School’s popular and accomplished Wellness educator has resigned from her post, citing the Addison Central School District officials’ denial of her request for four days of professional leave to attend a national health/physical ed … (read more)

A program run through the Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement is helping local elementary students add another key skill to their toolkit — cooking.

The Mount Abraham Unified School District is looking to hear from community members about what skills, characteristics and experiences they think all district students should have in order to succeed in and outside of school.

Addison Central School District (ACSD) board member Brian Bauer was chastised by several of his colleagues on Monday after he twice used the term “normal” to identify students who’ve not been assigned Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans, versus c … (read more)

The Otter Valley Unified Union School District recently received a $114,000 grant funded entirely by the Vermont Department of Labor to enhance hands-on student career exploration opportunities with an introductory welding course.

Robinson Elementary School has been awarded a $4,800 grant from the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS). The grant is made possible through a partnership between Robinson Elementary School and Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom. This grant will fund n … (read more)