Letter to the editor: Conlon reflects on his time on the ACSD board

It was with mixed feelings that I resigned last week from the Addison Central School District board.

I was disappointed to read about Superintendent Burrow’s denial of Michelle Steele’s sabbatical request.

Chief among the reasons for the delay is that more time is needed for teachers and staff to prepare for a new educational model emphasizing multi-age, experiential and “socio-emotional” learning, district administrators told the ANWSD board. 

State Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall, is stepping down from his local school board in order to play a bigger role in shaping statewide educational policy.

Contradictory language in the Addison Central School District teachers’ contract and a national shortage of educators could keep Michelle Steele from taking advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime.

A handful of Addison County towns worked tirelessly this year to keep or gain control of their local elementary schools in an effort to ensure they’d stay open amid declining enrollment and rising education costs.

Despite their optimistic findings, the committee’s drafted articles of agreement sparked concerns from many community members, particularly regarding how potential school closures and consolidations would be handled in a merged district.

Two of Addison County’s three union school districts could find themselves searching for new superintendents early next year.

Mount Abraham Unified School District officials are considering how to tackle an estimated $9.65 million of facilities projects at Mount Abraham Union High School, potentially by asking voters to approve a bond of up to that amount. 

The contract is the first multi-year contract ratified in many year by the board and the association representing the workers.

There’s good news and bad news for Patricia Hannaford Career Center officials as they build a fiscal year 2024 budget for the county’s career and technical education facility.

Following a recent incident involving a student in crisis at Bristol Elementary School, parents and staff in the Mount Abraham Unified School District are once again asking district officials for help. 

The Lincoln School Board has decided middle and high school students in Lincoln will have the freedom to decide where they go to school next year. 

Public schools across Addison County have been hit by the same worker shortage that has affected most other Vermont employers. All local school districts are having difficulty hiring support staff and substitute teachers.

Mount Abraham Unified School District officials are anticipating a nearly 7% increase in per student spending for Fiscal Year 2024, driven by continued declining enrollment in the district and an increase in some expenses like healthcare premiums.