ANWSD students win big on History Day

Fifteen of the 24 Addison Northwest School District students who presented at the Vermont Historical Society’s annual Vermont History Day Competition placed in the top three of their categories or earned special recognition for the projects they have spent months preparing under the guidance of humanities teachers Josh Brooks and Becca Coffey.

After a challenging discussion about what spending cuts could mean to students and what level of spending might be acceptable to voters who have already defeated two budget proposals, the Addison Northwest School District Board on Monday voted to advance … (read more)

At a Monday meeting devoted to discussing the 18-vote March defeat of its $27.2 million spending plan, the Addison Northwest School District Board edged toward presenting a vote on a third budget, possibly one with $200,000 of cuts, on April 30 or May 7. 

Addison Northwest Supervisory Union was extremely short-sighted in taking an axe to the VUHS Walden Program in their too-quick budget revision after the first one was rejected.

For the second time this month, residents of the five communities on Tuesday rejected a spending plan — this time by 18 votes.

After defeating an Addison Northwest School District spending plan on March 5, residents of the five-town district will vote on a slightly smaller budget this coming Tuesday.

A second vote on an Addison Northwest School District budget proposal could occur as soon as March 26. 

In all school districts, boards struggled with the double-digit rising costs of health insurance for their employees, general inflation and the loss of federal money started during the pandemic.

In commingled balloting in the five Addison Northwest School District communities, the ANWSD board’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 (FY25) budget proposal of $28,232,078 was defeated on Tuesday, 1,282-1,012, or about 56-44%.

While lawmakers in Montpelier last week debated last-minute changes in the state’s school-funding laws, the Addison Northwest School Board met on Feb. 12 and decided not to make further adjustments to the $28,232,078 spending plan it’ll put before voters … (read more)

You might not think of circus skills such as juggling, plate-spinning and clowning as educational activities. Administrators, family members and students at Vergennes Union Elementary and Ferrisburgh Central schools would beg to differ after Troy Wunderle … (read more)

Regarding the Jan. 25 article in the Independent: “ANWSD board opts for bigger budget,” the article stated, “…Chair John Stroup said school officials will have to work hard to explain that spending is not really what’s driving the tax rates so much higher … (read more)

The Addison Northwest School District board at a Monday special meeting voted to remove $750,000 of funding for capital improvements from the budget it approved on Jan. 17. 

I am here to provide testimony on behalf of the Addison Northwest School District regarding the implications of ACT 127 on the FY25 budgeting process.

Residents of the five towns in the Addison Northwest School District in March will vote on a proposed $28,982,078 spending plan for the 2024-2025 (FY25) school year. If approved on Town Meeting Day, it would increase spending by about $3.68 million, or 14 … (read more)