Monday, May 26, 2014

Flynn PTO 5/26/14


Hey there Flynn Families - Thanks so much to all the families that were able to contribute food, recess coverage and donations for the annual Staff luncheon held last Thursday.  The staff was thrilled by the delicious spread, decadent desserts and extra time to sit and chat - your contributions were restorative!  Special thanks to Lisa, Happy, Tammy and Kate for the organization, set up and breakdown- Thanks ladies.

Speaking of staff appreciation, there are still some dishes in the office that parents need to retrieve- all dishes are washed and ready to be taken home.
SpringFest Thank yous to Sarah Deshaw, Mary Mitchell and Amanda Robbins!  You were missed last week but not forgotten!!!  The picture above might remind you that Flynn School is partnered with the Lake Monsters to get you out to see a ball game this summer!   Take your family and sell some tickets to your firends and neighbors!
LAST PTO meeting of the year on June 5th!
Take me out to the Ball Game...  JJ Flynn Elementary Friends and Family Night with the Lake Monsters!!!

 Celebrate the summer with JJ Flynn Elementary students, family and friends! 

 What: Fundraiser and community event for your school

 Where: Centennial Field (287 Colchester Ave., Burlington, VT)

 Who: JJ Flynn Elementary

 When: Friday, June 27th at 7:05pm 

 Why: Help raise money for your school!

 “You are not just buying a ticket, you are buying an event!”
- Tickets will be waiting at Centennial Field 

 - $3 from every ticket sold will benefit your group

 - Buyer will receive an email reminder

 - Tickets are exchangeable for future dates

 - Cash or check accepted

 Not sure if you can make 

 the game? Just email 

 fundraising@vermontlakemonsters.com

 and exchange your tickets 

 for another game!
Adam Matth - 802-655-4200 - adam@vermontlakemonsters.com

 The Flynn Olympics will be held Monday, June 9th. 
The rain date will be Tuesday, June 10th. Modeled on the Olympic Games, each class will compete in several contests as a team to reach goals and win meadls for their class. We will having Opening Ceremonies, the events (3-5 and K-2), and a Closing Ceremony at the end of the day (2:20 p.m.) 
Each class will be awarded the medals they have earned.

To help make sure that this is a safe and positive experience, we need volunteers.  
There are 2 time slots on June 9th. 
1st slot: 8-9 a.m. set up and 9-11 run the event for 3rd-5th graders
2nd slot: 12:!5-1:45 p.m. for K-2 events and take down stations & clean up

Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your start time. There will be a quick debriefing session for volunteers in the 
Flynn Library on Thursday, June 5th at 3 p.m. We appreciate any help you could give.
Please email Lida Dvorak at ldvorak@bsdvt.org before noon on Friday, June 6th if you can volunteer.
In case you missed this editorial in the Free Press yesterday...

Down payment on better school management

 46 1LINKEDIN 4COMMENTMORE
Burlington voters should swallow the bitter bill and approve the revised city school budget on June 3. The consequences of failure would only exacerbate the district’s problems and could end up cost taxpayers more in the long run.
Every dollar counts, and the district’s recent track record — a string of deficits, misleading budgets and lax record keeping — certainly leaves the schools with little claim on taxpayers’ purses. Administrators and school board members have nobody but themselves to blame for the district’s difficulties.
By approving the budget, voters are making a down payment on responsible oversight of the money taxpayers entrust to the district to educate the city’s children.
Passing the budget also would put the schools in a better position to both address the serious financial and management challenges facing the district as well as serve the best interest of the students.
The call to pass the budget is based on more than the overused argument of “for the children.”
The budget going before voters on June 3 has a serious image problem. The revised spending plan asks for more money than the budget defeated on Town Meeting Day.
Yet the March plan is bigger only on paper, the victim of a budget process that relied on the budget that was approved the previous year rather than what the schools actually spent.
With the budget before voters, Burlington schools propose to spend less money in the fiscal year starting July 1 than in the previous 12 months.
An actual dollar-for-dollar reduction in spending represents an extraordinary act for any government agency, let alone a school district that can claim a growing student body.
Burlington residents, as taxpayers, are better off giving the schools a budget that gives the School Board and district administrators a better chance at addressing critical problems.
The tax increase that comes with passage is only marginally more than what homeowners face under the so-called default budget, the spending plan the schools will adopt should voters say no — $101 for a home assessed at $300,000, less than $10 a month.
The difference is hardly negligible, but is a bearable price for keeping the schools from sinking further into crisis mode.
The School Board with new members and leadership installed since Town Meeting Day has shown a willingness to tackle the tough problems and deserves a chance to bring the district back on track. Board member must vow to never again allow such gross mismanagement to fester within the district.
In return, city residents have a right to demand the utmost transparency from the school district with regular reports about money spent and potential financial red flags pushed out to the public.
Burlington schools are on probation, and have until next Town Meeting Day to show city residents — parents, voters and taxpayers — the district truly has changed its ways.

SAVE THE DATE!!!

June 3- Vote on School Budget (or call city hall today for absentee ballot- or voting in person is open at City Hall
June 5 - Last PTO meeting of the Year - 6:30 in the library
June 9 - Flynn  Olympics (am- grades 4-6, pm - grades K-2)
June 9 -5th Grade Bridging Ceremony - 6pm
June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...) Early release and parade at 11:30
June  27- Flynn School Lake Monsters Game - get your tix!!!
August 27 - Back to school...

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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Flynn PTO Update 5/18/14


Hey there Flynn Families - Lovely playing and chatting with so many families at Springfest - hope you had some good, clean family fun! So nice of the weather to cooperate!  Thanks, Tammy, Heather, Shanta and Betsy for spearheading this fun event! 
Staff Appreciation Luncheon this Thursday  If you signed up to send in food or help at lunch/recess, we thank you for generosity.  Food items can be delivered to the office on Thursday morning.  Recess helpers will check in at the office and then head down to the cafeteria - you will be greeted there by a parent and put to work!  All volunteers should have rec'd a follow up email about Thursday.

 5th Grade "graduation" t-shirts are being ordered on T.  5th grade families, please return your form and payment.  EVERYONE gets a shirt - so even if money is tight and you can pay only a part or none of the cost, please turn in your form so your child gets the proper size shirt.  No worries!

 Donations needed in the nurses office - Can you Help?  Items can be brought into Nurse Mary in the office before the end of school.   
  • All sizes of pull-on, stretchy pants for the summer (legging type for girls, shorts for boys but all stretchy please) in all sizes from 6-12. 
  • We could also use a few t-shirts for girls and boys from sizes 6-12. 
  • All clothes should be laundered and non-stained please. 
  • We can also use some clean plastic grocery bags. 

The Flynn School PTO Finance committee needs your assistance!  We are looking to re-establish our organization’s status with the IRS and would love some help from an individual who has knowledge of tax law or has a background in accounting.  Please let us know if you are willing to help out and share your expertise!  Contact Betsy Ward (betsy.ward4@gmail.com)

VOTE...  I urge you to vote on June 3rd to support the revised school budget.  The School Board is busy drafting up the additional 1.2 million dollars in cuts if this budget does not pass. 

 If the revised budget does not pass this time, the district will be forced to revert to the default budget.  The school board is busy drafting up the additional 1.2 million dollars in cuts in case we are forced to revert to this budget.  So far, these cuts include ALL middle school sports, JV teams at the high school, and all professional development opportunities for staff.  They will continue cutting this week to get to the $1.2 million needed.    NO MATTER which budget passes, taxes will increase slightly.  If the budget does not pass, you will still pay more BUT we will lose more BHS teachers and magnet school teachers, the majority of sports funding, afterschool programs and more (to be decided this week)

This is not a threat, just the reality of what the cuts will mean.  

We all need to feel trust in our School Board and District Administration to spend state and local monies responsibly.   And yes, this trust has been shaken.  Please take the time to think about what you need to regain this trust and what a NO vote on the budget means.  $2.7 million dollars in cuts to our District will be devastating to our city schools and a huge erosion of the great learning that is happening across the District.  Will it help you regain trust?  Do you just want to "punish" someone for this mess?  Will it erase the deficits and penalties we are facing?  Will it help us meet the needs of all our young people and future leaders/citizens?  

For the sake of all our children, please educate yourself the best you can about the school budget and vote on June 3rd.

Respectfully, Kate Belluche


What a No Vote means:
  • Deeper cuts to classroom teachers, paraeducators, athletics, maintenance, and co-curricular activities resulting in a decreased quality product – well rounded, educated young citizens.
  • Deeper cuts  jeopardize our city’s future, impacting real estate values and the city’s ability to attract business to Burlington.
  • Tax raise AND ~1.2 million more in cuts to our district.
Vote YES for vibrant, healthy, flourishing schools for our  children.


Additionally...From Burlington Friends of Education Facebook page on 5/16/14

With the high-profile resignation of Superintendent Jeanne Collins, and the finance director, what has become clear is the new school board is taking swift action to rectify the problems related to financial oversight and leadership in the district.
They should be applauded for taking such swift action since they were elected in March and took office in April, and here we are in May.
The school board has worked quickly and intensively to fully understand the financial challenges facing the district and to take action to address them. The school board has:
• Created a FY15 budget that REDUCES spending from FY14 levels and is designed to avoid further deficit spending.
• Begun to create and implement tighter financial management and spending controls that will include:
— an audit of personnel resources and greater oversight on hiring decisions,
— updated processes for approving and overseeing expenditures,
— a more robust system of checks and balances for payroll and other expenditures, and,
— auditing and updating all current financial controls.
• Taken a more active role in overseeing administrative decisions regarding spending and financial planning, ensuring that decisions are fully explained and detailed background documentation is available to the Board and the Public.
• Established a joint cost control committee with members of the School Board and City Council to determine potential cost savings through economies of scale, consolidation and efficiencies.
• Secured Mayor Miro Weinberger’s support to develop a plan in which City financial expertise can be used to assist the School District through this critical transition period.
The new Board can’t dig the district out of nearly a decade of problems in just a few months. These initial, and important, steps are a show of good faith that they’ve heard the call from voters. This is the start of a a multi-year process to get the district fully on its financial feet.
That’s why Burlington Friends of Education is saying … Vote YES ... AND ... Clean up the Mess!


Looking for Parent Helpers for the Annual Flynn

  ice cream sundaes at lunch May 28th
Servers needed: k/1-11:10, 2/3- 11:45, 4/5- 12:20 - 4 to 5 parents per shift
Please Contact Jessica Hook to volunteer -  jessicahook@gmail.com


"We're headed into I think the worst crisis we've been in in 50 years," Buehner said.
Young teachers in the district are seeking jobs elsewhere and mature teachers are taking jobs elsewhere, Buehner said. Burlington citizens and parents need to stand up to protect the school system and protect the education that children deserve, she said.
"Burlington schools may lose more than what they are going to gain with the decisions that were made tonight," Buehner said.
Collins has been under intense pressure to resign before, but managed to ride out the storm. In 2012 she hung onto her job amid controversy about inequities around race and lack of progress on goals to hire more diverse faculty, administrators and staff. Collins earns over $125,000 annually and was promoted to superintendent in 2006 after serving as special education director.





Here is Why your Parenting Style Matters   by Vicki Hoefle


There is loads of talk today about parenting styles and parenting techniques and parenting preferences. All the way from Velcro and Helicopter parenting to CTFD parenting. Truthfully, I agree there is a whole lot of focus and advice smathering cyberspace and I can completely understand why many parents are becoming deaf to any type of talk about this subject.
In most cases I agree – I have two sayings 1. Just because you can write a blog about parenting does not mean you should, and 2. we are all doing the best we can with the information we have. My job is to offer quality information for parents to sift through and decide if they would like to make changes in the way they parent and the relationship they are fostering with their children.
When I discuss parenting styles, I discuss three types.
Authoritarian parenting style which categorizes  parents with clearly defined rules that they expect their children to follow without question or even discussion. Often known as the really strict parents, authoritarian parents hold high expectations for their children and believe that parents are, and should be, in complete control.  These parents “shape, control and evaluate the behavior and attitudes of the child in accordance with a set of standards of conduct, usually an absolute standard[which] values obedience as a virtue and favors punitive, forceful measures to curb self-will” (p. 890).
Permissive parenting style refers to parents who place few, if any demands on their children, allowing children “complete freedom to make life decisions without referring to parents for advice . . .” (Hickman, Bartholomae, & McKenry, 2000, p. 42). Permissive parents allow the “child to regulate his own activities as much as possible, avoid the exercise of control” (Baumrind, 1966, p. 889)  Often these parents view themselves as their children’s friends or peers more than providing the boundaries of the parent-child relationship.
Democratic parenting style is an integration of the other two parenting styles, where parents set clear rules and expectations but also encourage discussion and give-and-take,  especially as their children get older and are able to take more responsibility for themselves. These parents “remain receptive to the child’s views but take responsibility for firmly guiding the child’s actions, emphasizing reasoning, communication, and rational discussion in interactions that are friendly as well as tutorial and disciplinary” (Baumrind, 1996, p. 410).
I find it as no surprise that there are big differences in the ways we approach parenting. Our culture, our situations and even the way our parents raised us influences how we decide what constitutes the right way or wrong way to parent.
What is surprising is the consistent findings about how these different styles of parenting impact our children’s development. The way you parent can influence how your children do in school, relate to others, and whether or not they develop the personal strengths which help them to thrive and how to best deal with life’s stresses.
Having spent years studying parenting and resiliency, research shows that children raised by Democratic parents have higher self-esteem, do better in school, relate better to their peers in large part because they had greater self-confidence and self control.
On the other hand, families with Authoritarian or Permissive parenting tend to have children who can struggle in school, have lower self-efficacy, less self-control, and lower self-esteem, placing these children more at risk when dealing with life’s adversities.
Here are 3 tips to support a Democratic Parenting Style
1.  Include children in the decision making process.  This begins by giving toddlers choices between two things.  Over time, they become skilled decision makers.  Increase their participating by inviting them to help create family policies around bedtime, homework, extra-curricular activities.
2.  Practice being Firm and Kind in both your words, actions and attitudes.  Firm shows the respect you have for yourself and Kind shows the respect you have for the child.  As an example:
Situation:  You have asked your child a number of times to choose which shoes to wear to the store but he refuses and he decides instead to run around.      
Firm: Showing respect for yourself means that you will refuse to fight with the child, manhandle the child or give in to the child.  You understand that when your child refuses to choose, he is abdicating his position in the conversation.  In other words, the child is choosing to have you make the choice.
Kind:  Make the choice for the child in a calm, respectful and friendly manner.  You can maintain a healthy connection with the child and still be in a position of authority.  It might mean that you carry the sneakers to the car to be put on later and his socks get wet as a result or that you leave him home with dad while you run the errands, or you cancel the trip to the hobby shop and go another day.  
Because the situation did not deteriorate into a power struggle, the child is free to learn that by not choosing, he is indeed making a choice.  You have modeled behavior you wish your child to model as he grows and matures and you can continue with your day with little interruption and without feeling resentful.
3.  Create rhythms that support everyone in the home.  Some children like a limited time in the morning to get ready for school while others prefer to wake up with time to spare.  The same is true for bedtime and homework routines and and other routines typically found in busy families.  If you take the time to identify the natural rhythms in your children, you can support them and avoid unnecessary power struggles.  This support is in line with a democratic model which allows everyone in the family to design rhythms that best support who they are without forcing anyone to conform to one persons routines or giving in to the demands of a child.  
The Democratic Parenting Style has benefits for everyone in the family.  
Link to Video:  http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/video/following-your-decisions-democratic-parenting

Daylight Savings Bottle Drive at Merola's yielded $148 for the PTO.  Thank you families for saving up your cans and bottles and thank you Merola's for giving all the money back to the PTO plus 10% - we appreciate your generosity!
District Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Parent Survey 
Burlington School District believes in celebrating diversity and providing equitable, welcoming environments for every student and family. To measure our success and strive for improvement, we are launching an Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Parent Survey on May 15th. This survey will be accessible via a link on the District website (www.bsdvt.org) and will be open through May 29th.

 Designed by independent technology and communications firm K12 Insight, the survey seeks your views on critical issues such as discrimination, staff respectfulness, and student safety during school activities. While addressing these topics can be difficult, it is essential to helping students reach their highest intellectual and personal potential.
Separate Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Student and Staff Surveys will be conducted at school. Please be assured that all feedback is confidential, with responses anonymous to Burlington School District staff. Once the surveys, the District will share results.

 Thank you for your participation, which will guide the District's work to end disrespect, stereotyping, and discrimination at school. We value your opinions and commitment to drawing great strength from our differences.

Save the date...

May 20 - 5th graders visit Hunt during the day, Parents visit Hunt at 7pm for an Evening orientation - don't forget to sign up for the middle school blog!!!)
May 21 - Kindergarten tours and practice lunch for incoming families
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 26 - No school - Memorial Day
June 3- Vote on School Budget (or call city hall today for absentee ballot- or voting in person is open at City Hall
June 5 - Last PTO meeting of the Year - 6:30 in the library
June 9 - Flynn  Olympics (am- grades 4-6, pm - grades K-2)
June 9 -5th Grade Bridging Ceremony - 6pm
June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...) Early release and parade at 11:30


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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Flynn PTO Update 5/11/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope all the moms had a nice day - lucky for us, we had super fine weather!  Anyone else notice that the leaves and plants are taking off? - they seem to grow inches overnight!  I just love Spring!   

 There is a lot of School Budget information in the blog this week, coming from a few sources.  Just a little disclaimer that this blog is a product of the Flynn PTO and the content within comes from Flynn parents, community groups and at times, BSD employees.  Flynn school/BSD employees can ask you to vote on the revised budget but they are not allowed to advocate for a YES vote - just share facts.  The PTO and the PTO blog are not district employees and we can advocate all we want!  I will pass along as much info as I can find to help you make sense of this mess.  You will find a Vermont Public Radio transcript and Burlington Friends of Education information that might help inform your decision making on June 3rd.  There is a meeting on Wed you can attend followed by an opportunity to volunteer some time getting leaflets/signs and other get out the vote materials ready for distribution.  

 Hope to see families out this Sunday at Springfest - lots of FREE and low cost fun for the whole family.  Don't forget your sneakers for the fun run!!!
5th Grade Pictures FYI, Ambient will be in first thing Tuesday morning to take the 5th grade photo - 5th grade families, please remind your kiddo to get him/herself to school on time if they want to be in the picture!!!
CCTA has developed a plan to consolidate the AM Neighborhood Special service effective Monday, May 12, 2014. The consolidation is based on two primary factors: 1) critical driver shortages CCTA is experiencing during peak morning service hours and 2) CCTA has identified some redundancy in the service to residential streets and has identified locations where there is no ridership. The consolidation will result in eight (8) morning Neighborhood Specials instead of the current ten (10) with the elimination of Neighborhood Specials #134 and #38.

Neighborhood Special #134
Neighborhood Special #134 BHS/Edmunds/Flynn will be eliminated. This bus was added last year based on requests by residents in Appletree Point to serve students attending Flynn School. Neighborhood Special #39 will now pick-up the students in Appletree Point after leaving BHS at 7:40am. Pick-up times for Flynn students who live in Appletree Point will stay at the current 7:50am. 

 Good News is that parents have pledged plenty of yummy foods for the Staff Appreciation Luncheon coming up on May 22nd. (email reminder to come!)  Many thanks for your generosity!  Playground/lunch coverage still needed!!!  Here is where we still need parents: 2 for shift 1, 2 for shift 2 and 4 for shift 3...  Please contact Kate Belluche at akbelluche@aol.com if you can take a shift or two below - heck, take all three and get to know the fine child specimens we have at Flynn school!

Shift 1      11:15-12:10
*11:35 out
Shift 2    11:55-12:50
*12:15 out
Shift 3      12:15-1:05
* 12:45 out
Tracy Truzansky
Deb Maher
Krista Poquette
Heather Simmons
Heather Simmons
Tammy Kuypers
Sarah Deshaw
Sarah Deshaw
Heather Simmons
Sandrine Kibuey
Kate Trombly
Meghan Rubman
Mary Anne Kohn
Shannon Monniere
                                               
Marty Welsh
Marty Welsh
                                           
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                           

Hey Burlington Friends of Education! Please come to a working meeting at The Miller Center in the New North End on Wednesday, May 14 from 6-9 pm. We will have a short presentation on the budget and the rest of the time will be devoted to sign making, leaflet bagging, and other tasks in support our “Vote Yes” campaign.
The hope is that folks can find one hour or more during this time frame to come out and help. All we need is YOU!
Let us know if you can make it by emailing: bfoevt@gmail.com
And, feel free to bring a friend, a neighbor, or a loved one. Kids are welcome as many many hands make for light labor.
Even if you only have a short amount of time, that’s fine — you can simply swing through, grab a lawn sign and a leaflet route.
Springfest this Sunday afternoon 1-4!   There will be a fun run, bouncy castle, games, face painting, magic show, book swap, bake sale, silent auction, and much more! Books can be brought to the office and be put in the big book bin. The book swap will be at the Spring Fest this Sunday, but it's great to bring your books in early! It's fun to get new summer reading!

 
Help Needed for Spring Fest!

Spring Fest will be happening Sunday, May 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 at the 
Flynn School playground. There will be a fun run, book swap, bake sale, 
bouncy castle, silent auction, games, face painting, a visit from Champ, 
and much more!

To make this event possible, we need your help. You can donate your time 
by helping with set up, the fun run, or other events. You can donate an 
item for the bake sale, including frozen freezy pops; just bring them 
the day of the event or if it's nonperishable you can drop if off on 
Friday, May 16 in the office. You can donate something (including a 
service) for the silent auction. Or or you can donate books for the book 
swap. If you can help in any of these ways, please contact Tammy Kuypers 
at kuypers5@yahoo.com.


Amazing Deals at the Spring Fest Silent Auction

Make sure you check out the silent auction at Spring Fest and put in 
your bid for some exciting opportunities, including a Burton jacket, two 
nights at a house on Lake Champlain, mother/child weekend at Camp 
Abnaki, a ride in a fire truck, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and merchandise, 
babysitting, a homemade dinner, and more!


Nadworny: School Budget (from VPR)

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To make matters worse, a school district audit found that the previous budget was based on projected, rather than actual, numbers. The school district was in the red for much more than it had estimated. And that made people really angry.
So we’ve been hard pressed to remember that when compared to similar sized school districts, Burlington spends less per student with below average administration costs. And this is while serving what is Vermont’s most diverse and most challenging student body. In fact, Burlington is the envy of many area educators for its new innovative practices at Burlington High School, nationally acclaimed Magnet Schools that replaced challenged inner city schools, and a commitment to equity and diversity far beyond what most other school in Vermont has achieved so far.
But people are so angry right now they’re not in the mood to support a new, revised, and more accurate school budget. At a local NPA meeting recently, a Burlington city counselor urged his constituents to “Bite the Bullet” and vote NO on the new school budget. I always thought biting the bullet implied pain and suffering. But the impact a NO vote has is clear: layoffs that threaten the Integrated Arts and Sustainability academies and other cuts that lay the suffering squarely on the meager shoulders of our young kids. I think we have to be careful that our resolve to clean up the mess doesn’t make Burlington’s children suffer for its administrators’ mistakes, its politicians’ ambitions and its adults' ire.
Certainly, it’s our responsibility, some might say our moral duty, to support and protect our kids, the smallest and most vulnerable members of our society, the ones who don’t pay taxes and can’t vote. And it’s unfortunate that this year, the school budget debate in Burlington seems to be all about the adults, because when it comes to education, that’s where things can go very wrong indeed.
As a community we talk a lot about the future of Vermont and the future of Burlington. But you can’t talk about the future without talking about kids. And you can’t talk about a future for kids without a plan for providing a public school education that allows our children a path to success in their lives and careers.
When it comes right down to it, the things that keep people moving to and staying in cities like Burlington aren’t the new flashy objects like renovating the old Moran plant on the waterfront, what attracts families to live here is the ability to provide a quality education to their kids.

Vote YES on June 3, 2014 - Burlington’s children need your vote! 
On June 3, Burlington voters have a chance to say YES to a school budget that supports our children and YES to a new era of leadership that supports our desire to see greater fiscal oversight, leadership reform, and accountability to voters.
Since March, the newly-elected school board members have taken swift action and shown they are committed to fiscal oversight, leadership reform, and budget transparency. They have worked hard to develop this budget and are committed to continued oversight. Now it is our turn to show our support for this collaborative effort and vote YES to a responsible, transparent budget. The new board has cut $2.5 million in staff and services to bring you this new budget — a budget that spends less in the coming year than we did last year.
A YES vote keeps devastating cuts out of the classroom.

What exactly am I being asked to support?

The Facts: The new, proposed budget is $67.4 million, which, although it's higher than the proposed budget in March, is a decrease from the $67.8 million spent in FY 14. That’s less money, and is what voters asked for after the March vote. So, Vote YES to Spend Less.
This budget pays off a nearly $1.5 million deficit, and also includes $2.5 million in cuts and $1 million in new revenues – equalling a real $1.5 million cut. In March the local spending portion of the budget (that which is not controlled by Montpelier) was a 3.1% increase. This budget is a 2.4% increase.
The taxes will also be lower because the state legislature is considering decreasing its portion from the 7% proposed in the March budget to 4-6%.
The new Board’s work in the last month is a down payment of good faith that they are ushering in a new era in the district and we, as voters, should give them a chance to continue their work without the distraction of making additional, painful cuts to core programs and initiatives. If not, well, the entire Board is up for re-election in 2015 due to redistricting. If they haven’t kept our word, then that election can serve as a referendum on the Board’s performance.

What was cut in this budget?

The new budget includes a net total of $1.5 million in cuts – that’s $2.5 million in cuts, and then $1 million in new revenue.
These are real cuts, not some “savings” and will impact every school in the district and touch nearly every classroom. They include:
·  $261,000 in unspecified non-classroom expenses
·  20 para-educator positions ($500,000);
·  3 Spanish teachers elementary- and middle-school level ($240,000);
·  Several Burlington high school teachers ($300,000);
·  $120,000 in subsidies for students’ bus fare;
·  $150,000 in professional development programs;
·  $100,000 in professional services;
·  $220,000 by making a 1.5 percent cut across seven different areas of the budget; and,
·  Elimination of police officers in the schools.

What budget cuts could happen if this budget fails?

Then we would default to a budget that is roughly $800,000 less than this one. The board has already cut $2.5 million from the budget, focusing as much as possible on cuts that did not affect the classroom.
More cuts could result in the loss of:
·  Additional classroom teachers;
·  Additional paraeducators;
·  Additional academic coaches;
·  Additional athletic programs;
·  Subsidized transportation; and,
·  English Language Learning educators.
Increased classroom sizes, which negatively affects the quality of education, would be also on the table. Burlington already has classroom sizes that are larger than other districts in the county, and more than the statewide average.

If you vote yes on this budget, this is what your increase:

If your house is valued at $200,000, your increase would be $186. If your house is valued at $300,000, the increase would be $279.
·  If the budget fails, you will still see an increase. That is because of increases in the statewide property taxes.
·  On a house valued at $200,000, the increase would be $142.
·  On a house valued at $300,000, the increase would be $213.
* These calculations assume that the state legislature will increase taxes by 4%. The final amount is still being determined and could be anywhere from 4-6%.

Why do you keep hearing about $43?

The bulk of the tax increase is coming from Montpelier, so taxes go up whether we vote yes on June 3rd or not.
·  If you have a $200,000 house, you’ll only pay $43 more per year ($4 a month) than you will if the budget fails.
·  If your house is $300,000, your increase will be $66 ($5.50 a month).
We believe that $43/year is a FAIR amount to pay to keep potentially disastrous cuts out of the classroom and away from our children.

We have much to celebrate about our school system, including:

·  High graduation and college placement rates;
·  Growing enrollment across the district in contrast to statewide trends;
·  Lower per-pupil spending than similar-size districts;
·  Average teacher salaries when compared countywide;
·  Larger classroom sizes than surrounding schools, and above the statewide average;
·  Innovative learning- 1:1 Technology Initiative;
·  Partnership for Change;
·  Nationally recognized magnet school successes in achievement and equity;
·  Low administrative overhead when compared countywide; and,
·  Meeting the new world challenges of equity, diversity, and accessibility.

There is tax relief for people who can’t afford an increase

Yes, roughly 3 out of 5 Burlington homeowners receive a tax break on their school taxes from the state, with an average payment of more than $1600 – or roughly $6 million a year.
These payments are made directly to the city and appear as a credit on your tax bill. If you’d like to know what your credit is, call the city assessor’s office at (802) 865-7114.

I am shocked by some of the financial problems that have been exposed. What is the school board doing to fix this mess?

In the last few weeks since these issues have come to light the school board has worked quickly and intensively to fully understand the financial challenges facing the district and to take action to address them. The school board has:
·  Created a F15 budget that REDUCES spending from F14 levels and is designed to avoid further deficit spending.
·  Begun to create and implement tighter financial management and spending controls that will include:
o    an audit of personnel resources and greater oversight on hiring decisions
o    updated processes for approving and overseeing expenditures
o    a more robust system of checks and balances for payroll and other expenditures, and
o    auditing and updating all current financial controls
·  Taken a more active role in overseeing administrative decisions regarding spending and financial planning, ensuring that decisions are fully explained and detailed background documentation is available to the Board and the Public.
·  Established a joint cost control committee with members of the School Board and City Council to determine potential cost savings through economies of scale, consolidation and efficiencies.
·  Secured Mayor Miro Weinberger’s support to develop a plan in which City financial expertise can be used to assist the School District through this critical transition period.
The new Board can’t dig the district out of nearly a decade of problems in just a few months. These initial, and important, steps are a show of good faith that they’ve heard the call from voters. This is the start of a multi-year process to get the district fully on its financial feet.
That’s why Burlington Friends of Education is saying … Vote YES to Clean up the Mess!

We got by with far fewer services when I was a kid. Why do we need all these extra stuff, like academic coaches?

Our education system has changed a great deal over the past few decades, and school systems are now mandated to provide more services than they were when you were young.
A recent is example is the introduction of the Common Core curriculum, which will require training and coaching of teachers to master. Academic coaches help teachers stay abreast of the latest curriculum developments and best practices in each subject area and play a key role in ensuring quality education.
For example, our award-winning food system provides 6000 meals a day to our children. Of those meals, 60 percent of children being served are coming to school hungry, and have limited, or no, access to food at home.
At the same time, the federal government has cut $1.5 million from the district’s budget in recent years to provide mandated services to low-income children and children with special needs. These cuts came as a result of federal budget cuts, and the recent federal budget sequestration, and those costs are being passed along to local taxpayers.
Chess Club Wraps up Congratulations to all players who showed up early Wednesday mornings, tried out a new activity, or improved his/her game!  Everyone was responsible and had fun.  The following 67 students were participants in the club:

Riley & Noah Poquette, Will Belluche, Noah, Lovis and Summer Tegeder, Reuben & Caleb Lodish, Brooks, Fields and Webb DeShaw, Nick Richardson-Goms, Gabe & Nate Mitchell, Rejos Neopaney, Naveen & Kiran Bleakney-Eastman, Emma Thompson, Zen & Sunny Nguyen, Christian Mitchell, Drew Barring, Quinn & Kai Sessions, Dominique Simmons, Peter Kuypers, Chenoa Messinger, Gonzalez Arakaza, Nicolas Uforquru, Ezra Weisman, Ramsey Elder, Memphis Gendren-Everest, Kaylee Jocelyn, Tyrone Bernabe, Tobey, David Wilson-Bahoun, Lahwah Mou, Devion Hunter Wado, Dakota, Michel Ndayishimiye, Tony Hammond, Brennan Langlais, Ian Maher, Jacques DeBedout, Jean-Baptiste Gatanga, David Abesa, Rubin Upreti, Nathan Mitchell, Carter Blanchard, Aidyn & Anissa Porter, Abdi & Abdirizakh Hussien, Eamon Smith, Michael, Amar Dzinic, Ryleigh Ritchie, Shyanne Giroux, Ali Abdullahi, Sam Rubman, Lily Hauser, Noah Batten, Jaydin Martell, Colton & Dalton Devenaugh, and King Kyendamina.

And thank you to Karen Carr, Sarah DeShaw and Gordy Maher for their assistance with the club.
-Shanta Eastman and Jon Kuypers






How to Stop Screaming and Start Engaging



For more information on parenting visit KidsInTheHouse.com
As parents, most of us will ask our kids to get dressed, or brush their teeth, or go get their homework so we can get in the car. As kids, they typically will ignore that first request. We then follow with a few more requests using a really nice calm voice. The kids continue to ignore us. And it’s at that point that we change from nice to screeching, yelling, demanding, and threatening. And it seems to us as parents that’s the only time our children get engaged, when we escalate into the screaming, which is not really what we want to be doing. Most parents I speak with say they would love to be able to stop screaming.
It’s important for parents to understand that first of all most kids are parents deaf. It’s a little bit like the Charlie Brown scenario. What they hear through those first requests is [wah-wah, wah-wah]. All of these requests and reminders train the kids that they don’t really have to move until we escalate. So one of the ways to break that pattern is to start out by giving our kids choices, because they have to answer you.
When you speak to your kids change from a direction to a request or a choice. “John, would you like to brush your teeth now or after this commercial? Mary, would you like to get your homework now or after we finish dinner. Jamie, do you want to brush your teeth now or after we finish reading the book?”
The child is required to then respond in some way. Once you receive a response, you can move the conversation forward. Even if the child replies by saying, “neither”, you have the beginning of a conversation started and you can answer, “I see. When would you be willing to…?” Try it and see if this helps you to stop screaming.

Save the date...


May 14, 21 - Kindergarten tours and practice lunch for incoming families
May 18 - Springfest at Flynn - 1-4 pm
May 20 - 5th graders visit Hunt, Parents visit Hunt at 7pm for an Evening orientation
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 26 - No school - Memorial Day
June 3- Vote on School Budget (or call city hall today for absentee ballot)
June 9 - 5th Grade Bridging Ceremony - 6pm
June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)
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