New Burlington School Superintendent Discusses Reopening Plans, Equity Initiatives

Implement a year-long race and equity training series for school and District leaders this school year.

Create a resolution to raise the Black Lives Matter flag at each school.

Student Support Services — Each year the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) collects parent involvement data across the state for all families of students with disabilities. Parents, please check your US Postal Mail for this year’s annual survey. Any families who require assistance in filling this out are encouraged to contact Vermont Family Network. If you have any questions about the survey or results from previous years, please contact Cassidy Canzani with the AOE Data Administration and Reporting Team at: [email protected] or (802) 828-0515.

Summer Program Update — From rocket launches and making fresh salsa, to reading, writing, math, nature walks, volleyball and art, the past three weeks in the District’s summer programs have been a success. The dedicated group of educators working in these programs have been working tirelessly to ensure that our students are safe, adjusting to the new health protocols, learning, and having fun. 74 students have been regularly participating in S.O.A.R. and 50 students have been participating in the Middle School Summer Program. Throughout the summer, staff have been creative and flexible, developing new strategies and tools that can be utilized as best practices for physical distancing, health checks, and more for when we reopen this fall. We are looking forward to our final week, as programs end on July 23.

ESY — BSD has provided four weeks of Extended School Year (ESY) services in three schools and online for more than 60 students Pre-K-12. Students who met in small groups were offered support services such as time with a speech pathologist to work online while in the classroom to reduce exposure to a teacher who worked with students in all settings. Students practiced use of masks and the rules/routines related to COVID-19 safety in the learning environment with good success as well.

Food Services Update — The Burlington School Food Project team has been providing meals to the community since the shutdown began on March 18. Since that time, they have produced over 100,000 meals for children and over 20,000 meals for the State’s homeless meal program. The team has worked tirelessly to be sure everyone who needs meals has access to them. This has, and continues to be, a team effort, with great help from many other BSD staff members and partners at Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront. Here are some more updates:

• Opening: BSFP established an Opening Team consisting of Director Doug Davis, Assistant Director Heather Aten, Executive Chef Patricia Teague, Food Education and Youth Outreach Manager Sarah Heusner, IAA Principal Kevin Robinson, Union Steward Melissa Foy, and school-based kitchen team members. This group has been working on delivery models for breakfast and lunch, as well as meal distribution for students to take home for remote learning days this fall.

• District Collaboration: BSFP has been communicating daily with property services on the crossover between Food and Facility services, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) purchasing. Director Davis will be meeting with Miriam Ehtesham-Cating and Sparks next week to assure that all meal access decisions are seen through the lens of equity and inclusion for all students. Heather Aten will be connecting with District COVID Coordinator Becca McCray to discuss the concern of allergens in classrooms, and with Karlie Gunderson to coordinate plans to support our after-school students with meals.

• Community Partners: BSFP has continued conversations with outside partners including the Boys and Girls Club, King Street Center, Baird School, Sara Holbrooke, and CVOEO to determine the best way to continue getting meals to their kids when the time comes.

• Budget: All of the upcoming changes, as well as additional costs and lost sales from last school year, have and will continue to impact our budget. Doug Davis and Nathan Lavery are in contact on an almost-daily basis regarding these concerns and we are doing all we can to mitigate the impact while maintaining the access to meals for our students.