ACSD School Board News
Winter 2025
Happy New Year from the ACSD Board! Since our fall newsletter, the Board would like to highlight the following:
Thanks to the work of the full Board for their work leaning into the new equity-based budget approach that was instrumental to building this year's budget. Thanks also to the Board’s Finance Committee, Superintendent Wendy Baker, and the District’s Finance Team, the Board approved its proposed FY26 budget on January 13, 2025. The budget is grounded in equity-based financing principles, and aligns with the Board’s Strategic Plan focus on students’ access to resources, sense of belonging, and academic success. The Board anticipates lower taxes for all of its member towns. Additional information on the FY26 budget development process is available here.
The Board invites the community to the ACSD Annual Meeting, to be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 in the MUHS Band Room (or with this virtual link that is also posted on the ACSD Events Calendar which is accessible on our home page calendar www.acsdvt.org). This meeting will include a formal presentation of the FY26 Budget, and an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed spending plan.
The Board has added a Who Do I Contact page to the ACSD website to provide a roadmap for parents, guardians, and other stakeholders seeking answers to their questions. The page offers guidance for whether questions should be directed to classroom teachers, school and district administrators, or the school board, and provides contact information for all. Community members are invited to learn more about Board members and engage with us here.
A summary of Board Committee work since the Fall 2024 Board Update includes the following:
The Communications and Engagement Committee developed the online Who Do I Contact page, and worked with District Administration to offer Public Engagement opportunities in the FY26 Budget development process.
The Facilities Committee is in the process of selecting a consulting firm to assist the district in planning for much needed improvements to our aging facilities. A partner is expected to be identified by the end of February and begin the planning work in March.
The Policy and Governance Committee has been working hard to review and update policies concerning optimal classroom environments. This includes policy D6, which provides guidance about class sizes across the district and policy C30, which addresses school attendance boundaries.
The Finance Committee worked closely with Superintendent Baker and Director of Finance and Operations Matt Corrente to develop an equity based budget for FY26. The budget was approved by the full board on Jan 13 2024. The Committee continues to review and present ACSD bills for Board approval.
After the conclusion of successful contract negotiations with both the teachers and the support staff, the Negotiations Committee is taking a well-deserved break until negotiations resume on future contracts.
As always, we welcome community input and participation in both board and committee meetings. Currently scheduled meetings are available on the ACSD Events Calendar, but please check our Board Meetings page and Committee Meetings page frequently, as new Committee meeting dates are continuously added to the calendar.
Sincerely,
Barb Wilson, Chairperson, ACSD Board