Burlington School District: Community Update March 4: Masking Optional Beginning March 14

Press release from Burlington School District:

relek

March 4, 2022

Dear BSD Community, 

I hope you had a great few first days back and that Winter Break provided a chance to relax, exercise, or otherwise take some time to prioritize your health and well-being. Personally, I spent some much-needed time with my family and friends, enjoying the snow and the winter season in both Vermont and New Hampshire.  

Yesterday, Governor Scott and Secretary French announced that beginning March 14, masks will not be required in Vermont schools and that school districts may drop mask mandates sooner if they wish. Throughout this pandemic, we have followed the guidance of our State public health officials who I believe are acting based on science and with the students’ best interests in mind. With that in mind, I want to let you know that BSD will begin complying with the new guidance on March 14. 

This means that beginning Monday, March 14, masks will be optional for all students and staff in Burlington School District, regardless of age or vaccination status. Until then, we will remain universally masked as a community. 

Although BSD will not require anyone to wear masks, staff and students may continue to do so if they would like. It is also important to know that while masks will also not be required on any BSD owned and operated busses or vans, masks will still be required for anyone utilizing GMT to get to and from schools; if your student utilizes GMT, please make sure they are prepared to continue following this federal mandate. We will also continue offering testing resources to students. 

As we move through yet another transition, I know there are mixed feelings in our community ranging from joy to anxiety, and everything in between. I am confident that through this transition we will work together to support and honor each other’s individual decisions around masking, both those who wish to begin unmasking and those who do not. As we begin to follow this new guidance, it will be paramount for us to work together, to communicate, and to offer grace and understanding to each other.

Tom

P.S. There were no positive cases in BSD schools on Wednesday or Thursday this week, and only one case (BHS) today! Today’s close contact message will only be sent to BHS. 

Honoring Mrs. Fabara – This week we received sad news that Mrs. Elizabeth Fabara, CP Smith teacher and mother of two children also at CP Smith, passed away this week after fighting illness over the past two years. Mrs. Fabara grew up in Burlington and attended Smith, Hunt, and BHS. After attending UVM, she taught out of state before returning to Smith first as a para and then as a 1st Grade Teacher. I visited Elizabeth’s class many times and was always impressed with her calm, caring presence and her focus on individual students and their joy for reading and learning. Elizabeth was a well-loved and respected member of our community. Services for Mrs. Fabrara will be this Monday at 3:30 PM at St. Marks. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made online for research of Leptomeningeal Disease at mdanderson.org. Our hearts are with Mrs. Fabara’s family and with the CP Smith community as they grieve this very sad loss.

Thank you, Burlington! For the eighth straight year, Burlington said “YES” to public schools on Town Meeting Day. Our proposed 2022-2023 budget passed with 76% of all votes cast in favor. Thank you all for your continued support of BSD. 

2021 Annual Report – BSD’s 2021 Annual Report is now available online or at Fletcher Free Library, the Miller Center, the ONE Community Center, and City Hall. This year’s Annual Report is a great reminder of how we are working to advance the principles of equity, engagement, and deep learning in all that we do. It is encouraging to look back and remember that we raised the Black Lives Matter flag at all of our schools, created and staffed an Office of Equity for the first time, began Superintendent Advisory Groups, and took steps to improve our math, science, literacy, and special education offerings, and co-constructed a new five-year strategic plan with our community. I am excited about the work that has been done and what we can accomplish next year!

Equity and Inclusion Data Report: BSD’s Annual Equity and Inclusion Data Report was also published this month. By publishing our Annual Equity and Inclusion Data Report, BSD seeks to be open and accountable for improving the way we serve students of the global majority, students learning English, those who qualify for free and reduced lunch, and those who receive student supports through 504 plans and IEPs. Combating the deeply entrenched practices that further systemic racism is an adaptive change that requires us to be open and honest about where we are and where we need to go, and to highlight the bright spots while also being open about the places we need to improve.

UVM Outstanding Teachers – Congratulations to Brain Hoffman (BHS), Cheryl Niedzwiecki (BTC), and Aziza Malik (Champlain) who were all named outstanding teachers by UVM. They will be honored at an event on March 23, where Secretary French will announce the Vermont Teacher of the Year. 

BHS/BTC 2025!

Draft Space Needs A draft space needs program (a list of the size and number of rooms to be constructed) and high-level cost estimates were presented at the March 2nd School Board Meeting. The Design Steering Committee will meet with the development team on March 8 to review and discuss these items, focusing particularly on larger spaces including the gym, auditorium, cafeteria, administrative offices, and maintenance spaces. The space needs will guide the design team in their development of three to four conceptual design options for the property, including preliminary floor plans, site plan layouts, and other diagrams. These conceptual design options will be presented to the board at the April 5th board meeting. 

April 12 – Next Public Forum Save the Date! We are planning to hold a public forum on April 12 where the community will be able to provide input on the various conceptual design options including proposed spaces and floor plans within the building, as well as site plan layouts including access, circulation, parking, and green space. Stay tuned for more details. This event and other major dates are included on our BHS/BTC 2025 Timeline document available on our Public Project Document site. 

Fundraising We are seeking an individual with professional fundraising experience to lead the fundraising effort for this project. This person will support our effort to minimize the impact of the project on taxpayers by identifying alternative funding sources. We intend to build on the $11.5 million already identified to support the project by pursuing additional federal, state, and private funding. We expect to post a Request for Qualifications to our website early next week and will work to promote it in a variety of avenues. 

IAA Principal Search – The IAA Principal Hiring Committee has announced three finalists for the IAA principalship: Andy Johnson, currently serving as a music teacher at Milton Elementary School; Jessica Ochs, currently serving as a music teacher at Grand Isle School; and Mattie Scheidt, currently serving as Interim Principal at IAA. All candidates participated in an in-person Staff Forum as well as a Community Forum on March 3rd, which you watch on our YouTube Channel. In the next few weeks, the Hiring Committee will review feedback from the forums and recommend one or two candidates to be interviewed by Superintendent Flanagan who will make a final recommendation to the board. Those who participated in the forums are encouraged to complete feedback forms by Noon on Monday, March 7th. 

“Let’s Talk about Whiteness” Tuesday, March 8, 6PM  – Why is it important to discuss “whiteness” in anti-racism work? What is White privilege, White fragility, and White supremacy organizational culture, and how do these show up in schools? Part of our Equity Community Workshop Series, this virtual event  will examine the importance of white people’s roles to do the work to dismantle these systems and eradicate racism. Facilitated by BSD’s Equity Instructional Leader, Autumn Bangoura and BSD’s Youth and Family Restorative Liaison, Virginia Litchfield. Join on Google Meet

Student Support Services – Our main objective is to provide the District with the highest level of quality in our support and to move the needle on our work on behalf of children with disabilities. In the presentation by Director Nugent and the Ability Challenge (ABC) to the Board last June, Student Support Services shared the District’s special education vision and proposed shifts for getting closer to the vision in the next five years. That report included short-term goals that we’ve been working towards in partnership with ABC. Since then, a few factors have suggested that we adjust course, including

Given those considerations, we’ve developed a short presentation that shares the team’s major accomplishments to date and explains the updated goals, with a specific focus on aligning the new goals to the District’s strategic plan. We will continue with this work and our partnership with ABC during the leadership transition as staff are becoming invested and we don’t want to lose momentum.

This press release was produced by Burlington School District . The views expressed here are the author’s own.