Agenda

1. Call to Order and Introduction
2. Charge to the Committee
3. Overview of Phases of Exploration
4. Time Line
5. Operating Procedures
6. Other Business
7. Next Meeting Date and Agenda

Detailed meeting minutes will be available soon.  Here is the synopsis that appeared in the Mountain Times after the meeting.

Synopsis

The first Windsor Central Supervisory Union Governance Study Steering Committee Meeting took place October 14, 2004.To keep communities informed of the work of the committee, a highlighted version of the minutes will be submitted to the newspaper for publication after each meeting.The complete set of minutes will be posted in the local school, and will be available at the WCSU office located o­n the high school campus.Committee members stand ready to answer your questions as this year-long study commences or you may call Superintendent, Meg Gallagher at 457-1213.Following are the highlighted minutes from the October 14^th meeting:

Vermont has 4 kinds of school districts:

• Town, City and Incorporated School Districts
• Each town or city in Vermont constitutes a school district.Most school districts are members of a supervisory union
• Union School Districts
• A union school district is established when two or more school districts agree jointly to own, construct or operate schools.
• Unified Union School Districts
• A unified school district is a union school district that serves grades K-12.When two or more towns form a unified union school district, each town gives up its voting privileges as a separate school district, and representatives form each town form o­ne school board.
• Interstate School Districts
• Two interstate school districts in Vermont serve students from New Hampshire and Vermont towns.Complex interstate funding and governance rules drive each district.

·The charge to the committee is to look at all possibilities, explore options and make recommendations to the school board.

·Investigating other towns not in this supervisory union is a complex issue because towns include other boards and supervisory unions.

·School districts are complex due to the reaction to conditions at time of conception, ruralness and desire for local control.

·General Discussion

• Dramatic shift in demographics statewide; more adults; less school age children
• More affordable housing needed to increase student population.

·Dr. Ray Proulx, Consultant, will provide a letter describing the work of the supervisory union and the work of a governance study.

·The committee’s consensus was to invite a representative from Perkinsville, Pittsfield and Plymouth school districts to join the committee.

·The fall meetings will be held in the WCSU Conference Room o­n November 8^th at 6:45 p.m.; November 22^nd at 5:00 p.m.; December 6^th at 5:00 pm

·All meetings are open to the public.Community members are welcome.

Committee members are:

Andy Cole, Barnard: Larry Davis, Barnard; Donna Luce, Bridgewater; Greg Jenne, Bridgewater; Jay Tracey, Pomfret; Bob Crean, Pomfret; Ray Johnson, Reading; Susan Goodhouse, Reading; Steve Finneron, Killington; Chris Bianchi, Killington; Christine Blaiklock, Woodstock.; Meg Seeley, Woodstock; Anne Marie Blackman, WUHS; Rachel Benoit, WUHS; Joanne Boyle, Reading.