ACSD School Board News
Summer 2026
Committee Updates
Communications & Engagement
The Communications & Engagement Committee has officially wrapped up its year of community town halls. The group is incredibly grateful for all of the families, community members, and caregivers who came out to these events and shared their perspectives with us. We are currently discussing what engagement will look like for the upcoming school year, using our new Community Engagement and Vision policy (A23) as a guiding document.
Facilities
The Facilities Committee has worked to complete the Capital Improvement planning process in collaboration with TruexCullins. The culmination of the process has resulted in evaluations and recommendations for each ACSD facility. The evaluations were used to create a 5-year capital planning report to be submitted to the VT Agency of Education.
Finance
The Finance Committee recently reviewed the Q3 financials and projected fund balance for FY27. We have also been keeping close tabs on the legislature, and working with district leadership to understand any potential financial implications coming out of the State House. The committee is looking forward to kicking off the FY28 budget process in the fall.
Negotiations
After a successful conclusion to the Support Staff contract negotiations, the team is now hard at work preparing for the Teaching and Licensed Staff contract negotiations that will begin next school year.
Policy
The policy committee has, after a long community engagement process, passed a new policy (C30) that allows students of district families to choose to attend a school other than their assigned school of residence. There are limits on this option, including ensuring that we don’t disrupt class sizes in either receiving or sending schools, in accordance with our existing D6 policy. So far, that has resulted in 17 students accepting the district’s offer to transfer schools. You can read more about the implementation of this policy in Superintendent Baker’s C30 report. The committee has also begun drafting a new gift policy, to help navigate situations where we receive financial donations or offers of in-kind gifts. As summer approaches, the committee will begin an annual audit of all its existing policies that need to be updated.
Student Outcomes
In 2025, the Board established a standing Committee on Student Outcomes to examine how the district measures student progress, track performance against strategic plan goals, and build a more nuanced, consistent Board-wide understanding of how students are supported and succeeding within ACSD. During the committee's first year, a central focus was developing a presentation schedule for full Board meetings to increase public and Board exposure to key student outcomes data. The committee also devoted significant discussion to defining success broadly, working toward a comprehensive framework that captures academic, social, and emotional measures.
