The Lamoille Ledger

April 21st - 25th - Spring Break (No School)

May 1st - SSD Board Meeting (5:30 PM @ Stowe Elementary)

May 14th - LSSU Board Meeting (5:30 PM @ Stowe Elementary)

May 21st - EMUU Board Meeting (5:30 PM @ Morristown Elementary)

May 26th - Memorial Day (No School)

June 14th - Stowe High School Graduation 11 AM

June 19th - Peoples Academy Graduation 6:30 PM

June 20th - Last Day of School (early release)

LSSU Strategic Plan

LSSU Family Handbook (2024-25)

Annual Report

Healthy Lamoille Youth Resources

Prior Newsletters

District Website

District 2024-25 Calendar

Lamoille County - Find Help Page

Dear Lamoille South,

This week, our admin team conducted our final set of instructional rounds at Peoples Academy. We visited many classrooms and reflected on the instruction and overall culture of the school. Similar to each school in our SU, students were engaged, polite, confident, and working hard. It is safe to say our schools are operating at a high level and our kids seem happy. This can be attributed to your support and involvement in our schools. Recent parent conferences were highly attended and we thank you for always keeping the lines of communication open. This success is also a reflection of the high-quality educators that choose Lamoille South; we are grateful to have such a strong team all around.

Last week, you received a communication from me regarding House Bill H.454. This bill raised the alarms as it included several provisions that are not good for our students, schools, or communities. All of our local legislators attended a recent joint meeting between the Stowe School and Select Boards. One of our teachers stood up and asked the legislators, "Can you explain how any of the proposed changes are good for kids?" The lawmakers seemed to acknowledge the reforms are not about children, they are about taxes. What's defeating is that the proposed "solutions" don't seem to help either of these. You can read more about the legislative happenings below and I encourage you to stay informed and ask questions as this legislation makes its way through Montpelier and eventually, the Governor's desk. Your voice is extremely powerful so please continue to contact your legislators.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful break.

Sincerely,

Ryan Heraty

Superintendent

Lamoille South Supervisory Union

802-888-4541

ryan.heraty@lamoillesouth.org

As we approach the last two months of school, it is a great time to review the cell-phone policy that went into effect in the fall. As you may recall, we surveyed our families last spring and asked if they would support a cell-phone ban. Overwhelmingly, parents indicated they would support the district moving forward with this initiative and the school board approved a policy in the summer. It went into effect on the first day of school and has been going strong.

Although there are many factors that contribute, here are a few of the benefits we have noticed this year:

- Increased academic performance measured by our STAR assessments.

- Increased student engagement, both in academic and extracurricular activities.

- A reduction in hazing, harassment, and bullying incidents across all schools.

- Increased social interactions throughout the day, especially during lunch.

- Less power struggles between students and staff.

- Less disruptions throughout classes.

Thank you for your support with this important step to keep our schools learning-focused.

As much as we would like to stay isolated from state and federal politics, we are paying close attention to what is coming out of Montpelier and Washington, D.C.. I received a letter on April 4th from Education Secretary Zoie Saunders informing us we would need to sign off that we are complying with federal law pertaining to Title VI. Of course, we are complying with all federal laws but this certification was presented as an assurance we are not condoning certain practices that promote segregation or racism under the cover of "DEI". What was problematic, is that they fail to define what DEI actually is, leaving this open to interpretation as people see fit for any political purpose. The federal government did issue this letter with questions 8 and 9 addressing DEI programs in schools. However, a lack of clarity opens districts up to legal challenges and puts us in the middle of culture wars. The politicization of public schools creates substantial division in communities and throughout the country and we do our best to avoid being in the middle of these discussions. Fortunately, the state decided to walk back this compliance sign-off and have the state certify as a whole (as most states chose to do).

Federal funding is another topic that is on everyone's mind. In LSSU, we receive approximately $1.5M in federal funds. This represents approximately 4% of our total budget. According to state officials, we are not anticipated to lose any of this funding over the course of the next school year. We will continue to monitor these changes and keep you informed.

This week, I published an op-ed discussing legislation. It discusses our primary concerns with Bill H.454, which are as follows:

Concern: The bill includes a 4,000 district minimum

Why it matters: Our two districts have approximately 1600 students. This law would require us to merge with at least one other district. This would be highly disruptive to student learning and consolidation rarely saves money and has the potential to raise taxes significantly through the leveling of employee contracts. We presented this information in depth to the VT House Ways and Means and Senate Education Committees. The state's obsession with consolidation is due to the foundation funding formula they wish to implement. A foundation formula would provide more stability in the system and it's something we recommend. However, the way it is being proposed would give districts a lump sum derived from a complex formula based on test scores and current spending. Some districts would get a lot more and some would get a lot less. This would create a list of winners and losers unless the districts are large enough to dilute any changes in resources. In other words, merging districts allows those spending more to keep doing so while raises taxes in the other towns. We are recommending an approach that would involve professional judgement panels, creating an amount for each current district based on what they actually need.

Concern: The bill includes a 450 student school minimum in grades 6-12

Why it matters: Stowe Middle/High has approximately 400 students and would not meet this minimum. Peoples Academy is around 475 students but this flucuates and it is likely we will be below that number in the next two years. This bill would give lawmakers reason to close our schools. There is also a provision that requires no more than two grades in one classroom. This potentially closes the Elmore School, the last one-room schoolhouse in the state. Our Elmore School operates with one teacher and 15 students; it is not driving the tax increases we have seen across the state.

Concern: The bill includes class size minimums of 18 at the 5-12 level.

Why it matters: Although many of our classes are above this standard, we sometimes need to run a class with a small number to account for the variety of course offerings we provide. We know that our overall student to teacher ratios are at or below some of the largest high schools in the state. Therefore, arbitrary class sizes should not be imposed on our school when we are spending below state averages.

Note of Gratitude

Due to your advocacy, the roll call shows two of our reps voted no on this bill. Thank you for speaking up and fighting for our children and schools. Please continue to advocate as this bill heads to the Senate. We will keep you informed through various channels.

The Elmore-Morristown and Stowe School Boards have both joined the Rural School Community Alliance. This alliance provides us an opportunity to work with likeminded towns and districts across the state. Currently, over 90 school boards and towns have joined. Through the alliance, we were able to testify recently in both the House Ways and Means Committee, along with Senate Education. The Senate Ed committee has asked us to present a comprehensive plan that will offer viable solutions to the state's property tax crisis. We have created this plan and it will be shared with the committee later today. Once it is a public document, I will share it with our entire LSSU community.