Orange East Supervisory Union

Dear OESU Community,

Many areas across our union woke up to frost again this morning. The frost on rooftops and fields reminds us that the quiet rhythm of the seasons continues to turn, drawing us ever closer to winter. As the fall foliage is wrapping up, I want to report that teaching and learning in our schools is still progressing beautifully. This week is parent/guardian teacher conferences across the Supervisory Union. Be looking for communications from your teachers and principals to book your meetings. It is critically important for student success that parents and guardians are involved in school. Please book your conferences!

A sincere thank you to everyone who made time to attend the OESU community listening sessions. Your input made it possible for the school board chairs to write a unified letter to the Vermont School District Redistricting Task Force regarding our communities position on Act 73. Below you will find the three maps that have been proposed so far by the redistricting task force. Map 1 is focused on Career and Technical Centers (CTE), Map 2 is a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) model, and Map 3, which is the most concerning, is a Regional High Schools map. I know the proposal to close more than half the high schools in Vermont will be upsetting to many of you. I want to assure you that OESU will fight for all of our schools to remain open.

As we prepare for the winter months ahead, I want to express my gratitude for the dedication of our staff, the resilience and enthusiasm of our students, and the unwavering support of our families and community members. Together, we continue to make Orange East not just a supervisory union, but a place where every learner is known, valued, and supported.

Warmly,

Heather Lawler

Superintendent of Schools

Orange East Supervisory Union

Here is the link to the October 21, 2025 Monthly Superintendents Report which was included in the OESU board packet. It includes a legislative update, OESU Budget priorities, a summary of the state District Quality Standards (DQS), the OESU LAU Plan for Multilingual English Language Learners, updates on food service including the need for a Director of Food Service and the need to provide Summer Meals, professional development plans, and much more.

Here is a link to the full 10/21/2025 OESU Meeting Materials folder which includes the first draft of the OESU Expenditure Budget and first quarter financial reports for OESU and for all our schools. We are striving for full transparency as we create the 2027 budgets for your approval.

The School District Redistricting Taskforce met again on 10/28 to continue the discussion on three proposals. They have two scheduled meetings left. The next meeting of the Vermont School District Redistricting Task Force is on November 10, 2025, Waterbury State Office Complex, Cherry Conference Room, Waterbury, VT 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM.

Before I share the three proposals, I want to urge some caution around them. They are not fully conceptualized and as a result can be both difficult to interpret from the slides alone and anxiety provoking. Number 3 below are a proposal of possible maps of regional High Schools. That map will be upsetting to many communities as not all high schools are on the maps. In OESU, Blue Mountain has been removed. This proposal also impacts our neighbor districts significantly. In Montpelier, both Montpelier HS & U32 have been removed and only Spaulding remains. White River Valley HS and Williamstown HS are removed. Please remember that these maps are currently only proposals. However, now is the time to communicate with the Task Force if you have statements or comments. Contact Information: All communication can be sent to ADM.Redistricting@vermont.gov.

Map 1. Modified CTE Districts - This potential map is based on 13 modified CTE regions. However, it is unclear what the governance structure that these 13 regions would be based on. When asked, the authors of the map shared that they envisioned that it would be left locally to determine what the governance structures would be. The range could be from a single district structure to all districts in the region becoming an SU to some hybrid of the two.

Map 2. Regional Cooperative Education Services Model (Write Up and Presentation) - This proposal centers around 5 Regional Cooperative Education Services (called BOCES in current statute). The regions for the Cooperative Education Services are based on the VSA Regional Structure. This does not mean that they are suggesting five school districts. They then propose that there would be intentional strategic mergers underneath these Cooperative Services Areas (CSAs) aligned with evidence-based criteria, local input, and contingent on access to construction aid. I suggest looking through slides 13-32 of the presentation where they outline the research on mergers and three distinct targets for mergers. 1. Stranded Cost - based on dramatic student decline and highlights the example of central Vermont rather than a more rural area where enrollment may be declining, but there are not other nearby options. 2. Private School Choice Cost - Funds available for public schools decrease due to tuition being paid for private school tuition. They use several examples of areas with schools in close proximity to one another that allow for both public and private school choice where the competition drives public dollars away from the local public schools. 3. Sparsity Cost - Strengthening isolated public schools so that we don't create regions with public school deserts. Please note that there are examples used in each of these, but they do not reflect a completed 'map' for the taskforce.

Map 3. Envisioning a future Vermont Public Education System built around Regional Comprehensive High Schools - This proposal was just introduced yesterday and focuses on access to regional comprehensive high schools. In many cases, these do not yet exist and would need substantial construction aid to exist. What they have not suggested in this proposal is that there would only be 21 high schools around the state. In the current version, what would happen to other school buildings would be left locally. Here is what the proposal says: "1. By identifying and targeting construction aid at regional high schools, the state incentivizes constructive collaboration of neighboring districts to partner on the design and development of the new regional high schools. Shared governance ensures communities retain voice in how their schools meet the needs of their students. 2. Districts may merge to secure access to construction aid for a new regional high school and voice in the operation of that program. 3. A private academy that would like to become a regional hub could apply to its host district to become a public school. If the district votes to make the academy a public school, then that school could be eligible to apply for construction aid."

There has been an ongoing but very inconclusive conversation about governance and how it has not been addressed thus far. There is very little understanding of the model of governance that will be recommended across any of these maps. There was trepidation about the pace and challenge of this work.

For your convenience, if you want to reach out, here are the legislature members who serve towns in OESU:

Representative Rebecca Holcombe, rholcombe@leg.state.vt.us (Thetford)
Representative James Masland, jmasland@leg.state.vt.us (Thetford)
Representative Joseph Parsons, jparsons@leg.state.vt.us (Groton, Newbury, Topsham)
Representative Debra Powers, dpowers@leg.state.vt.us (Ryegate)
Representative Monique Priestley, mpriestley@leg.state.vt.us (Bradford)
Representative Michael Tagliavia, mtagliavia@leg.state.vt.us (Corinth)

Senator Scott Beck, sbeck@leg.state.vt.us (Newbury, Groton, Ryegate)
Senator Allison Clarkson, aclarkson@leg.state.vt.us (Thetford)
Senator Larry Hart, lhart@leg.state.vt.us (Bradford, Corinth, Topsham)
Senator Joe Major, jmajor@leg.state.vt.us (Thetford)
Senator Becca White, rwhite@leg.state.vt.us (Thetford)

To reach all members of the Vermont School District Redistricting Taskforce use this email address: ADM.Redistricting@vermont.gov

I will keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for all you do each day to make sure that all students are getting the best education possible. As long as we keep students at the center of all we do, we will remain on the right track.

Orange East towns span over 400 square miles and weather conditions can often be quite different from one end of the district to the other. In addition, we all know that our Vermont weather can be very unpredictable and can change drastically in a short period of time. Safety is the most important factor.

Our transportation vendors are centralized. If one town experiences freezing rain and our road crews consider the roads potentially unsafe, we will close school, even if the weather and roads in other towns are safe for travel. Decisions must be made based on the safety of all our students and staff across all our towns.

We consider the needs of our students who are new drivers on winter roads, as well as the ability of faculty members commuting from across the state to arrive safely. We also assess our capacity to adequately staff the school for the day. We will usually not have a delayed opening unless our road crews make that suggestion. Sometimes a little extra time to treat the roads is needed, especially if a storm hits after the roads have been sanded, but that is the crews’ decision alone to make. A majority of the time, the crews are able to manage weather and road conditions to ensure that the roads designated as bus routes are ready in time for a regular opening of the school day.

We rely most heavily on the expertise of our road crews when it comes to evaluating the weather conditions because they are already out on the roads and have the best “real-time” knowledge. We have our cell phones set up for alert text messages from the State of Vermont. Also, we regularly monitor the following sources for forecasts and predictions: the National Weather Service, the Vermont Agency of Transportation, as well as other local weather forecast teams.

We will make every attempt to make school closure decisions by 5:30 am, after talking with road crews from each town. A message will be sent to all families and staff using contact information we have for you in Infinite Campus. Please ensure your contact information is accurate (see below). We aim to send all notifications between 5:30-5:45 am to prevent staff from being on the roads and to give families sufficient time to make alternative arrangements.

If at any time, a parent/caregiver feels that conditions are such at home that the roads feel unsafe to drive to school, the parent/caregiver can choose to keep a student(s) home even if school is open. We value everyday of attendance, but safety is most important.

IMPORTANT - Infinite Campus Test Call - **RESCHEDULED** Thursday November 6, 2025

Orange East will be conducting a TEST message to staff and families on Thursday November 6 at 5:30. This outreach will include an email, Infinite Campus inbox message, text, and voice call.

This TEST message is intended to help our parents, caregivers, and families ensure we have the correct contact information on file.

Having your up-to-date and active contacts ensures you receive timely updates about your student, as well as essential messages like weather delays and closures. If you do not receive the test message through one or more of these outlets, contact your school registrar. Again, this TEST message will be sent at 5:30 on Wednesday, November 5. We appreciate your attention to this matter.

Congratulations again to Lynnette Knapp of Newbury Elementary and Meagan Leddy-Cecere of Oxbow Union Middle High School as recipients of UVM's 45th Annual Vermont Outstanding Educator Awards on October 27, 2025. Orange East is deeply grateful for their work and dedication.

Nov 3 - 7 National Book Week & Parent Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, November 4, 2025 OESU Board Retreat for District Quality Standards and goal setting 6:00PM

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Blue Mountain Union School District Board Meeting 6:00PM

Thursday, November 6, 2025 Meet the Athletic Director at Oxbow Open Forum at 5:30PM

Friday, November 7, 2025 No School Teacher In Service

Saturday, November 8, 2025 Clothing Swap at Thetford Elementary School 9AM - accepting donations now

Saturday, November 8, 2025 Holiday Bazaar at Waits River Valley School 10AM

Tuesday, November 11, Thetford Town School District Board Meeting 6:00PM

Wednesday, November 12, Oxbow Union Unified School District Board Meeting 5:30PM

Thursday, November 13, Waits River Valley School District Board Meeting 6:00PM

Saturday, November 16, Clothing Give Away at Waits River Valley School 10AM - accepting donations now

Tuesday, November 18, Orange East Supervisory Union Board Meeting 6:00PM

Full Calendars are available on the OESU website at https://www.oesu.org/calendars.

Orange East Supervisory Union (OESU) is located in the beautiful Upper Valley of the Connecticut River, The Central Office is located in Bradford, Vermont. The SU includes Blue Mountain Union School, Bradford Elementary School, Newbury Elementary School, Oxbow Middle High School, Riverbend Career and Technical Center, Thetford Elementary School, and Waits River Valley School. The Supervisory Union proudly serves and connects the towns of Bradford, Newbury, Corinth, Groton, Ryegate, Thetford, Topsham, Wells River and local tuition towns. We all work together to support student learning and improve educational outcomes.

Orange East Supervisory Union

64 Main Street

Bradford, Vermont

(802) 222-5216