BRATTLEBORO — During a power outage affecting large parts of the community on Tuesday night — including the Brattleboro Union High School building where the annual Windham Southeast School District meeting was held — voters approved a $69,874,600 budget for the next fiscal year.
"You may have noticed the power is out," Moderator Steven Brown said at the start of the meeting. "I will do my best to yell. Power may be back in half an hour."
About an hour later, at nearly 8 p.m., the power was still out but the budget had passed. A small group voted against the article.
With limited lighting and no amplified sound from microphones, the meeting had its challenges. Brown experienced difficulties recognizing faces in the crowd. Voters had trouble hearing.
Board member Ruby McAdoo said the budget is based on what the community can afford and plans to meet the district's continuous improvement goals, which call for increasing student achievement by 10 percent in math and literacy, improving graduation rates and increasing sense of belonging by 10 percent over the prior year.
McAdoo said the spending plan is up 2.6 percent over the current fiscal year despite a projected 7 percent increase in health insurance rates, reflecting a reduction of nine positions and $800,000 after board and community feedback. She called the budget "fiscally responsible and responsive to our students' needs."
Borrowing a light from Brown, Martha Noyes of Brattleboro read from a statement to speak against the budget. She said the board had multiple opportunities to make cuts and revisions to help struggling taxpayers in the community.
"All people here are facing increasing costs of living," she said. "I do believe people at all different levels can do a better job."
Former board member Jody Normandeau of Dummerston agreed with Noyes and said she has long opposed renovations to the Tenney Field grandstand.
"I think the education of our kids is most important," Normandeau said.
Normandeau encouraged the district to shoot higher for student achievement goals. She also said she doesn't want schools "to water down the education to get the graduation rates up."
Anne Rider of Guilford said the district should be commended for controlling costs while facing such large health care increases. Fred Breunig of Brattleboro also called for supporting the budget.
Other articles quickly passed, including the approval of officer reports, compensation for board members ($7,000 and $9,000 for the chairperson), and election of Brown as moderator, Mo Hart as clerk and Frank Rucker as treasurer.
Molly Stoner of Dummerston, teacher at Putney Central, asked how the upcoming closure of Marlboro Elementary School would affect the budget. At annual Town Meeting in March, residents in Marlboro voted to close the school due to declining enrollment.
"We don't speculate on future revenue and make adjustments on spending because it's too risky to make that kind of a judgment under these conditions," said Frank Rucker, business administrator for Windham Southeast Supervisory Union, which provides services to WSESD and Vernon Town School District. "In the short term, if there are additional tuition dollars received over and above this budget, then that would create a surplus."
Vermont's Act 73 "contemplates a different funding formula" for education, Rucker said, and is likely to "extend the region so there wouldn't be as much of this tuition, one school paying another school."
"It would just be expanding that region as a public educational system," he said.
Superintendent Mark Speno said he reached out to the Marlboro community with a letter introducing WSESD as "an option and a home for all those students and families."
"It's been well received," he said. "Families have been reaching out to the various schools in our district. I think most, if not all, will be joining us next year, which is very exciting."
Speno said Tuesday's annual meeting will be the last in which Rucker serves as the supervisory union's business administrator. Rucker is set to retire at the end of December.
Speno recounted comments reported by the Reformer at a board meeting earlier this year.
"Our school system has had the great fortune over the last 12 years to be served by the finest business administrator in the state of Vermont, in my opinion, and I think many people across the state will tell you that Frank is thoughtful, compassionate, student centered and accountable," Speno previously said. "He holds the line, holds other people accountable. He's just an exceptional leader and an even better person."
Rucker received a standing ovation and praise from School Board Chairwoman Deborah Stanford and former board member Shaun Murphy of Guilford.
"Every day work has been focused on drilling down to achieve the fundamental goal, what is best for students," Murphy said.
Murphy commended Rucker for identifying resources to bring to classrooms and to remediate buildings and grounds of 10 individual school sites. Current and future students of the district, Murphy said, "will experience the value and importance of Frank’s successful work in developing countless durable innovations."
"Frank, you should be proud, we are thankful for your years outstanding service to our district," Murphy said.
Reported turnout included 78 voters from Brattleboro, 18 from Dummerston, 20 from Guilford and 11 from Putney.
