Regular Meeting of the Board of School Commissioners Minutes ~ August 26, 2025
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Cherie Bizzarro
Regular Meeting of the Board of School Commissioners
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
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School Board Members Present: Cathy Solsaa, Chair Marybeth Lennox-Levins, Clerk Karen Bossi Ryan Carney Courtney Collins Whitcomb Dena Goldberg Jen Rondinone Charlene Seward Stephanie Stoodley Christina Sweet Lauren Weiss Amelia Shelton, Student Representative Danielle Goldberg, Student Representative |
Also Present: Pam Reed, Superintendent Bianca McKeen, Assistant Superintendent Kerry Coarse, Director of Support Services Ted Plemenos, CFO Patricia Aigner, Director of Technology Marie Gilmond, Executive Director of Tapestry & EPIC Glenn Scott, Director of B,G,&T
Lyle Jepson (CEDRR), Stephanie Clarke (White + Burke Real Estate Advisors), Ed Bove (City of Rutland), Tom Donahue (City of Rutland), Sean Adkins (RRA), Melissa Connor, Scott Corbett, Christy Coloutti, Meaghan Marsh, Greg Schillinger, Tiffani Marano, Justine Ruhlin, Corey Smith, Brett Lertola, Alicia Engel, Sophia Buckley-Clement (Rutland Herald) |
Call to Order
Chair Solsaa called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call
All Board members were present.
Board Norms
Chair Solsaa read the Board Norms.
Approval of Agenda
Motion by Stoodley/Carney to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Motion by Seward/Lennox-Levins to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried.
Consent Agenda
A. Minutes of previous meetings
B. Personnel Memo #667
C. Sale of Surplus School Bus Approval
Discussion and Acceptance of Mayoral Board Appointments
Mayoral appointees, Dena Goldberg and Lauren Weiss, were called forward to engage in a brief discussion with the Commissioners.
Motion by Stoodley/Lennox-Levins to accept the mayoral appointment of Dena Goldberg to the Board of School Commissioners. Motion passed.
Motion by Sweet/Lennox-Levins to accept the mayoral appointment of Lauren Weiss to the Board of School Commissioners. Motion passed.
The Oath was administered, Code of Ethics signed, and the new commissioners took their seats.
Communication
Public Input - There was no public comment.
TIF District and Implications on the School
Tom Donahue (Board of Alderman), Lyle Jepson (CEDRR), Ed Bove (City of Rutland), Stephanie Clarke (White + Burke Real Estate Advisors), and Sean Adkins (RRA) gave an overview of the Rutland TIF District and how it affects RCPS. They explained that Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a low-risk financing tool available to local governments to improve infrastructure (old water and sewer lines, etc.) and encourage economic development, which in turn, has the potential of increasing the tax base. The upcoming bond vote is a tool to help reach the goal of the downtown hotel and living project (hotel, restaurant, bar, housing units). They described the project as taking a long vacant lot in the heart of downtown and turning it into a vibrant new development, which will have multiple benefits including increasing the tax base to keep taxes down, increasing neighborhood vitality, decreasing crime, etc. The hotel project has permits ready to go. Belden, a local business, has been contracted to do the work. Before the hotel can be built, infrastructure needs to be improved (pipes, flooding, etc.), which will also benefit future economic development happening in the area. These improvements are the responsibility of the city (infrastructure), which the TIF bond will help fund. City residents will be voting on the TIF bond on October 7th.
The team explained that the bond will not affect the tax rate because it is funded using the TIF tool. Because the overall project is very expensive, the bond is only part of the funding ($3.9M). Other sources include NBRC grant ($3M), reserves and other ($700K), sales tax reallocation (500K), and a VTRANS grant ($500K). The way it works is that the City takes out the bond and receives the debt. Whatever resulting new development that creates taxes is what pays the debt service (only the incremental part). Existing taxes on the current tax base continue to be used for what they have always been used for (municipal and education financing), and any new taxes generated (above the current property value) will go toward paying the debt service until the end of a 20-year window (starting at the first debt). When the window ends, the tax base should increase from the new development. Only a portion of the incremental taxes collected (amount above current tax value) go to pay the TIF debt (70%). The other 30% of the incremental taxes collected go to the education fund, which could actually help keep the tax rate down (this would be new money generated from taxes collected from the development). For the municipal portion, 85% goes to pay down the TIF bond and 15% new revenue goes to the city. It is estimated that around $2M will be generated from just the hotel project that will go to the education fund over the 20-year window with the 30% incremental, then the full amount will go toward the education fund.
TIF districts have been done in other areas of Vermont (St. Albans, Hartford, Barre, South Burlington, etc.). TIF funding is also done throughout the country, but Vermont TIF funding is highly regulated which is associated with successful use of the tool. Vermont requires a development agreement with a developer for these projects, which makes the project much less risky.
Commissioners asked questions about how this could be impacted by the new education reform. Mrs. Clarke noted that the State legislature looked into TIF during the last session with exactly this question in mind. What the analysis showed was that, whether the tax rate went up or down, the TIF districts remained solvent - the tax revenue generated from these new projects is more than what existed before. The team asked Commissioners to vote on October 7th and let them know that there are lawn signs available encouraging everyone to vote. More information is available on the RRA website.
School/Program Updates
Student Representatives’ Report
Amelia Shelton shared the K-6 school reports as follows:
● RIS is excited to welcome everyone back for the new school year. A Back-to-School BBQ and Open House will be held on September 17th from 5:15-6:45 pm, beginning with a BBQ and moving into an open house at 6:00 pm. Thank you to custodial staff and administrative assistants for getting the building and details ready for the school year.
● NE had a productive summer. Kindergarten and first grade classrooms received updates to improve storage and functionality. Teachers reimagined classroom environments using AI tools to create spaces that are more organized, intentional, and student-centered. The addition of Nicole Adams as a full-time PE teacher means students will now have PE twice per week, including the launch of the new K–2 lifetime sports program, Northeast Trailblazers. NE welcomes Alexa McLaughlin as a new special educator. The Open House and Ice Cream Social is on September 10th at 5:30 pm, and a Title I Family Meeting will take place beforehand at 5:00 pm.
● NW teachers are hard at work preparing their classrooms to ensure a positive and engaging learning environment for all students. A thank you to custodial and maintenance staff for their hard work this summer - from classroom moves to entrance improvements. An Open House will be held on September 24th at 6:00 pm, preceded by a Title I Family Engagement Meeting at 5:30 pm.
Danielle Goldberg shared the RMS and RHS reports as follows:
● RMS is excited to have 7th grade orientation on Wednesday, with all students coming back on Thursday. On Friday, September 5th, the whole school will head to Pittsford Rec for the annual RMS Lake Day, which helps build relationships and a sense of community. The RMS Open House, with a BBQ and kickball game, will be held on September 11 from 5:30-7:00 pm.
● RHS is wrapping up in-service and will welcome 9th grade students on Wednesday and all students on Thursday. During in-service, faculty participated in professional learning with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld who spoke about developing reading skills in students who struggle to read, focusing on vocabulary development and word acquisition.
Opening of School Report
New Rutland Intermediate School Principal, Christy Coloutti, shared that staff are excited to be back to school, in-service has been remarkable, and everyone is working on building school climate. She reported that this year’s goals include addressing student behavior and building staff morale.
Rutland Middle School principal, Meaghan Marsh, shared that she is grateful for the RMS staff who have accomplished amazing things during in-service. She reported that RMS is starting the year a bit short-staffed, but everyone has shown exceptional commitment and support to each other and RMS.
Rutland High School Principal, Greg Schillinger, thanked the custodial and IT staff, for helping to create a great vibe when faculty arrived at a sparkling facility with technology ready to go. He reported that RHS will be focusing on developing and expanding their MTSS structure, working with data and intervention to fill learning gaps. RHS will be expanding on their current systems of support by using data to identify specific skill gaps, exploring root causes, and building structures into the school day to address those gaps.
Northeast Principal, Justine Ruhlin, reported that staff had a busy summer cleaning out spaces and reviewing curriculum and using AI tools to make sure spaces are intentional and student centered. Grant funding made new cabinetry and storage space possible. On Monday and Tuesday both primary schools provided Kindercamp to help make the transition to school easier for families and students with activities like bus safety rides and getting to know you arts and crafts events. Ms. Ruhlin reported that both Kindergarten groups are a little larger than usual this year, with approximately 60-70 students at each school (approximately 20 students per class). In-service professional development included opportunities to learn about instructional strategies for multi-language learners (MLL) and all students, PLCs and creating positive norms that build positive climate and community.
Allen Street Campus (ASC) and Pierpoint Primary Learning Center (PPLC) Director, Scott Corbett, reported that ASC and PPLC have come together to form a partnership to collaborate and provide access to students in these programs. He thanked Jess Henderson, Lisa Eastman, maintenance team, and bus aides for all their hard work in getting the building and grounds ready for the new school year, including skateboard ramps at PPLC. Mr. Corbett noted that staff are excited to welcome students back and invited Commissioners to the Back-to-School Cookout on September 25th from 4:00-6:00 at ASC and from 5:30-6:30 at PPLC.
New Northwest Principal, Corey Smith, reported that she has enjoyed welcoming people back into the buildings. She has enjoyed meeting some of the students through Kindercamp. Mrs. Smith noted that the NW team have spent time during in-service getting to know each other and also continuing work started last year with Partnerships for Literacy and Learning (PLL) to focus on reviewing and improving literacy practices. Last year’s work focused on laying the groundwork for establishing grade-level meeting routines for collaboration and building structured data teams and processes for reviewing data. In this final year working with PLL, the NW team will work on making these systems and practices sustainable and embedding what they’ve learned in daily practices. Goals for this year include continuing monthly data team meetings, making time for grade-level teams to identify instructional needs specific to their teams, one-to-one and grade-level coaching opportunities for teachers (with PLL). Schedules have been structured to support collaboration with each grade level having two common planning times each week dedicated to looking at grade-level data routinely, collaborating on essential practices, and participating in Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. PLL spent time with each grade-level during in-service to set goals, including strengthening vocabulary instruction across all grade levels, using flexible grouping for targeted small group and individual instruction for students, and identifying the need for the essential practice of writing. In response to a question from Commissioner Weiss, Mrs. Smith indicated that data will be shared with the Board regarding how many teachers participate in coaching opportunities. The Board noted that they are looking forward to seeing more RCPS data at future meetings.
Stafford Technical Center Director, Melissa Connor, noted that they are the only building that has preschoolers through adults in the building. They welcomed preschoolers back last Wednesday. This Wednesday they will welcome 245 students from 12 area high schools and home school students. She reported that, after 11 years of work, all STC students will have common arrival and departure times. Evening classes are also starting, with the VTSU GE Apprentice classes beginning this week (four nights per week), as well as the adult cosmetology and LNA programs at The Meadows, and the CDL driving program is ready to go. High school staff is focusing on cross-curricular projects where academic teachers are teaming up with program instructors to collaborate and embed academics in classes to make the student experience more meaningful. The theme for the year is “We are better together.” Ms. Connor thanked Glenn Scott and the building, grounds, and maintenance team for accomplishing some large projects at STC this summer. The Tech Exploratory program is kicking off this year, which finishes year five of their strategic plan. STC’s back-to-school BBQ is on September 5th from 6:00-8:00 pm. In response to a question from Commissioner Goldberg, Ms. Connor reported that the majority of programs are full with wait lists of varying sizes. A few open seats remain in some programs (Culinary Arts, Tech Exploratory, and Public Safety).
Central Office Reports
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent, Pam Reed, gave her first report to the Board. She noted that the district has a new food service, Genuine Foods, who did a great job with the Tapestry and EPIC programs this summer. They are ready to go for the school year.
Mrs. Reed noted that there has been a lot of professional development happening during in-service from a combination of external and internal experts. Professional development included a strategic plan update from Superintendent Reed, Assistant Superintendent Bianca McKeen, and Director of Support Services Kerry Coarse.
The school year kickoff celebration took place Tuesday afternoon, where all staff gathered at RHS for lunch and an assembly where keynote speaker Ernesto Majia spoke about family engagement, staff accomplishments were celebrated, new staff were welcomed, and the longest serving staff recognized (Cathy Archer - 41 years, and Bob Lavene - 48 years). Mrs. Reed gave special thanks to the RHS Chamber Singers, lead by Shannon Bonsignore, who kicked off the event. In response to a question from Commissioner Bossi, Mrs. Reed noted that there are approximately 42 new staff members this year, with some positions still open (RIS - school counselor, RMS - a science and a math teacher, and educational support professionals at all schools)
Superintendent Reed gave a brief update on Act 73, which is the law pertaining to redistricting. She reported that the School Redistricting Task Force started its work this summer. This group is responsible for recommending three possible statewide configurations for school districts to the Legislature, taking into account geography, enrollment, transportation, local government structure, and access to independent schools for districts that have tuition students. Guidelines state that each district should serve between 4,000 and 8,000 students. Legislators will consider the recommendations during the 2026 legislative session. The task force has identified key challenges and themes - declining enrollment, per pupil cost, and the lack of consistency in services and opportunities for students statewide. The goal of the task force is to ensure equity and long term sustainability. There is a strong agreement among the task force to protect the strength of local elementary schools and ensure decisions are manageable for leadership. The task force is working on compiling data, which is an extensive list that includes enrollments, projections, birth rates, school facility conditions, student commute patterns, and government and staffing structures. There will be opportunities for public input, where the Board and District will need to advocate for what is best for RCPS. Superintendent Reed and Chair Solsaa, submitted an op-ed piece to the Rutland Herald and are committed to keeping the RCPS community informed on the progress of the task force.
Summer Professional Development Report/Work Projects
Assistant Superintendent, Bianca McKeen, gave a brief update on professional development and school improvement work that was accomplished over the summer and in late spring. Mrs. McKeen noted that most of the school improvement projects that principals highlighted earlier are funded using title grant funds, as well as the anticipated opening of a brand new interventionist position at RHS (pending investment approval).
Mrs. McKeen explained that the projects and professional development are aligned with three strategic plan priority areas:
● Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment - NE, NW, RIS unified arts assessment development, RIS and RMS grade-level and academic teams assessment development, RHS curriculum development for individualized programming, NE STEAM makerspaces for classrooms, and NE/NW Kindercamp programming.
● Safe and Health Schools/Social Emotional Learning - NE adjusted spaces to be conducive for all learners and trauma informed; RIS development of proactive/preventative curriculum to address hazing, harassment, and bullying, as well as restructuring PBIS and support systems for upper grades, and development of behavior academies to respond to targeted behaviors; RCPS nurses developed resources for families to address health concerns and proactive education; RCPS revamp of process, forms, and training for Functional Behavior Assessments & Behavior Intervention Plans.
● Professional Development - A wide array of RCPS staff attended training, conferences, and courses on RTI/MTSS training, PLC and data teams, instructional strategies for multilingual learners, UFLI, Vermont State School Nurses Association, Science of Reading, wilderness first aid, lifeguarding, CPR/First Aid, learning to read, reading to learn, and ELL support. Many also participated in individual learning opportunities.
In response to a question from Commissioner Weiss, Mrs. McKeen noted that RCPS multilingual language learners (MLL) speak a variety of home languages, and that this is the first year that RCPS has qualified for Title III funding to support MLL. Andrea Honigsfeld, an expert in the field who lives in southern Vermont, was able to provide professional learning on instructional strategies for MLL through this funding.
Committee Reports
Commissioner Carney reported that the Committee met on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, where the policies below were reviewed and sent to the Board for first reading. He noted that the most significant change is the added wording of “any advertising or promotion of any event being held at schools should clearly state the event is not a RCPS sponsored event.”
Also noted was that a community member spoke at the April meeting to ask about a policy regarding negotiation timelines, which the committee will be discussing at their next meeting.
Motion by Stoodley/Lennox-Levins to move the following policies to second reading:
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- First Reading Policy ~ 3260 Community Use of School Facilities
- First Reading Policy ~ 7240 Released Time for Students
- First Reading Policy ~ 7350 College Level Coursework
- First Reading Policy ~ 7360 Reporting to Parents/Legal Guardians
- First Reading New Policy ~ 5680 Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams
Motion carried.
The next Policy Committee meeting is Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 5:00 pm.
Unfinished Business - None
New Business
Commissioner Stoodley thanked Glenn Scott and his team for their hard work on making improvements to buildings and grounds throughout the district this summer and each and every day.
Board Calendar and Committee Schedule
Motion by Stoodley/Sweet to move the November meeting from Tuesday, November 11th to Wednesday, November 12th. Motion passed.
Commissioners engaged in discussion regarding the possibility of changing meeting start times to accommodate Board member work schedules, as well as moving longer executive sessions to the Tuesday following the Board meeting. No changes were made.
Board Retreat
Motion made by Seward/Sweet to discuss having a Board Retreat. Motion passed.
After some discussion, the retreat, where the Board will discuss 25-26 goals and professional development, is scheduled for September 23rd and 30th from 6:00-8:30 pm in the RHS library.[1] Chair Solsaa has reached out to the VSBA about a possible facilitator.
VSBA Conference
Board members are invited to the VSBA conference on October 30th from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Doubletree in Burlington. Superintendent Reed and Chair Solsaa will be attending a training on October 29th for board chairs and superintendents. The 30th is open to all school board members. Commissioners should let Pam know if they would like to attend.
Adjournment
Motion by Bossi/Seward to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 pm. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bethany Sprague
Board Recording Secretary
[1] The Board retreat is now scheduled for September 23 and September 25, 2025.
- 2025
- Regularly Scheduled