 Hello everybody and welcome to commissioners corner. I am Martin Laracuic of the Burlington School Board I represent Ward 4, which is the neighborhood that includes the JJ Flynn School and we've been on kind of a long hiatus a couple years. It's been a couple years since I've been in this seat So it feels good to be back Let's see One of the reasons that we were on a hiatus as you all know is that we have been experiencing a pandemic so we that happened what March of 2020 and we immediately kind of closed down our Commissioners corner at the time and then of course in the fall of 2020 Our high school was closed down due to PCB Contamination so that was just a huge shock to the system our students had to leave our teachers and staff had to leave The high school and our BTC students needed to find a home So we've been obviously dealing with a lot between the pandemic pandemic and the closure of our tech center in our high school There's been a lot going on so in the interim as many of you know We got support from the governor and our superintendent led the charge to move our high school into the former Macy's building we now call it downtown BHS and our tech center has been able to find locations around the city and around The county to house their program. So it's been a heavy lift but I feel as though it's been very positive thus far and We have some more heavy lifts coming in our near future that that I will be talking about a little bit today but really today is a focus on New commissioners so this today this commissioners corner and then the the next one as well We'll be an opportunity for us to meet some of our new commissioners that were just elected this past March So this evening. I'm really happy to welcome our new commissioner from Ward 5 Lucia Campriolo, and we are just gonna have a conversation this evening Awesome. Well, thank you so much Martin. It's really nice to be here This is my first time here at the commissioners corner and I look forward to joining upcoming conversations as well Well, welcome. I'm really happy you're here, and I look forward to speaking with you. We've only met a few times we've had one meeting together and You know, this is just gonna be really great for me as well as the public. So yay very excited I thought I would just start by getting a little bit of a bio a little bit of what your story is if you could Just tell us who you are where you come from what you're up to that would be great. Yeah, absolutely Thanks for the question. So I live in Burlington South End And as you mentioned I'm representing Ward 5 residents on the school board, which includes the Champlain Elementary School as its physical School building in in the ward. I My husband Joe and I are parents to two young children My older daughter Angeline is finishing up second grade in Miss Hannah Brody's class at Champlain Elementary School And my younger daughter Sophia will enter kindergarten This coming fall. In fact, we've got kindergarten orientation on Wednesday, which we're all looking forward to And so yeah, so that's who we are just as a family for fun We spend as much time as possible outdoors, which I know many families with young children Are prone to do but especially especially really have taken advantage of all that Burlington has to offer During these past two years when we have felt safest outside So that includes everything from enjoying the bike path visiting, you know, one of many Burlington beaches Biking to lake monster games skiing paddleboarding right now soccer and t-ball are keeping us most busy on the weekends Which is a good time and then professionally I'm a senior leader at let's grow kids, which is and statewide organization leading a campaign to solve Vermont's child care crisis And then lastly, I would just offer that personally I really enjoy Supporting community work and I do that through a number of volunteer capacities both with local organizations like the school district as well as with statewide organizations Wonderful. Thank you so much. I I love that professionally you're sort of you have these bookends of childcare and you know pre-k early ed and then You know throughout this whole K through 12 district and then you know the high school as well So you really cover a lot of ground in terms of Child development and education. So that's wonderful. Thank you my next question given that I started the show this evening mentioning some of the Challenges that we've had the last few years and those are just a few because there are others that are happening nationwide throughout the state and You know, I could go on but given these challenges I'm just wondering what made you want to run for school board Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think you highlighted kind of one of the things that drives me most Which is that I really see education as the cornerstone of a healthy community I see that in my work daily as an advocate for quality and equity within Vermont's zero to five child care system And I largely see the role as school board commissioner as it as a continuation in some ways of that work as an advocate for Again quality and equity in our educational system as a parent with young children who are at the very start of their public school Careers, I'm excited to represent the views of parents like myself who are entering the school system And really looking forward to joining the organization at what feels like an inflection point Both with increasing stability as kind of a foundation that we are fortunate to be moving forward upon And then also with as you mentioned a lot of challenges and opportunities on the near horizon So looking forward to joining what feels like a really solid team that works well together Particularly well at so far navigating what have been some extraordinarily challenging circumstances in the last couple years Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we're very happy to have you Did you want to talk? I think you're active in the NPA in your ward. Yeah Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. So yeah I have served as the as a steering committee member for the neighborhood planning assembly in Ward 5 for a couple of years In fact, it was through the NPA that I had the good fortune to meet and grow close with Mike Fischer Who held the role of Ward 5 school board commissioner prior to my election? And so I've really enjoyed that work as both an introduction to my immediate community and also as an opportunity to connect More directly with the city of Burlington So it's been it's been really good to get to know neighbors and And I think just have a closer understanding of all of the many moving parts that You know that make a city work and that make a community vibrant. Excellent. Thank you so much so As you take on the work of the school board as one of the commissioners I'm wondering what you would like to most focus on what you plan to really Dig in to yeah, thank you Well, I think um, you know, I think everybody is really familiar with our current BHS BTC project I know you've been working intimately on that project for a number of years now I am incredibly excited to participate in upcoming conversations. We do have with you know We made a recent decision just at the end of last month. We made the decision to pursue one of five conceptual designs It's an excellent choice It is the right choice for the district and I'm excited to throw my energy and attention into moving that conversation forward We know that in November we'll have a bond vote and that we've got a lot of work to do between now and then to support our Superintendent to develop a financing plan for that project and to support the community engagement that we intend to do in the coming months So that folks feel as energized as we all feel and also that they have an opportunity to express You know, there are questions any concerns they may have And you know ways they'd like to be engaged and help move the conversation forward So I'm most excited to participate in those conversations and And it's a it's a good body of work between now and November and then of course after November as well Yeah, yeah, it's a heavy lift, but it's definitely as you said It's it's going to take the whole community to come together on this one I do want to remind folks that this is a call-in show and That you are welcome to call in and ask a question of Lucia or ask a question of me or or you know, maybe you have something that you just want to share But I do feel free to call in And I don't know if we've got the number available for folks to call but I'm sure you can find it online if it's not readily available to you So my next question for Lucia is what do you like most about the Burlington School District? I know it's early days sort of for your family in the district in terms of Your children being fairly young, but what what so far has really stood out for you Yeah, I mean, I think for me the overall guiding priority of reducing disparities and really closing the achievement gap across all of our student groups is In incredibly empowering and inspiring. It's definitely what I like most I think that it helps us it helps give shape to all of the work that we do together as a team With an eye toward ensuring that every student can be as successful as possible and fulfill their full potential So I like that we name that as a priority and really as a guidepost And that all that we do as a district and as a community drives toward those Those two goals so that feels really exciting and yeah, it's funny because we are so new To the school system and and also the majority of our time in the school system has been during COVID So my daughter Angeline was in kindergarten. She entered kindergarten in the fall of 19 and then You know had her last day gosh I think on the 15th or 16th of March and so otherwise we've really experienced the school system During COVID so we are really looking forward to hopefully entering the next chapter of our recovery and our experience in the school system outside of or or beyond kind of this most immediate or Most immediate several phases of COVID To really embrace all that all that the district has to offer because what I've learned even just in the last Handful of weeks since being elected is just how enormous the district is and how how much opportunity there is to really engage And plug in and be a part of the community Wow, that's great. I think I just want to take a quick second while I have this opportunity You mentioned closing the achievement gap or closing the opportunity gap as some folks like to call it and Really reducing disparities and I did think that that might be a nice moment to mention That the legislature has been hard at work of late working toward Making some changes to how You know education funds work in the state specifically around student weights, which is money That's allotted to different groups of students in this particular case students who live in rural communities students who live in poverty and also English language learners and Thanks to the both the house and the Senate S287 has been passed and We're likely to see a shift in terms of how You know money is distributed to to our to our district to the districts around us and Hopefully we will see some writing of writings of some historical wrongs that have had a negative impact on our district so I I'm really excited and hopeful that Implementing the weights as they were determined to to or they should be in the study of 2019 I'm really hopeful that that's going to change the landscape for us and that we will be able to really deliver Some some great student outcomes in the next couple of years. Yeah, so yeah, I did just want to bring that up Thanks. Well, and that's a great moment for me to acknowledge your leadership in this conversation and leadership of the coalition that you've been working in partnership With so many school board commissioners across the state as well as superintendents So thank you for that and and also thank you to our state and local officials for keeping this conversation moving in the right direction It's been a lot of hard work and I think a true testament to the power of advocacy. So well done so true so true Yeah, the coalition for Vermont student equity was was huge and I it was good for me just because having Worked in education for the last 30 years and having worked in various districts around the state I experienced it firsthand I saw some of the inequities and so I was able to speak to that and I think That was helpful in getting folks to understand that it's It's not the same in this district versus that district. There are some real Differences so that that was good. That was that was helpful Let's see you talked a little bit about what you like most about the Burlington school district. What are Do you think what are the district's biggest challenges and how do you think you can help? That's a big question And certainly as someone who's very new to the conversation I do have a lot to learn and so I want to acknowledge that I am consuming a Lot of information and really just joining so many conversations that are already in progress I think the most immediate challenge that I see for us is in Supporting the development of the financing plan for our bond vote to be successful in November and so Really we know that we have an opportunity to bring something You know fiscally responsible and palatable to the taxpayers and that's going to involve partnership from our state and federal partners Certainly we have an idea about Introducing some private philanthropy, but we really need our state and federal partners to step up as well so that So that we can be successful in November. We have to move this conversation forward. We've got to be successful with a bond vote And I think that's the that that's what's on all of our minds in this moment. Absolutely So true so true And with that in mind You brought up the bond vote. You brought up the challenge of the tech center in the high school So it seems like a good Opportunity to talk about this call to action I think you said CTA or you call to see I love you When you do that all right CTA call to action Which is something that I think we want to do in our North Avenue news Articles, but as well when we're sitting here So it's a great opportunity for me to bring up at least two that I can think of and you might have some more as well Lucia One being really asking the citizens of Burlington the folks who live in our community and frankly It would behoove everyone in the state to do this to reach out to the legislature reach out to the governor and Ask for money put aside for PCB remediation There as you know every school in the state at some point is going to be tested for PCBs We don't know what we're going to uncover But it's likely that there will be schools that will have PCB levels over the threshold that has been set by the state So there will be cleanup that is needed. There will be remediation that's needed So it's important that we have that money set aside. I believe the latest figure is somewhere around 41 million dollars that will be possibly needed for for cleanup and remediation. So Folks if you can you know reach out to your legislature your legislators Talk to the governor and and really stress the importance of putting money aside for PCB remediation In that same vein It is imperative that we all speak up to the folks the the elected officials in Montpelier and ask about school Construction aid I believe one of the only states in the country that does not have school construction aid as part of our you know budget line item, so it's it's critical that we do that because Vermont is full of buildings that are about 50 years old 50 60 70 plus years old and It is time for many of them to be rebuilt or at least at the very least renovated in some form or fashion So those two those are two biggies that I wanted to bring up construction aid and PCB remediation I really I know there are folks out there who are you know, how can I help? What can I do? Those are two things that are really really critical this juncture Did you have any other calls to action that you wanted to mention? Sure? I love I love the CTA That's the let's grow kids in me for sure We live in the land of calls to action and so I love a good CTA at the end or or really beginning middle any part of the conversation However, best we can activate especially Berlin Tonians on our behalf. It's a good move So I think what I would just add to that which is really kind of tethered to what you described already is for folks To just keep an eye and an ear out on the different ways they'll be invited to engage in the conversation around BHS BTC over the next coming months Leading up to November but then beyond November as well and I think you know The onus is on us as you know and as you do real well as commissioners to bring the conversation out into our community And I know that's a focus and an interest of many of us And so I look forward to participating in that along the way as well But to the extent that you're receiving or consuming information through this platform through front porch forum through other means and and modes of communication that are delivered to you Do keep an eye and ear out for those engagement opportunities. We're really serious about public input And I think the more public input that we're able to receive the more the more the project will meet the community's needs So we're excited about that absolutely 100% So now I think we can pivot a little bit I have a couple of things that I wanted to mention, but I thought I would give you an opportunity to Ask me any questions that you might have well that is such a luxury Of course the first question that comes to mind given that you have been serving in this capacity for a number of years Now is what advice or guidance you might have to someone like me who's brand new to the conversation I don't know if it's something you wish you knew when you started or Something that you've been so interested to learn or just general advice guidance. I welcome. Okay. Wow. Thank you Yeah, and I wanted to just share some appreciation with you It's very refreshing how open you are to learning and how you are quick to acknowledge That you have learning to do and that's much appreciated because that's not always the case and yeah, it's really refreshing. Thank you I would just say One of the hardest things about being on the school board Has to do with restraint and this could be with any board, but I'm speaking to my experience on the school board There's a lot of restraint and when you're in a meeting as you know, there's not a lot of back and forth with the public It's mostly just we're talking and then during public comment the the public speaks We do have the opportunity to have a board reflection, but it's really not like a back-and-forth conversation so there is Definitely some restraint and there's a lot of listening we do a lot of listening to our other fellow commissioners To the public and then also to the superintendent and members of his cabinet who show up to meetings So that's that's a biggie. I think the other one is just just has to do with You know, you want to jump in and you want to get your hands dirty and you want to get to work And yet being on a board sometimes means, you know, not acting As you know, I I I wrote an article in the North Avenue news and I've spoken a lot about this But really our job is more in terms of governance. We're trustees, right? We're not operational So our focus really is on hiring and evaluating the superintendent overseeing the budget creating a mission and a vision for the school district as well as Supporting the superintendent and helping to set policy. So all of these sort of like high-level Activities and attitudes that aren't necessarily, you know in the weeds all the time That's I guess those are reflections that I would have on the position Yeah, thank you answer your question. It does and it's so helpful I have been reflecting a lot again just in the first handful of weeks Just about about what it means to navigate a new organization and a new group of people and how to work effectively together And so I appreciate kind of your pointers in that space. It's good good advice. Thank you Yes, you're absolutely welcome, and I'm sure you're gonna have some advice for me, too So in the not too distant future Again, I just wanted to welcome folks to call in if they wanted to call and speak to me or to Lucia this evening the phones have been quiet, which is not a bad thing But we're you know here and would welcome a phone call if anyone wants to call in I did want to mention as we're kind of Starting to wrap up a little bit here that last week was an important week in this school district it was teacher appreciation week and You know, you can't open a Magazine or a new show without hearing about the great Resignation and folks leaving various careers either retiring early or quitting And then of course the teaching profession is really Is in the spotlight a lot of teachers are sharing Sort of dissatisfaction with with their jobs at this at this juncture So I just think personally it's just a great opportunity to acknowledge our amazing Educators in the Burlington school district. We have some fantastic teachers and support staff and I just you know, I'm so grateful along with everyone else on the board so grateful with everything that they do and it's just happy to take a moment to say thank you and I hope that You stay with us and Continue to do the great work that you do I don't know if you want to have anything to add. No, I'm so glad that you brought that up And it is so important to take a moment to recognize and participate in this national teacher appreciation Time but also to recognize that especially for those of us with parents But really you don't even need to have children to be able to appreciate appreciate our educators But I can't imagine what my life would have been like without the support from our teaching staff especially within The Champlain elementary school where I'm most intimately familiar as a parent and of course caregivers and educators, you know beginning at birth and beyond K-12. It's really important work and We're all better for we're better people because of them And so thank you to all of our teachers and especially the staff at Berlin as part of Burlington school district. Yeah Yeah, absolutely also Friday someone pointed out to me that Friday was food service employee day which is just again an opportunity to Put shine the spotlight on some folks who are often very much behind the scenes, but doing incredibly important work Feeding our kids nourishing our kids It's just huge and I think it's a hard job and especially when we pivoted to You know online learning there for a while our food service team was just brilliant bagging food creating to go meals for students and then Delivering them and setting up various spots throughout the city for for folks to come and get and get their meals Just a big shout-out to to all of those folks as well Yeah, so I think we only have a couple of minutes But is there anything any last thoughts that you have or Anything else that you would like to share or ask me as we start wrapping up Gosh, I feel like I should have some some questions prepared. I should have thought about that a little bit more This has been really fun. I'm looking forward to well actually I will mention just because there are three other brand-new school board commissioners as well who are elected in March and I am especially excited to be joining them as a cohort of new board members They're four of us on a board of 12 who are brand new as of March And I think what's especially exciting about my three new colleagues our three new colleagues is that they're former Students of the Burlington school district and so we'll bring with them a lived experience and a fresh perspective on what it's been like to move through the Burlington school district as students and Their families experience moving through the district So we really have a pretty incredible opportunity to draw in those perspectives and that experience Throughout all of our work and including our BHS BTC project with some real very recent Experience and perspectives as Burlington high school students. It's quite incredible that they are stepping up in this capacity to serve their community and And I'm excited to excited to know them and to be working with them. Yeah, I just want to echo I think you know these three Former students are just absolute superstars. I remember a keyless in particular He graduated around the same time as my son and he was just a student that was kind of everywhere I would be at a play there. He was a go-to-a-concert there He was involved in so many things. So I was really pleased to see his name on The when we went to vote have his name on the ballot. That was that was absolutely brilliant So I guess you know in in conclusion as we're wrapping up today I want to highlight one more time The heavy lift that we have ahead of us I want to thank the folks who have been showing up at our board meetings and sharing their views They I may not always agree with them, but I really respect folks who take the time to show up and to give us feedback and I think we're gonna we're gonna need more of that and I Hope that folks can really rally together and either show up to our board meetings And if you can't make it in person, you can always zoom in that is something that we're offering and I also hope that if folks can't do that that they either Show up to an MPA because we're almost always presenting at MPAs as you know or at the very least Send us an email or try to You know reach out in that regard virtually So yeah, do you have any last thoughts? No, absolutely. This has been really fun. I appreciate the conversation with you It's another fun way to get to know you and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve Thank you, Lucia. It's been great having you and as I said, I really respect your Your openness and willingness to learn I look forward to Bringing on Faiza Akilis and Saja in the next couple of months. I hope that they will be able to show up and I'll introduce them as I did with you Lucia and thanks everyone for for tuning in really really appreciate it. It's been fun. Great. Thanks