 Good evening, everyone. It's so nice to be here. Welcome to CCTV's Commissioner Corner, 525 to 555 for the next 30 minutes. We have an opportunity to share some information and updates with you about what's happening at the school board, and also to extend some gratitude and share with you what's up next for BHS BTC 2025, which is exciting. Before we dive into the program, I'm just going to introduce myself briefly. My name is Lucia Campriello. I am the Ward 5 commissioner, which is home to Champlain Elementary School. And I began serving. I was elected in March of this past year and began serving in April. And I am so thrilled to be joined by my colleague and board chair extraordinaire, Claire Woll, who is also the, in addition to a board chair, is the commissioner in Ward 6, which is home to Edmunds Elementary School and Edmunds Middle School as well. Claire, welcome. It's so good to be here with you and share the desk. I'm very happy to be here. And I'm so happy CCTV has this opportunity for us to connect with the community. So thank you. Yeah, absolutely. It's especially nice to be back. We took a brief hiatus for the past couple of months during election season, though Claire and Superintendent Flanagan did have the pleasure of being here and joining one of those segments with Lauren Glenn, which was amazing. And I think went really well and was really helpful as another touch point along the campaign trail. But before we dive into the program, I just wanted to acknowledge, Claire, you personally and extend my gratitude on behalf of the entire board for your leadership as our board chair and also our, I don't know, I don't even know, just extraordinary leader in convening all of us as volunteers throughout this campaign and this election season, leading up to the bond vote. And really can't thank you enough. You are a hero. And it's just a pleasure to work with you. And I hope that you feel incredibly wonderful about the outcome of this election and I think is a testament to the way you organize community in support of really meaningful projects. So I want to, before again diving into the content of the show, give you a minute to say hello and introduce yourself. I know you've been serving for a number of years. Your presence in the community is everywhere. And so lots of folks know you already and we've got a lot of newcomers to the community every day. So I want to give you a chance to say hello, introduce yourself and maybe share just briefly what inspires your service. That's so nice. Thank you very much. I'm looking this way. Thanks. So yes, I have been a school board chair for the past five years. I have had two BHS graduates who have graduated and I have a senior at BHS now and incredibly appreciative of this amazing public school community of 13 schools. I think to be able to lead really requires participation. So I am humbled by, but in no way was it alone, my leadership is the benefit of, or I have the benefit of many engaged citizens and really for your participation with young families coming onto the board or retirees who participate in the school board as civic leaders, made up of 12 people. I was intimidated by this campaign and the effort that we would have to go through over the last two years, but like pleasantly surprised and the city did not let us down in regards to the amount of people that came out to the school board, signed up on our website to participate as active citizens to educate. This was a campaign that was filled with layers and layers of information. And what was really hard is the amount of opportunities that we had to explain different facets of the project that I think was confusing to a lot of people. At the end, we had a former school board member, Mike Fisher and Joanna Grossman, also step in and help us with their online tools kit set to be able to help us. And that did mobilize and really help us cross the finish line. So without a doubt, appreciate your introduction, but know that so many people and we also, I really attribute back to the superintendent and our leadership team without strong district leadership with solid professional experts in their field and experts being educators and also people working on the construction site and environmentalists and many different facets of how we put together the budget that we did over the length of two years to get us to this point was being able to have solid answers and inform voters when those questions were asked. Really was the backbone of our success that there really was no smoke and mirrors or gray area and we were presenting a want and not a want, a need and not a want, excuse me. And so I feel very humbled by the fact that we had 75% in some polls, 76% of the voters who I believe were educated and informed. And that was the most rewarding that they really understood the gravity of what was happening and the timeline. And so for people who choose to live in a college town in this incredible city in the state of Vermont, they are community members that participate and I'm just appreciative of that introduction but also so appreciative and with heavy, heavy sense of commitment and gratitude to fulfilling what taxpayers and voters voted for in the success of this project. So thank you. Yeah, absolutely, well said. And to quote something I think I've heard you say now a few times in my short tenure on the board, aren't we lucky what an incredible community we are surrounded with for the reasons that you named, including participation first and foremost, but also that voters really dug deep and voted with their values on this one. And I think we acknowledged along the campaign trail the challenging aspects of this vote in this moment. And I just feel so incredibly grateful as well and fortunate to live in a community that is aligned in this way on the value of education and our public school system and what it means as the cornerstone of a healthy community. So again, to quote you, aren't we lucky? I really feel so fortunate to be in this community and surrounded by these values that are so important to us. Awesome, so tell us more about, I think you covered it a little bit in that introduction but specifically what inspires your board service? I think that honestly, not I think, I know, I know what inspires this. We live in a community, BHS, Burlington Technical Center, working with the Regional Advisory Board. It is a profession that cares for and builds human beings and really from the pre-K, our incredible pre-K staff here in the city of Burlington with universal pre-K in the state of Vermont. Wow, aren't we lucky that families have universal pre-K, not everyone can say that and also from K to 12, also two alternative high schools and we have our technical center in speaking with leaders in the industry here in the state of Vermont, they want to see Burlington Technical Center succeed. We attended a two-day conference with the Regional Advisory Boards representing our nine sending schools that participate in the Burlington Technical Center. They want their students to have access to those programs because workforce development is instrumental in our workforce here in the state of Vermont. The governor talked about that at his state of the state address back in January, by the first of the year. So career technology, education, workforce development, our aviation program directly supporting our labor force and work and management at the airport, our incredible house sciences, supporting the university, being in a city that has not only a teaching hospital but serves many locations throughout the state and New England and also our design illustration and I could go on, but the opportunities for us to graduate young students into the workforce or post-secondary education, their choice is what 21st century learning is all about and Burlington High School to be at a high school that speaks 47 different languages, to grow up in a refugee resettlement city, to work among colleagues that as I've shared before, I mean, we are in the business of academics and to have four out of the last six years U.S. presidential scholars graduate from Burlington High School. That's, they pick two students a year from the state of Vermont. So out of all the private schools and public schools in the state of Vermont, Burlington High School has graduated four out of the last six U.S. presidential scholars. That's an amazing accomplishment and that's a well-rounded student and so to be able to not only help at the pre-K, the elementary, the middle school and the high school level and Burlington Technical Center, that's what motivates me and to see students who have graduated, who have come back. We have three school board members that are recent Burlington High School graduates. One became a U.S. citizen just this past year and is in her senior year at UVM. Another one is in a graduate school at UVM, a recent college graduate, a Burlington High School 2018 graduate. These are students that are choosing to come back and live in Burlington, Vermont or attend school in Vermont, live with their families or independently and serve on their public high school board. That, I would say, is really remarkable. That's a testament to their experience within their school, either positive or willing to support it to make positive change. And I just am stimulated by that type of engagement and opportunity. So when I think of here, we were campaigning for the next BHS because we really were in an emergency crisis situation. It was so real, the conversations we had, everyone said it wasn't that they wouldn't support the high school, it was the cost of the bond. And so I understood that very clearly. And our job now is, as I shared with you before the show, I really want to engage those individuals that didn't vote for it because of their financial concerns. And I need all of the citizens of Burlington to mobilize with us to join us in the next steps, which I know we'll get to talking about. But serving comes naturally if you're really passionate about something. And I'm incredibly passionate, along with other board members, and I believe everyone in the district for the success of human beings and our adolescents' children, too, like I said, pre-K. So helping them get along in life and be healthy contributors to society, the health, like you said, of our city is really contingent on our educating our generation, future generations. Wow, so I'm sitting really close to you, I'm like two feet away, and I have goosebumps, and I am feeling your enthusiasm hugely, and I hope that our viewers can feel it through the screen because there is no shortage of passion and enthusiasm. And I think one of the other things that's really fun and sort of pulls the thread of what you were just talking about is not only the students who have returned to serve on the board with us, and I feel fortunate to have joined the board with this cohort of students with lived experience in the Burlington School District. I'm a parent of two very young children, and so I appreciate their experience as recent grads, I appreciate my colleagues' experiences who are either retired and had students many years ago passed through our school district, those colleagues who have middle schoolers, high schoolers, recent grads, whatever it may be, I feel like I am onboarding to our public school system, not just as a board member, but as a parent as well. And I mean, hearing you today, but really just the experience more broadly, there is so much opportunity to discover within this district, and I am excited, especially now that we've got plans for the physical container of some of these programs to really manifest those opportunities in new and different ways and carry us into the future and sort of to that next space of 21st century learning and what it means to graduate students who are just ready for the world with all sorts of enthusiasm and skills. So it's exciting. Yes, for sure. Awesome. So I thought we might just spend a minute or two on what's on the immediate horizon for the project. We've spent the last handful of months that we've been on the program talking about the project, specifically leading into the election season. And I'm sure, BHS, BTC 2025 will be a continued topic of conversation on this program. We also do so many other things on the board. And so I'm eager to think about bringing the conversation about our new strategic plan to this space. Of course, we'll have conversations upcoming on the budget and other really important work that the board tackles, that the district tackles as well. And so before we do that though, there are some steps on the immediate horizon that I think voters can look forward to, community members can look forward to, and we'll be sure to kind of use this space and this leverage this channel that we have on a monthly basis to continue to make information as readily accessible as possible to folks. But do you wanna share with us some of what's on kind of the immediate horizon as far as engaging with students and teachers and administrators? And there's so much that goes into this project. I actually, before I toss you the mic, I should have thought of this first, but just in talking with Jesse Beck, who's a president emeritus at Freeman French Freeman and one of our partners on the project, thinking about the behind the scenes work that is happening and has been happening, kind of all along in preparation for what we hoped would be a successful vote. It is really, I don't know, it's like a fine tune orchestra and everyone is playing their instrument with such precision. And yet, a page of music might fall out of your book or whatever it may be, and yet the performance continues quite flawlessly, but there is so much behind the scenes work that is underway. And I wonder if you might share just a few of kind of those top level pieces that are happening. Absolutely, as we speak tonight, our leadership team is presenting to the city departments, the design review conservation board, then we go through the design review board tomorrow. So yes, seamlessly, we were approaching this work as if we are producing and building this high school because we had to, based on without spending money that we didn't have yet approved by the bond, it was in preparation so that we were prepared. And so the best tool for viewers to go to is our Burlington School District, BSD, VT, so BurlingtonSchoolDistrictVT.org. We have an entire dropdown menu page of all the plans for families and citizens, excuse me, to review. And you'll see within those plans the details. So there are leveled plans of each, excuse me, each level with the classrooms and the wings denoted. And we have had meetings, the architect firm has had meetings with our faculty, staff, administration team and students. Last Friday, we had a team of the architects come to Macy's just to see the flow and what the capacity of what 1,100 people look like or at sometimes 1,200 people look at Burlington High School specific. And so in doing so, we're talking about the layout of the restrooms and the layout of the common areas and the layout of each of the wings based on our past experience of being a campus separated by six buildings. So that is definitively happening. The board also has had opportunities to go down. As you mentioned, Jesse Beck was a parent of two BHS graduates in 2019 and in 2021. Alex Halpern also with Freeman French Freeman, two of his children. So they were very familiar with the old campus and it's near and dear to them as well to be able to communicate out and celebrate the fact that they are now building and the tenants of this design working within the faculty and staff and Burlington Technical Center as well. And so the next steps are meeting with the city. We're also, as many citizens asked about when we looked at the budget, asking for the city to not have us pay for the permit fees. So we're pursuing many levels of engagement with our memorandum of understanding with the city, the mayor and the city council. So design review permits, permit fees. And then we look to our Whiting Turner. They are our construction management company. I'm pleased to say we are in incredibly strong hands with Whiting Turner. They were the construction management company that recently did the massive addition on the UVM medical inpatient building, $187 million project that was delivered on budget and on time. This is good company for us in this setting of uncertainty and responsibility and knowing very familiar what this city takes to heart. And that is someone owning the project and managing it because fiscal responsibility, you might get a bomb pass but who's ever in charge? It's really about making sure the bottom line and the responsibility is on the shoulders of someone. And I feel very strongly about Freeman French, Freeman's staff as well as Whiting Turner. So those are our immediate next steps in looking at all those things that have to happen in our current timeline to build the school in two and a half years. Yeah, well thank you so much also for coloring in sort of the professionals who are surrounding us and the expertise that they bring but also their deep personal connections to this space. I think there's something really magical about that personal relationship with a space that folks have known for a long time. So there is a level of sentimentality even though it is this building and this campus that we will replace because it's been standing here in the community for as long as it has. And this is such an awesome opportunity to bring folks together throughout the community who have those deep relationships and an opportunity for folks to establish a new relationship to the campus. Cause I think what's exciting and if there's one thing that I think we're all really excited to talk more about now is what is inside that building and what does that campus look like now that we've moved through the vote and are kind of liberated to really focus in on the spaces themselves, the education that will happen in those spaces, the community building that will happen in those spaces, the creativity that will happen in those spaces, you name it. And so it's really wonderful to think about the various levels of kind of touch and relationship that folks throughout the project and beyond the immediate project but just throughout the community have. In fact, I was on Tuesday, I was at the polls in word five and a gentleman came over to chat for a bit and was one of the first graduating classes of the high school and so talked with me a little bit about some of the materials that are in the building and was thinking along the same lines that we are all thinking on about whether there is anything that is not contaminated that can be salvaged and just acknowledging that there is this moment of sentimentality and people are really excited to kind of move through that space and be on the other side of celebrating the next chapter. Yeah, I think you hit it, community. This is a building that because it was not ADA accessible, the lights and the doors locked Friday at three. So it was not a community space and that is something that we are passionate about. You, anyone who lives in the city of Burlington, when the Miller Center opened its doors, it was a valuable community asset and it has been booked ever since. The gym space, the meeting spaces, the after school and senior spaces, that is a community asset that this will be too. And to be able to hold theater festivals or tournaments because we'd have two gyms to be able to participate or have students not be staying there till nine o'clock at night because there's only one gym to have meeting spaces. I don't know if people know this but at the old BHS, there was no conference room. We would have to go down to Burlington Electric and use their conference room to host leadership meetings. So there was just never a space that provided enough room for people to have a 16 person discussion without being in the cafeteria or a six foot table in the gymnasium. So again, layers and layers of information that we are excited to share with citizens and taxpayers. And at the same time, the big next step is this campaign was contingent on the board's communication out to everyone that we firmly believe the entire expense is not to be shouldered by Burlingtonians. It is absolutely as if it were a hurricane and you had FEMA funds. Our goal is for the community to again, educate and inform our community that there is $32 million at the state level for PCB contamination and remediation, which means cleanup. We are the only school that has been shut down by the state health department. We are looking for a big $22 million ask for those funds to help in the cleanup and demolition of that contaminated site. And so it could be a whole nother commissioner corner, but I did want it would be remiss in not discussing the fact that there is a heavy burden that comes with the excitement. And I understand in talking door to door for the last three months with voters that we have a responsibility to make sure that we have turned over every stone at the federal level and at the state level for funding. And then we were gonna talk about if we had time the opportunities for philanthropic out of state BHS alumni. We're looking to create an alumni association. So if you're a viewer and you have graduated from BHS and you wanna represent your class or help us, we're looking for every year that has since been a graduate since 1963 from BHS to help us in those fundraising efforts. Yeah, absolutely. I think there's definitely a place for private philanthropy and it's really exciting to think about how that philanthropy supports programs within the building, physical spaces within the building, attributes like the building being a sustainable building, not only in the physical infrastructure of what it means to be a sustainable building, but then also how that sustainability moves its way into curriculum. And I think a lot about our role right now our education systems role is to educate and prepare future voters. And there are so many values that the building will hold itself as a facility and brick mortar facility really. But it doesn't need to end there. It really does move right into curriculum and into values and into the way we are supporting our students to enter the world in a new and different way. So we're really excited to kind of put that cell sheet together with some images and some rich content for folks. I know there are folks both locally right now probably watching this program, but then also all over the country really who are alums and feel a deep connection to this community and would be excited to participate in this way. So look forward to continuing those conversations alongside advocacy from the state. And I know we talked about this a lot during the campaign but we know that the delegation here in Burlington is fully behind us in our ask of the state and will be in legislative session when it begins. And so we're especially excited about H737 where that $32 million sits now and eager for a session to start up and the funding mechanism to come to life so that that money can move its way out to the schools in need, which again, I think has us at the top of the list. So the agency of education, Dan French, we have written, we've put in the formal requests as well as the agency of natural resources, Julie Moore. I mean, these state leaders know that we have formally and professionally written them and asked before the bomb vote and we'll write them again. And we're, again, our superintendent Flanagan is constantly in communication with them because this again, has fallen on our shoulders and we are currently paying a million five in rent at Macy's. Those are educational dollars that no other district is having to afford. And that is a concern of equity and also a taxpayer's concern. And so I believe that the state and the federal delegation will be supportive in our time of need. And like I said, our ballot language is carefully crafted and communicated to the citizens of Burlington that it was up to, that we were looking to immediately at every turn save and reduce this cost so that our city can be a livable city and that people can afford to live here and move here. And right now we already know that taxes are high and this is not to be a burden. It is a commitment and an investment but it certainly needs to be addressed by the state and again for another conversation. Out of the United States, 47 other states give 30 to 40% construction aid to their school districts for infrastructure, buildings, renovations. Vermont put a moratorium on construction aid 14 years ago because we have a finite population of taxpayers. That being said, it's still, there are issues that need to be addressed. This just happens to now have a layer of PCB contamination that the state was the first in the state but we followed their guidelines and we are hurting because of it. And so our future plans are exciting. We're committed to it. We have the momentum of all of our citizens and those that we don't, I'm asking you tonight to just join us. And we have to be successful at the state and federal level in seeking those funds that are there and we are first in line to understand how we qualify because that $32 million, the AOE and the ANR, the agency of national resources, they're determining the criteria and so we will work closely to make sure that that criteria is Burlington High School and Burlington Tech Center. Well, you make an incredibly compelling case and so I look forward to continuing this conversation in this space but then really throughout the community much like we did for the campaign to get the vote out because we will really need all hands on deck and so it'll be a great another touch point for all of us to work together again toward this vision that we have for our high school and technical center and again to follow through on our commitment to taxpayers to lower the burden to the extent possible. Absolutely. So gosh, 30 minutes flies by, right? When you're having fun, here we've gone and gabbed away and had a good time of it and I just again appreciate so much of your company on the show and wanna remind viewers of the web links that Claire shared earlier. It's B as in Burlington, S as in school, D as in district, V as in Vermont, T as in Tom, conveniently, our superintendent's first name, .org and on that website you can find two pages that might be most useful. One is specifically about this project, BHS, BTC 2025, the other is board members and that's where you'll find all of our names, contact information and ways that you can reach your local commissioners. So please, we love to hear from you and we are so grateful to be serving you. Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Burlington.