 Hello, and welcome to Town Meeting TV's coverage of Town Meeting Day 2024. This program is part of a series of forums we are bringing you in advance of Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 5th. Town Meeting TV hosts forums with all candidates and covers the questions you will see on your ballot, introducing you to community decision makers, and connecting you with issues that shape your local community. You can find all of our forums at cctv.org slash 2024 on our or on our Town Meeting TV YouTube channel, where auto-generated captions are available. On tonight's program, we will hear from two candidates running for the Burlington School Board. These candidates are Monica Ivancic and William Ochen, who I will refer to as Bill. Thank you both for joining us. Thank you. Thank you. We have prepared a list of questions for each of you, and you will have 90 seconds to answer each question. If you are tuning in live, we also welcome your questions at 802-862-3966. If you call in, we will do our best to prioritize your question, though we will screen calls to ensure questions are not repeated. We ask that you share your name, the town you live in, and that your question be directed to all candidates, not just one candidate in particular. Let's get started with our one-minute opening statements. We'll start with our incumbent, Monica. Thank you, Emily. My name is Monica Ivancic, and I have been a Burlington resident for nearly 10 years. I have served on the Burlington School Board for three terms, representing the New North End residents in Ward 7. I am passionate about education in our community and believe that a robust and equitable education is the basis for a just, engaged, and thriving society. In my position in the chemistry department at UVM, I maintain research instruments similar to MRIs and educate students in their use. My husband also works at UVM in the Howe Library, and our daughter is thriving, receiving a robust education at Downtown BHS. I have made connections and established relationships with many different people in the city of Burlington from my colleagues and students at UVM to parents across the city and neighbors in the New North End. Having served on the Board of, having served on the School Board for almost six years, I have institutional knowledge of how our district functions and believe to be the best candidate to represent our diverse children throughout this city. Thank you, Monica. Bill? Thank you. I graduated summa cum laude from UVM in 1998, served as a classroom teacher, paraprofessional, and for five and a half years as a substitute in every Burlington School. While navigating the different school cultures here, I got to observe up close how administrators, faculty, and staff operate. I saw some of the highest levels of professionalism anywhere. I also witnessed some policies and procedures that left me with questions, questions that I hear resonate with parents and taxpayers as we talk informally. I can't promise to single-handedly influence the direction of the district. I do intend to communicate what is going on in the decision-making process in clear English without the jargon and buzzwords that, frankly, many people have tired of. My most important role may be thought of as an interpreter. Thank you, Bill. And so we have some questions around the school budget. Do you support this year's school budget of $119.6 million and associated tax impact of 13.97 percent? How will you address the challenges facing the State Education Fund and the impact on Burlington Schools and taxpayers? Bill, we'll start with you. On Town Meeting Day, Burlingtonians will be asked to approve the proposed school budget. I wish I could say that we'll be voting on the school budget. From the evidence that I've seen, we'll be voting on carefully crafted statements about the budget, distributed for public consumption. How many voters have actually seen the budget? I made some attempts to find its precise language. The superintendent replied that my questions were sent to a subordinate and that person would get back to me by midweek. I'm still waiting. Here are a couple of examples of my concerns. To the best of my knowledge, a previous budget was increased to offset the termination of COVID-era federal emergency funding, which was only ever intended to be temporary. That increase was permanently rolled into future budgets. They didn't really tell you about that. A social emotional learning initiative is implemented across the district. It usually comes as a package program centrally devised and delivered by an army of highly paid consultants. SEL may be a positive force. I don't know. But I ask, why couldn't we unpack the principles and devise our own program? A little creativity might have saved the taxpayers the expense. So no, I cannot support the 2025 budget. The process was not transparent. Thank you, Bill. Monica. I wholeheartedly support our FY25 school budget of $119.6 million and urge my fellow Burlington voters to join me. Despite the steep associate tax rate of, actually, it's 1.6% more than you had mentioned because of this detail with Act 127 and the 5% tax cap going away. So I must say it's a 15.6% for those who pay based on property taxes. There are many factors putting negative pressures on our school budget this year. The pandemic federal ESSER funds have expired. We are paying a large interest on borrowing money for building BHS BTC, $9.5 million, and the CLA, which stands for Common Level of Appraisal, which is a measure of how closely property in a community is valued at fair market value is driving school taxes up across the state. Since our home values are increasing rapidly without being reappraised, this year's CLA for Burlington came in at negative 7.87%, which drove the tax impact up by 9%. Thus, the overall tax impact for the FY25 is at a total of nearly 15.6%, which is a daunting figure. To drive this number below 10%, our district would have to cut staffing by 50 FTEs, which is nearly 12% of our BSD staff. I urge you and my fellow Burlingtonians to please support our school FY25 budget in this difficult year. Thank you, Monica. So we have some questions around strategic priorities. The Burlington School District's current strategic plan identifies five priorities, belonging and well-being, deeper learning for every student, reimagined high school, educators who look like our students, and relationship-based communities through restorative practices. Which of these are you most excited to work on and how will you do it? Monica, we'll start with you. Thank you, Emily. Regarding our robustly developed strategic priorities and being the co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, my entire tenure on the board, I am most excited about Priority Area 5, Relationship-Based Communities Through Restorative Practices. Our district has been working on using restorative practices as an alternative to punitive punishment for about eight years now. Features are using restorative circles in their classrooms to build community and to give each student time to be part of the conversation. Sometimes these circles are led by students, empowering them to have a voice amongst their peers. Years ago, I was part of the RP leadership team, participating in planning meetings with district leaders and BSD's hired consultants. Since then, we have hired an RP coordinator for the district who earned her PhD at UVM developing restorative practices, has now worked in our district for about four years, and has been instrumental in the rollout of the restorative code of conduct, which pertains to the entire BSD community, including parents and families. As a board member, I am an advocate of the use of RP in our schools. We'll rally for funds driven to expand RP and we'll continue to educate our community on the advantages of RP and how these circles should be used in our broader community, like in our city of Burlington. Thank you, Monica. Bill. I spent 20 years in public education, served on various committees, and endured a lot of professional development workshops. Every few years, another shiny new thing is marketed to us, and we're told that it's the next magic bullet, and that we must all get on the same page. Compliance among teachers and staff. Compliance is incentivized, but critical inquiry is frowned upon. This question, the list of strategic priorities reads like a word salad of comforting buzz words and euphemisms. People wonder, what does it even really mean? That criticism aside, the area of deeper learning for every student holds my attention. I supplemented my teaching with a lot of enrichment. Some of my most rewarding moments came from coaching students to extend and integrate knowledge beyond what is packaged in the program. I would be genuinely excited to work with teachers to cultivate that love of learning in all students. Thank you, Bill. Do we have a question around challenges? What is the biggest challenge facing Burlington schools and how would you use your seat on the school board to address this issue? Bill, we'll start with you. I worry that our kids are not learning up to their potential. I worry about tension and the threat of intimidation and violence. I worry about an unquestioning acceptance of a social, political agenda inculcated into this district's culture. I worry that many students' hard work is sacrificed for a few who are disruptive. I saw all of those things in the classrooms, in the hallways, and out at recess times. As may already be apparent, what worries me most is the lack of transparency in the language and reporting. From the top down, from the budget to discipline to academic performance in the district, we continue to project an image that doesn't match the reality as experienced by many of the kids. How can we address the rest of it? Here's a heads up for everyone listening. The buzzwords and euphemisms don't impress the folks who talk to me. They do not inspire confidence in what the district does, even when we get it right, which we most often do. We need clear communication without all the insider jargon. Thank you, Bill. Monica. Some of the biggest challenges facing our Burlington schools is the cost of maintaining our deteriorating buildings and renovating these buildings. A good example of this is the involvement of building a new high school. The high school should have been built over 10 years ago when construction costs were much lower, yet the state stopped contributing towards new construction back in 2007. When I was new on the board, we worked on a plan to renovate the old high school building. You might remember the BHS-BTC Re-Envisioning Project, but once contaminants were found in terms of PCBs, the school was shuttered, and with that, our remodeling efforts. Thus, we're now on the road to constructing a brand new school which this city desperately needs. These are challenges include dealing with numerous societal issues, not only educating our children, but also ensuring their mental and physical health are primed for learning. Schools nowadays must cover costs of social services, costs of food for our lower income students, costs associated with educating students who are non-native English speakers. All of these combined result in the cost of educating our Burlington student to skyrocket. Unfortunately, because of the hard work of my co-commissioner Kendra Sowers and others from across the state, the statewide pupil waiting formula got fixed with the passage of Act 127. The FY25 budget cycle is the first year that BSD is experiencing the benefits of more Ed Fund dollars coming to our district. However, the money outweighs our debt for the new school. Thank you. I believe we have a question from a caller. Hello, you are on the air. Could you tell us your name and where you live? The question is on the paper. Oh, we received a question from a caller. Thank you. Can you explain your position on supporting transgender children in the school district? Monica will start with you. Our school district supports transgender students in the district. Our district also educates people about what transgender means. I have been working on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, as I told you, for the entire time that I have been on the school board. We embrace children from all backgrounds and with all, we embrace children from all backgrounds, LGBTQA plus community, new American students, and so we are supportive of transgender students in our district. Thank you, Monica. Bill. I support the well-being of every student, and I am very concerned about how girls highlights are being affected in athletics and in areas where privacy should be respected. Thank you. Our next question is about neurodivergent students. How can Burlington School's best support neurodivergent students? Bill, we'll start with you. The district has a lot of strength in this area. There's a large, dedicated, well-informed staff, support staff. Here are some of the highlights. Neurodivergent students often have unique approaches, and by the way, these are things that I've witnessed in the schools. Neurodivergent students often have unique approaches to problem-solving, so it's helpful to remain flexible, expect the unexpected. Teachers make themselves aware of students' unique strengths and encourage their use. Teachers also make the effort to learn and incorporate students' personal interests. They try to stick to a preset schedule so that students feel comfortable and safe knowing what to expect. This is complicated, but they offer multiple ways for students to absorb new information, including a variety of media. But something we should be very mindful of is information technology may cause sensory overstimulation. That becomes more crucial as schools generally become more dependent on computers, iPads and such. My experience has been that the schools communicate regularly with parents and guardians. Staff seems to be kept informed of developments and practices as they emerge. I do question if students with exceptional aptitudes are challenged enough. I'd like to see more opportunity for those kids as well. Thank you, Bill. Monica. Our school district has an excellent Student Support Services Department, which deals with supporting neurodivergent students. These students typically have an IEP, which stands for Individualized Education Program, or a 504 plan, the latter not requiring so special ed services. Many neurodivergent students qualify for one-on-one help, so they have a para educator working with them throughout the school day. This para ensures that the neurodivergent student can receive an education alongside their peers in a regular classroom. BSD now has an excellent Executive Director of Student Support Services, Kelly Klassen, who oversees the education of neurodivergent and other special needs students. Each school has trained special educators, licensed teachers who oversee the education of students with special needs. Each student, sorry, each special educator has a case load that may vary in a number, though typically this case load is approximately 15 students. This year, the Office of Equity is putting on a workshop about neurodivergence for families to get educated and learn more about the issue. Please come to this workshop or tune in online. It is offered on Wednesday, March 20th from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Integrative Arts Academy. Thank you, Monica. My next question is about public safety. How can the school district ensure the safety of its students and teachers in our schools and the community? Monica, we'll start with you. Thank you. Our district takes safety of our students and teachers very seriously. This branch is administered out of the Office of Equity and the district employs a district safety lead. BSD has a long and thorough Emergency and Safety Protocol Response Procedure Manual, which is a 46-page document, and includes a BSD Emergency Rapid Response Manual that is available to everyone. Each classroom is equipped with a classroom emergency guide that is reviewed by teachers and staff on a regular basis. All of our schools practice regular drills, such as fire drills and lockdown drills, because when actions are practiced with the school kids, they are easier employed when an emergency actually happens and people's nerves are on edge. Just last summer, BSD updated Policy F3, which is our Fire and Emergency Preparedness Drill, and the district safety lead presented BSD's preparedness in these emergency procedures at our August E&I meeting. In that meeting, we also learned about options-based drills, such as run-hide fight, which our district participates in. The drills happened during certain designated weeks, and our parents are getting notified about it the Friday before it happens. For incidents reporting, the Office of Equity gives folks two options. They can fill out an equity ticket, or there is a say-something phone number that people can call to report any issues. And then I was just going to say, when students run into stalkers in the community, many students know to report that to their schools, and we often get a community update immediately when these incidents happen. Thank you, Monica. Bill. I have high hopes for the potential success of social-emotional learning, or at least the principles on which it stands. There is a large body of evidence, most of it not very rigorous, that suggests that SEL may be a positive way forward. I grew up very close to my grandfather, who often said, the mark of the scientific mind is a healthy dissatisfaction with everything. Twenty years in public education confirmed that grandpa was right. If SEL can prove itself in the field, I'm all for it. I want to interrogate the content and materials we use. I want us to be guided by meaningful benchmarks. I want to know if there are students who do not respond to it, and that they are held accountable. Thank you, Bill. My next question is about mental health. How can Burlington School's best support student mental health? And Bill, we'll start with you. My experience in the schools informs me that we are doing a good job in this area. We network with mental health agencies and communicate effectively with parents. Some evidence-based approaches to consider. The CDC recommends that as early as appropriate, we should incorporate mental health literacy. Mental health literacy includes learning how to recognize emotional stress and the effect of stress on the whole body, providing information about causes and symptoms of mental illness, emphasizing that mental illnesses are treatable, exploring stigma as it applies to mental illness and taking steps to reduce stigma. Learning help is crucial. We should encourage students to talk with trusted adults and seek help. This should be a pathway for that. Help seeking is available, especially for vulnerable students. Mindfulness exercises in small groups, especially when students are encouraged to reflect on which activities work best for them, helps students to develop a mind-body connection. I have hoped that social-emotional learning practices can help kids develop self-awareness, self-management, and successful social skills. Thank you, Bill. Monica. I believe in supporting our students' mental health. And I just wanted to talk a little bit about how at each school, we typically employ psychologists and student support staff. If a student misbehaves and has to be pulled out of the classroom, there is an adult at the school that will support the student and that happens in a different classroom. Our students come from varying backgrounds and many deal with very difficult situations at home. So I also believe that the use of restorative practices circles with peers could support students that are experiencing mental health issues. Each school also can be utilized to support and track the mental health of individual students. And I would say our schools are equipped with dealing with mental health of our students. Thank you, Monica. My next question is about measuring success. Last year's standardized test results suggest that the proportion of Vermont students proficient in math and English decreased during the pandemic and has not made significant improvement since. How do you measure the success of the school district? Monica, we'll begin with you. Thank you, Emily. Well, the pandemic had an enormous effect on our students. When the shutdown happened, the students were sent home and fortunately, I believe our district still provided meals, but they had no interaction except for online, which was detrimental to their studying and to their learning and to their development. And so, and then the next year, fortunately, we did have some in-person education, but that was very limited two days a week for middle schoolers. I think four days a week for elementary and then less for high school because our high school got shut down. And so that really affected our kids' learning and their education. And so, I'm not surprised that our standardized testing are showing lower scores after the pandemic because I believe it's going to take several years for such effects to bound back and for our students to perform better. We are looking at literacy, we have special literacy training from ARC, an American reading company for our elementary teachers. And so, we are really working to get every third by the third grade to people for students to be up to par with reading. And so, hopefully that will result in better results that we're getting on the standardized testing. Great. Thank you, Monica. Bill. Common core and the accompanying interruptions in learning caused by the frequent periodic standardized testing were major factors in my decision to give up being a classroom teacher. Teaching to the test was not why I joined the profession. But all of the testing does at least quantify a student's mastery of material even if through a narrow lens. Relative to the rest of the state's public school districts, a cursory examination leads me to believe that Burlington is about on par. The elephant in the room is how our district compares with equivalent private and independent schools. They seem to engage a set of priorities that leads to more success. I think that we would do well to keep that in mind. Thank you, Bill. My next question is about language access. How can the Burlington School District meet the needs of students and families whose primary language is not English? Bill, we'll start with you. Most of the research-based conclusions available are from research that was done 10 years ago. I acquired them when I was frequently called to substitute in ELL classes. ELL students are more successful when learning in an environment where there's an adult who her or himself had been an English language learner. ELL students have greater success when they are grouped together by language. This is important and paid attention to this. When they're grouped together by language, not just for ELL classes, but also for academic instruction. This is supported by the evidence. I recall that the high school did just that, but then a complaint arose that the students were being ghettoized. The controversy was taken up across the community and the practice was halted. That unfortunate turn could have been avoided by effective communication and outreach. Here's an interesting approach that I think we should look into. English language learners develop conversational English much faster than they do academic English. But when they're specifically instructed in higher order use of their native language, they are more successful at transferring their ideas into academic English. Naturally, demonstrating respect for their culture is an important component. Some of my most joyous days were when I subbed in ELL classes. I loved asking kids about their experiences. Thank you, Bill. Monica. So by law, the school district has to provide language access to all non-English-speaking students. Our district has an excellent ELL, so that stands for English Learners. And it used to be ELL, English Language Learners. And for some reason, they dropped the language part. So we have an excellent ELL director who cares deeply for these students and the access that they and their families have to translate in materials. The students who arrive with no English knowledge typically go through the STEP program, which for elementary kids is at IAA. Students in this program get introduced to the English language gradually. And then with a testing process, they get determined when these students are ready to get plugged into the regular classroom. In our district, there are over 25 native languages spoken. And so BSD employs about 12 multilingual liaisons, each covering different languages, although for some, such as Bhutanese Nepali, there are more than one liaison since we have a large number of these students. Similarly, for the Somali Maimei, the liaisons will ensure families have the information needed for their children to succeed in our schools. They often need to translate many important school-related materials, although they often also help with other things, such as car registrations, applying for driver's licenses, and other applications that are needed to get incorporated into our community. Thank you. My last question is about teacher well-being and retention. What do you understand to be the current level of morale in the district? What is the role of the school board in retaining good teachers and support staff? Monica, we'll start with you. I believe the morale amongst teachers at this point is pretty good. I got on the board during a time where the morale was quite low. Our Office of Equity does have a survey every year where we ask teachers and staff about the climate. The climate has improved throughout the years. We've hired an excellent superintendent who's working well and is very good at communicating. Also right now, we're on a three-year contract for the teachers and other unions. I think that's a good sign because I think since I've been on the board, we've never before had a three-year contract, and often teachers would have to work without a contract falling back on the previous year's contract. I believe that the morale and the climate in our district at this point is pretty good. The board supports our teachers. Some of our board members are teachers in other districts or are retired teachers. I think that connection helps to have such folks on our board who've gone through the lived experiences. Thank you, Monica. Bill? Morale is an elusive thing to measure. The single reference to it in last year's district report depended on self-reporting. The research and guidance that I'm familiar with focuses on the contribution of administrators and school leaders and how they are, first, the single most significant factor in teachers' sense of satisfaction, and second, highlighting and demonstrating respect towards teachers is a single most productive way for leaders to support teachers' well-being and satisfaction. Going back to last year's report, the snapshot is not encouraging. Our staff feel intensely supported by each other. That's great, and my experience there confirms that. But there is a huge and unfavorable gap between that and how much they feel supported by school leadership. I would take this as a sign that we should prioritize better communication with our frontline people and help facilitate school leadership to convey the respect that I know they have for their staff. Thank you, Bill. Thank you both for this conversation about Burlington School Board. 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