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Description
For more information about upcoming Town Meeting Day 2023 coverage visit https://bit.ly/TownMeeting2023
https://linktr.ee/townmeetingtv
00:00:00 Introductions
00:01:06 Opening Statements
00:04:45 Budget
00:09:54 Language Access
00:14:58 Capital Improvements and Bonding
00:19:56 Teacher Well Being and Retention
00:26:40 Racial Justice
00:31:45 Schools and School Funding
00:38:26 Educational Initiatives and Challenges
This video belongs to http://www.cctv.org and published with permission under Creative Commons License CCTV Center for Media & Democracy Programming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A
A
Tonight
we
have
here
the
candidates
for
the
two-year
seat
in
Winooski
for
the
winnerski
school
board
and
the
unopposed
three-year
candidate
for
the
Winooski
School
Board
town
meeting
is
going
to
host
forums
with
all
candidates
and
we're
going
to
cover
all
the
ballot
and
budget
items
that
you'll
see
on
your
ballot.
Coming
up
this
March,
if
you
have,
if
you
would
like
to
call
and
ask
questions,
you
can
call
us
at.
B
You
get
elected
sure,
so
I'm
Allison,
burlock
I've
been
a
resident
of
Winooski
for
about
six
years.
I
am
running
for
the
three-year
seat,
and
I
am
currently
the
chair
of
the
school
board,
so
I'm
looking
to
continue
that
high
level
of
service
to
the
community
of
Winooski,
an
involvement
in
Winooski
and
I'm
looking
to
continue
the
the
board
on
a
and
the
school
district
on
a
path
of
becoming
data,
driven
and
and
really
using
data
to
make
decisions.
That's
my
passion,
great.
A
C
Well,
we're
actually
the
only
ones
with
a
contested
race
in
winners.
That's
right
and
I'll,
be
honest.
I
actually
wasn't
really
intending
to
to
run
from
the
get-go,
but
I
was
seeing
not
a
lot
going
on
on
the
ballot
and
finally
decided
to
to
jump
in
tried
to
encourage
a
few
other
people
to
run,
but
it's
it's
harder
than
ever
to
get
people
to
get
involved.
C
You
know
they're,
concerned
by
the
national
tone
a
lot
of
the
time,
but
thankfully
we
don't
have
a
lot
of
that
in
Winooski,
but
when
I
saw
Alex
wasn't
running
I
felt
like
we
really
needed
a
good
candidate
to
replace
him
he's
been
there
for
six
years,
brought
a
lot
to
that
discussion
and
I'm.
Somebody
I've
lived
in
Winooski
almost
15
years
now
and
I've
served
in
a
actually
a
bizarre
number
of
of
different
roles.
I
previously
was
on
the
school
board
way
back
in
2010
when
I
was
just
a
just
a
little
little
person.
C
A
D
A
Great
thanks
so
much.
Thank
you
all
on
a
reminder.
If
you're
watching
at
home,
you
can
call
us
at
802-862-3966
with
your
questions
for
these
candidates,
so
the
Winooski
school
budget
is
going
to
be
25.4
million.
That's
a
proposal.
It's
up
20
from
last
year
at
an
estimated
tax
increase
of
9.66.
Can
you
explain
your
understanding
of
the
budget
and
the
impact
on
school
on
the
school
and
voters,
and
so
Robert
we're
going
to
start
with
you
on
that.
C
Sure
so
it's
a
big
increase,
but
a
big
chunk
of
that
comes
from
the
first
step
payments
for
the
capital
project,
which
is
a
big
project
over
the
last
few
years,
just
getting
to
the
point
of
wrapping
up
to
expand
the
overall
footprint
of
the
building,
unlike
a
lot
of
I,
think
any
other
District
in
Vermont,
where
just
one
building
for
pre-k
through
12.
about
800
students.
So
that's
a
big
part
of
the
increase.
C
There's
also
some
some
funds
for
dealing
with
plowing,
which
the
city
is
traditionally
done
for
the
school,
but
the
city's
at
this
point
because
of
staffing
issues,
is
actually
a
not
able
to
do
all
its
own
plowing
at
this
point.
So
that's
something
that
we
saw
in
there,
but
anyway,
there's
also
a
couple
of
instructional
assistants
and
some
and
just
general
increases
that
we're
all
seeing,
but
one
of
the
great
things
I
think
the
board
did.
Is
they
really
worked
to
decrease
even
with
a
large
increase
in
the
overall
budget?
B
C
C
I
I
do
support
it.
It
is.
It
is
a
larger
budget
and
we've
passed
some
larger
budgets
in
the
last
few
years,
but
the
tradition
before
that
for
a
long
time
was
pretty
moderate
steer
budgets
for
a
lot
of
years.
So
in
a
lot
of
ways,
the
more
recent
years
has
been
kind
of
correcting
that
we,
when
I,
was
on
the
school
board
way
back
in
2010.
D
You
know,
on
top
of
the
Capital
Improvements
that
gave
us
a
bigger
building
that
factors
into
the
budget.
You
know
now
you
have
to
maintain
cool
heat
clean.
You
know
that
much
bigger
area,
you
know,
representative
of
the
plowing,
that's
another
expense,
so
I
think
they
did
a
good
job
in
doing
it,
and
we
should
see
you
know
when
the
waiting
comes
through
per
pupil.
We
should
see
it's
scaled
back
a
little
bit
so
I
don't
think
it
was
too
absurd
of
a
budget.
B
So
the
20
increase
is
about
4.16
million,
which
is
really
driven
by
The
Debt
Service
payments.
We
will
start
making,
which
I
think
both
of
the
guys
here
mentioned,
doubling
the
building
size,
which
means
additional
facility
staff
and
and
utilities
Etc,
and
then
also
increases
in
basic
salaries
and
benefits
due
to
inflation,
which
we've
seen
all
around.
A
B
B
D
D
D
You
know
they're
critical
in
basically
supporting
those
folks
I
believe
there
is
discussion
about
updating
the
curriculum
to
be
more
cultural,
culturally
inclusive.
They
also
worked
with
a
consultant
to
figure
out
how
to
diversify
staff.
The
heart
of
Winooski
is
a
program
that
is
working
to
help
diversify
the
workforce
to
better
reflect
the
student
body.
I
know,
there's
the
anti-racism
steering
committee
as
some
committees
under
them
that
are
also
working
to
diversify
the
workforce.
D
D
A
B
Jordan
mentioned
a
lot
of
them.
I
guess.
My
comment
would
be
that
we
have
an
amazing
group
of
the
cultural
relief
cultural
Liaisons,
who
do
an
amazing
amount
of
work
for
those
families
that
they
serve.
They
they
don't
just
work
school
hours.
They
work
nearly
around
the
clock
for
these
families
and
students,
and
we
really
need
to
support
the
work
that
that
group
does
and
bolster
it
where
we
can.
C
I
think
they
covered
a
lot
of
what's
currently
active.
One
other
thing
that
had
occurred
to
me
is
the
the
city
and
the
school
have
started
working
together,
more
trying
to
share
resources
like
the
cultural
Liaisons,
recognizing
that
there's
much
more
to
people's
lives
once
they're
outside
of
the
school
building
and
and
to
better
meet
folks
where
they
are
and
and
have
them
be
more
actively
engaged
in
the
in
the
general
Community
I.
Don't
know
that
I
I
have
anything
else
to
add
on
that
right.
C
Yeah
I
mean
I
I
Winooski
is
is
unlike
just
about
anywhere
else.
In
Northern
New
England
we
have
11
languages
spoken
and
a
variety
of
different
cultures.
That's
why
I
like
the
term
cultural
liaison
I
really
like,
as
opposed
to
just
simply
like
translate
or
something
like
that,
because
they
they
really
help
the
communication
go
both
ways
and
more
than
just
language,
wise
yeah,
it's
it
can
be
complicated
at
times,
but
it's
it
makes
for
a
much
better
Community
overall,
great.
A
Thanks
Capital
Improvements
and
bonding
we're
going
straight
from
from
the
head
into
the
body,
Capital
Improvements.
What
role
does
school
infrastructure
play
in
a
healthy
community
and
what
is
next
for
the
city
of
Winooski
in
school
expenditures
and
improvements?
We
all
saw
the
high
school.
Well,
it's
not
just
the
high
school,
it's
the
the.
A
Capital
Improvements
and
bonding,
so
what
role
does
school
infrastructure
play
in
a
healthy
community
and
what
is
next
for
the
city
of
Winooski
and
school
expenditures
and
improvements
and
I?
Don't
think
you
mentioned
it,
but
one
of
the
things
that
I
thought
was
interesting
is
that
the
school
has
a
health
center
in
it.
Yes,
right
so
Robert
to
you
sure.
C
I
would
agree
with
what
Allison
started
to
say.
The
next
steps
are
really
going
to
be
about
maintaining
what
what
has
been
built
and
there's
money
in
in
this
year's
budget
sort
of
anticipating
the
increased
operating
costs.
But
it's
really
going
to
be
a
learning
curve
in
the
coming
years
of.
Do
we
need
more
staff?
Do
we
need
janitorial
staff?
Do
we
need
Furniture
supplies
all
those
things
to
really
make
sure
that
the
entire
space
is
being
well
utilized
and
properly
maintained
and
longer
term
making
sure
that
we
maintain
a
healthy
fund
balance?
C
We
were
talking
about
some
things
and
we
dealt
with
some
issues,
but
you
only
have
so
so
much
money
available
and
particularly
in
in
recent
decades,
I
guess
at
this
point
the
state
hasn't
really
has
had
a
freeze
on
infrastructure
improvements
for
school
districts,
so
it
always
kind
of
so
it
just
falls
on
the
the
local
districts.
That's
why
you're
seeing
some
large
bonds
for
Burlington
South
Burlington
other
places,
because
it's
in
entirely
on
the
Local
District
when
they
need
to
maintain
these
things,
and
so
you
don't
want
to
let
this
beautiful.
C
E
A
D
D
A
C
I
think
you
know,
like
a
lot
of
a
lot
of
folks.
Teachers
have
had
a
really
rough
time
in
the
past
few
years.
That
really
you
know
on
the
I've,
been
on
the
front
lines
of
the
pandemic,
and
it's
been
hugely
stressful.
I
can
certainly
speak
to
you
know
my
my
own
mothers
and
an
IA
in
Richmond
and
instructional
assistant.
C
So
you
know
a
lot
of
it
is
just
making
sure
teachers
have
the
resources,
whether
that's
also
the
support
of
other
other
teachers
or
assistants.
Things
of
that
nature,
and
that
can
that
can
be
really
difficult
for
Winooski.
We've
kind
of
historically
been
haven't,
been
able
to
maintain
the
same
sort
of
salary.
Salary
levels
is
a
lot
of
places
around
here,
so
finding
other
ways
to
to
ensure
support
for
teachers,
so
they
don't
burn
out
and
leave
or
or
seek
other
opportunities
is,
is
always
an
ongoing
and
complicated
and
difficult
thing.
Yeah.
A
B
So
I
know
that
teachers
are
struggling
with
the
after
effects
of
the
public
health,
emergency,
kovid
and
then
potentially
related
correlated
mental
health
concerns
among
both
students,
children
and
adults.
So
I
know
that
every
person
that
works
in
that
building
is
tired.
Plus
we
did
a
capital
project
at
the
same
time.
So
every
person
in
that
building
is
tired
and
digging
deep
to
to
keep
going
and
I
need
to
recognize
that
and
thank
them
for
that.
B
B
But
that's
not
the
only
thing
that
can
be
done
and
I
can't
speak
specifically
to
other
initiatives
that
are
that
are
happening.
But
I
can
imagine
that
the
administration
is
working
to
be
creative
with
with
Staffing
and
with
with
breaks
during
the
day
and
just
alleviating
pressures
where
they
can
all.
D
So
I,
don't
have
any.
You
know.
Personal
knowledge
of
the
teacher's
morale
at
Winooski
I
would
hope
that
after
the
capital
project
is
through,
the
pressures
are
off
than
that
covet
is
winding
down
getting
close
back
to
normal.
With
you
know,
a
new
building
as
I
also
saying
the
lighting
and
how
they
designed
it
and
like
a
very
clean
space,
they're
getting
more
space
opening.
You
know,
bigger
classrooms.
D
Obviously
Nationwide
and
in
Vermont
teachers
are
underpaid,
so
I
would
imagine
that's
an
ongoing
thing
for
the
board
to
look
at,
and
you
know,
there's
a
new
superintendent
coming
on.
So
it's
an
opportunity
for
the
the
teachers
to
build
a
new
relationship.
You
know
with
a
new
superintendent
because
at
the
end
of
the
day,
that's
kind
of
who
deals
with
faculty
and
the
board
is
kind
of
the
overarching
arching
policy
makers.
A
B
C
I
I
had
sort
of
a
tangential
thing
that
occurred
to
me
in
talking
about.
This
was
some
of
the
the
creativity
around
the
need
for
busing,
not
that
kind
of
buzzing
and
and
how
the
school
worked
to
to
with
some
folks
in
the
community
to
get
their
their
CDL,
and
sometimes
that
even
in
involved
interpreting,
so
that
they
could
actually
get
that
and
that
filled
a
gap
and
I.
C
One
thing
that
occurred
to
me
in
thinking
about
this
question
was
a
lot
of
it
is
just
is
just
making
taking
some
of
that
pressure
off,
making
sure
teachers
have
all
the
support.
So
you
know,
looking
at
IA
is
looking
at.
How
do
we
get
people
in
the
community
who
can
come
in
and
get
certified
for
that
kind
of
work?
Just
like
we
did
with
the
busing
bus
driving
situation,
yeah.
C
A
Great
thanks
thanks
everybody,
racial
Justice
so
and
Jordan
we're
going
to
start
with
you
on
this
question.
What
is
your
current
understanding
of
the
work
around
this
issue
in
our
schools
and
how
would
you
support
leadership,
efforts
and
initiatives
to
meet
the
challenges
of
creating
an
equitable
and
thriving
environment
for
all
students.
D
So
I
do
believe
you
know
Lewandowski
School
District's
on
a
good
path.
I
had
mentioned
the
heart
of
Winooski
Foundation
earlier
and
the
anti-racism
staring
steering
committee,
those
both
working
on
diversifying
the
workforce.
The
steering
committee
is
overseas.
Basically
eight
or
nine
student
demands
that
have
started
to
come
to
fruition
in
the
form
of
Truth
and
Reconciliation
committees,
anti-racism
committees,
strategy
and
action
plan
for
hiring
teachers
of
color
I
mean,
and
they
have
quite
a
few
initiatives
already
in
the
works.
D
One
of
the
most
important
things
you
know,
I
think
we
can
do,
is
focus
on
results
for
students
to
kind
of
see.
What's
working,
what's
working
for
them,
we
know
that
there's
there's
a
test
scores
for
when
you
ski
there's
a
racial
disparities,
and
that
also
that
the
administration
and
curriculum
director
are
working
on
improving
learning
and
closing
the
gaps
in
those
test
scores.
D
You
know
the
board
should
be
focused
on
ensuring
we're
tracking
metrics
and
raising
scores
and
closing
those
gaps
so
that
we're
helping
those
folks
out,
but,
of
course,
I,
would
support
any
new
initiative
if
that
was
brought
to
the
to
school
board
and
kind
of
investigate
that
and
see.
If
that's
something
of
value
that
would
to
add
to
what's
already
happening.
B
So
my
experience
is
that
there's
a
lot
of
people
in
the
community
doing
a
lot
of
good
work
on
these
initiatives
and
the
board
so
far
has
been
involved
in
in
funding
that
work,
but
it
has
been
outside
of
the
normal
budget.
So
it's
not
a
it's,
not
sustainable,
so
to
speak,
it's
not
baked
into
the
budget.
B
So
my
intention
is
to
support
the
administration
to
make
this
work
part
of
their
regular
work,
so
not
something
above
and
beyond
the
the
normal
activities
of
the
school
day
or
of
the
school
year,
but
to
be
baked
into
that,
so
that
it's
a
normal
thing
that
happens
all
the
time
and
then
do
that
from
a
budgetary
perspective
as
well,
so
that
it's
sustainable
for
the
future.
So
we
can
keep
doing
work
on
equity
and
and
Justice
and
keep
making
progress.
B
C
C
Also
we
haven't
talked
about
it
yet
at
all
today,
but
we
had
an
equity
audit,
a
combined
Equity
audit
of
the
the
school
and
the
city
which
had
a
number
of
recommendations
which
could
also
come
into
play
in
in
coming
years
for
the
school
and
the
city
and
again
an
opportunity
for
the
two
entities
to
to
work
together.
Since
you
know,
one
of
the
one
of
the
things
that
came
out
of
the
equity
audit
was
from
some
polling
work
and
talking
to
people.
C
A
E
C
A
E
A
So
Allison
we're
going
to
start
with
you
on
this
on
the
funding.
What
is
your
take
on
efforts
in
Montpelier
to
address
school
funding
so
yeah
and
again
back
to
this
complicated
issue
of?
If
you
make
this
much
and
if
your
house
is
this
much
and
if
you
you
know
how
we
pay
for
school
is
complicated.
Yes,.
B
So
my
understanding
of
what's
been
done
in
Montpelier
recently
like
in
the
last
year,
is
changing
how
equalized
pupils
are
calculated
and
so
UVM
and
some
Consultants
did.
A
big
study
called
the
pupil
waiting
study,
which
made
a
recommendation
for
how
the
legislature
should
move
forward
with
a
funding
model
specifically
for
those
equalized
pupils.
B
Calculations,
and
so
I
am
very
pleased
that
it
looks
like
the
legislature
moved
forward
with
something
that
mirrors
what
the
study
recommended
so
I
think
that
that's
a
step
in
the
right
direction
for
Winooski,
and
it
is
going
to
as
long
as
it
remains
unchanged
in
this
Siege
this
session
of
the
legislature.
It
will
bring
benefit
to
when
you
ski
in
the
school
district
in
terms
of
additional
resources.
So
so
I
am
I'm.
Pleased
overall.
E
B
I
mean
it
gets
back
to
the
the
idea
of
adjusting
the
number
of
students
we
have
by
the
intensity
of
the
resources
they
need
right.
So
if
we
have,
if
we
have
a
number
of
students
who
need
additional
resources
to
to
be
educated
to
a
let's,
just
call
it
to
like
to
100
like
it's
a
video
game
right,
then
we
need
additional
resources
to
get
them
there.
B
A
C
E
D
C
000
is
a
mix
of
your
property
value
and
your
income
and,
of
course,
there's
a
lot
of
other
other
things
at
play,
but
even
setting
that
aside,
it
will
make
a
huge
difference
for
Winooski.
Another
thing
that's
been
talked
about
in
Montpelier
for
a
long
time
off
and
on
is
moving
completely
away
from
a
property
basis,
property
tax-based
system
to
an
income-based
system,
which
is
something
that
I
I
would
support,
which
would
be
a
much
more
Progressive
approach
to
to
that.
A
D
Mean
it's
a
big
win
for
Winooski,
like
everybody
else
has
said
the
waiting
for
him
that
was
going
to
change
in
our
favor
to
help
us
be
more
sustainable.
We
do
have
a
small
tax
base,
it's
not
a
very,
not
a
lot
of
industry
and
we
skis
so
you're,
relying
on
a
lot
of
Resident
taxes
to
pay
for
it,
and
so
it
puts
us
on
a
sustainable
path
to
kind
of
continue
to
invest
in
the
school
to
invest
in
future
generations.
D
D
You
know:
Robert
brought
up
the
the
income
tax
instead
of
property,
which
I
would
support
too.
You
see
folks,
older
folks
that
are
on
fixed
incomes,
while
their
property
Rises
it
doesn't
necessarily
mean
that
they
can
afford
taxes
to
go
up
because
they
are,
you
know
getting
their
their
social
security
check,
getting
retirement
funds
and
so
I
think
it's
a
fair
way
to
to
tax
and
raise
funds
for
schools
and
cities
and
those
types
of
needs.
A
A
C
Make
a
lot
more
sense
to
you,
but
I.
Remember
when
I
was
on
the
school
board,
just
trying
to
spending
long
amounts
of
time
to
try
to
explain
how
you
know
the
common
level
of
appraisal
shifts
it
around
what
you
know
your
property,
all
these
different
things,
and
so
part
of
it
would
be
just
the
more
we
can
streamline
it.
The
more
direct
narrow.
D
A
So
that
could
be
one
of
the
challenges.
There's
two
last
questions
here
and
I'm
going
to
combine
them
into
one.
For
the
sake
of
time.
We
have
you
know
what
educational
reforms
are
important
to
you,
and
also.
What
do
you
seeing
are
the
biggest
challenges
facing
the
school?
So
maybe
you
can
kind
of
think
about
those
reform
and
challenges
that
are
coming
up
and
we
are
going
to
start
with
Robert
on
these
questions.
C
You
know
I
never
like
the
word
challenges.
Probably
the
next
big
opportunity
is
hiring.
The
new
superintendent
Sean
has
done
some
great
work
over
the
last
nine
years
and
nine
years
is
actually
a
long
time
for
a
superintendent.
I
think
he's
the
third
longest
serving
in
Vermont
as
of
right
now
in
in
one
place,
continues
and
I.
Think
he'll
be
missed
a
lot,
but
it's
also,
you
know,
we've
got
a
new
building,
and
a
lot
of
a
lot
is
happening.
C
D
What's
your
vision,
yeah,
so
there's
a
lot
of
evidence
that
we
can
do
better
teaching
reading,
not
just
in
Winooski
but
Statewide.
It's
the
school
district
made
a
good
investment
in
hiring
a
curriculum
director
that'll
help
our
students,
you
know
understand,
you
know
what
they're
learning
and
really
hopefully
that
brings
up.
You
know
their
scores,
see
where
they're
at
you
know,
and
the
biggest
the
biggest
issue
for
me
is
the
as
the
funding
goes
through
and
that
gets
implemented.
First
I
think.
B
D
I,
don't
think,
there's
a
big
risk
of
that
changing
the
superintendent
search,
of
course,
to
it's.
An
opportunity
like
Robert
said
for
people
who
make
new
relationships,
you
kind
of
start
fresh
Sean
did
a
great
job
over
those
years
and
now
we're
on
to
a
new
superintendent.
Hopefully
it's
a
pretty
tight
window
to
get
somebody
in
I,
don't
yeah.
B
B
D
D
D
And
they
there
was
a
way
to
measure.
You
know:
students,
progress
and
stuff
before
the
pandemic
and
that
kind
of
fell
off
so
it'd
be
good
to
get
back
to
that
system
or
system
like
it.
So
you
can
get
feedback
from
what's
working,
what's
not
make
data-driven
decisions.
That'll,
you
know
benefit
everybody
and
I.
Think
that's
one
of
the
challenges.
Yeah.
B
So
I'm
really
excited
also
about
the
curriculum
director
and
the
opportunities
to
improve
math
and
literacy
curriculum
and
instruction
and
assessment,
and
how
that
can
relate
to
characterizing
the
success
of
winooski's
students
and
back
to
what
Jordan
said
about
getting
back
to
measuring
the
end
statement.
So
kind
of
ties
together,
like
one
of
my
one
of
an
initiative,
that's
important
to
me-
is
the
math
and
literacy
curriculum
instruction
and
assessment
and
how
that.
B
B
I'm,
a
statistician,
so
I'm
really
excited
about
digging
into
the
data
looking
at
what
does
the
data
show
us
from
a
numbers
perspective,
and
how
can
we
translate
that
into
into
students?
What
does
that
tell
us
about
students,
so
you
know,
for
example,
I
could
tell
you
that
it's
a
50
increase,
but
what
does
that
mean
in
terms
of
students?
That
means
you
know.
Five
more
students
are
graduating
every
year,
with
this
particular
characteristic,
so
humanizing.
It.