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| Welcome April! Good riddance, March! |
Hunt PTO Update
4/3/2014
Hunt Drama Program Presents
Show Times: ALL shows open to the community
Thursday, April 3rd at 4:00
Friday, April 4th at 7:00
Saturday, April 5th at 7:00
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West Side Story is a musical translation of Shakespeare's Romeo
and Juliet. In the gang-ridden streets of 1950s Manhattan, dominated by the
Sharks and the Jets, two teens from the bitter-enemy gangs meet and fall in
love at a fateful gym dance.
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Enjoy the show! There is no entrance fee but we do hope you will
purchase a playbill, goodies from our bake sales on Friday and Saturday nights
& tickets to our City Market raffle basket at Saturday night's show!! The
Drama Club must fund raise all the money to pay for our shows each year. We are not a part of
the Hunt PTO or funded by Hunt Middle
School. Thanks so much for your support!!
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| Hunt Track & Field practices have begun! |
The sun is shining and Hunt Track and Field practices have begun! If your child is a Hunt track and field athlete, she/he has received a handout with the names of the new coaches and the team expectations. Please ask to check that out. Athletes practice M-F starting at 3:30.
The first track meet is April 29th at Essex High School.
If you have any questions, please contact the coaches -
Anthony Dennis : adennis@bsdvt.org,
Bill Gay: wgay@bsdvt.org
Soon you will be able to check out all of the Hunt Track and Field meet dates on the HMS Athletics page:
Bill Gay: wgay@bsdvt.org
Soon you will be able to check out all of the Hunt Track and Field meet dates on the HMS Athletics page:
https://sites.google.com/a/bsdvt.org/lyman-c-hunt-middle-school-athletics/
RIF Process (from Jeanne Collins' blog)
This year, with the budget defeated, Burlington School District is facing a larger than usual “RIF” or Reduction in Force process in order to make all options available to the Board as they decide a new budget proposal for voter approval.
Because the teacher contract and central office administrator contract have a March 15 deadline for notification of possible RIFs, these two groups received the first RIF notices. And because the teacher group is our largest group of employees, the list is quite large in that area.
How were the RIF positions identified?
As superintendent, I was asked to identify non mandated programs and staffing that we have. About 80% of our programs and related staffing is mandated (see zero based budgeting work http://tinyurl.com/lx9z67v). Thus, we have to look at programs that are valued but go beyond the basics. That started the RIF list identified positions.
On March 15, we notified the BEA union president of a possible 48 positions being RIFfed. This post will focus on the teacher RIFs as there are so many questions in this area.
The process of reducing teaching positions and the associated rights to “bump” a less senior teacher or be recalled to a position is documented in the BEA Master Agreement, a copy is on the BSD website. Specifically, articles 11, RIF’s; 14, Bumping; and 15, RIF Recall; cover this process.
Once the district identifies the positions for potential elimination, we then work with the BEA to identify the teacher currently holding that position. This is not an easy task, as we must first decide if the position is district wide or building based. If building based, the least senior teacher with the same license of the reduced position is subject to the RIF. If district based, such as unified arts at the secondary level, the least senior teacher district wide with the same license as the teacher in the reduced position is subject to RIF. Middle school positions are reduced by building by subject. High school positions are reduced by subject.
Next, before a teacher is sent a RIF notice, we must identify any vacant positions, such as retirements, and transfer them if they are licensed and qualified.
This process is completed by March 28. However, the list is not yet final even then. Next, teachers who have received RIF notices may then exercise their “bumping” rights. Bumping is the displacement of a less senior teacher in a position for which the RIF’d teacher is licensed and qualified. This is a district-wide process, thus a RIFfed teacher who has seniority over another teacher in the district with the same license and qualifications may bump anywhere in the district. Teachers displaced by a RIF’d teacher may exercise bumping rights as well and may displace a less senior teacher in a position for which the initial “bumped” teacher is licensed and qualified district-wide. Another confusing factor is that an elementary teacher is licensed for grades K-6; thus an elementary teacher can “bump” into 60th grade or vice versa.
I have had questions about qualifications, particularly in the area of the magnet schools. This clause is not defined to identify the skills of the magnet school teachers at this time in the contract. Thus an elementary licensed magnet school teacher is on equal footing with a non magnet school elementary licensed teacher.
Finally, we have a RIF recall list. RIF’d and displaced teachers who are not transferred to vacant positions or cannot displace as less senior teacher are eligible to be on the RIF Recall List for two (2) years. Teachers on the RIF Recall List are recalled to vacant position in reverse RIF order, with the requirement that the teacher must be licensed and qualified for the vacant position.
We cannot RIF recall until we know what our approved budget amount will be this year. We can transfer to vacant positions as retirements and resignations come in. But total RIF recall depends on an approved budget.
This is a time of great uncertainty in the district. It is also likely we will lose newer teachers who are not able to wait for things to sugar out. I am very sorry for the anxiety this causes and hope that the budget decisions are made soon in order to keep as many new hires as possible.
BSD HR April 2, 2014
Update from 3/25 School Board Meeting:
Dear faculty, staff and administration:
What a turn out you had tonight at the Board meeting. For 3.5 hours, the Board heard testimony that supported the schools budget and requested a new budget to bring to the voters. The energy in the room was inspiring. Thank you for standing up for our kids.
The Board did vote to take Option 3 off the table. This was the option that cut $4.1M from the rejected budget including full day K and magnet coaches. While the Board cannot restore everything in that budget option, as they still need flexibility to build a new budget, the intention was clear. Thus at this time, we will not RIF the K positions or the magnet coach positions. Everything else in Option 3 is still in the air, however.
To see all three options, go to tonight's meeting on Board Docs https://www.boarddocs.com/vt/bsdvt/Board.nsf/Private?open&login# and look under finance.
The timeline for the next vote starts when the new Board agrees upon a budget proposal. It is anticipated that will happen in three weeks. If it does, they will need to hold hearings, then decide on the budget number and the vote can occur 45 days after the ballot is warned, likely June 10. If they decide earlier, everything moves up from there.
Sadly we still need to issue more RIFs that we believe we will need and hope to send these RIFs out tomorrow, or by Friday at the latest. Who is actually going to be affected by not RIFfing K positions will be reviewed by administration and the BEA tomorrow.
Please know your voice was heard and please know that it still needs to be until we have an approved budget by the voters. This vote demonstrated that your engagement can make a difference, and a lack of engagement also makes a different type of difference."
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Jeanné Collins, Superintendent Burlington School District
PH: 802.864.8474 FAX: 802.864.8501
Follow us on Twitter @BTVSchools.
Burlington Friends of Education is a group of people committed to ensuring quality education in the Burlington schools.
A group of parents, teachers, students and community members are meeting to work towards passing a school budget that supports quality education in Burlington. We will need many volunteers to get this done.
Please come to a meeting on Tuesday, April 8th at 7 PM at the Burlington High School cafeteria.
For more information, please contact Chris Hood at chood@cvuhs.org or Barb Prine at prine05401@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/1418287778429704/Please come to a meeting on Tuesday, April 8th at 7 PM at the Burlington High School cafeteria.
For more information, please contact Chris Hood at chood@cvuhs.org or Barb Prine at prine05401@gmail.com
Facebook Event Page for 4/8 meeting:
A SPECIAL INVITATION!
The Hunt PTO and the Family School Partnership invite
You & Your Family to the
HERITAGE POTLUCK DINNER
Thursday, April 17th 6:00 – 7:30 pm
In the
Hunt Middle School Cafeteria
******With Live Student Entertainment!******
Do you cook a recipe at home that reflects your heritage? We would love to try it!
Please bring a Main Dish potluck item to share
We also encourage you to wear any clothing that reflects your heritage.
Drinks, Salads, Rolls and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream will be provided!
During the Dinner we will also host a Title 1 Parent Informational Meeting.
There will be a table set up where you will be able to review:
· The Hunt Home School Compact
· The Burlington's District Parent Involvement Policy.
Your feedback is always welcome and important.
For questions or to help with the dinner contact Jennifer Sutton
at 310-4998, or jsutton@bsdvt.org
* All paired men’s, women’s and kids shoes that are still usable. That means no holes in the soles and no wet or mildewed pairs. This includes athletic shoes, dress shoes, timberland type work boots, sandals, heels, flats
Shoes We Don’t Accept:
* Heavy Winter Boots, Skates, Blades, Flip-Flops, Slippers, Singles, Unusable, and Thrift Store Shoes.
Where to bring your reused shoes?
Place your reused shoes in the specially marked box ShoeBox Recycling found in the main lobby of Hunt School.
Questions or for larger pick-ups, contact Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com
The Hunt Student Council is partnering with Shoe Box Recycling to recycle paired, wearable shoes. The shoes will be reused for individuals here in the U.S. and throughout the world.
This program provides affordable shoes to those in need such as those suffering from Hurricane Sandy and many others. This will keep used shoes out of the landfill, creating a cleaner and greener planet. Recycling shoes also creates micro-enterprises for individuals throughout the world, fueling local economies here and abroad.
* All paired men’s, women’s and kids shoes that are still usable. That means no holes in the soles and no wet or mildewed pairs. This includes athletic shoes, dress shoes, timberland type work boots, sandals, heels, flats
Shoes We Don’t Accept:
* Heavy Winter Boots, Skates, Blades, Flip-Flops, Slippers, Singles, Unusable, and Thrift Store Shoes.
Where to bring your reused shoes?
Place your reused shoes in the specially marked box ShoeBox Recycling found in the main lobby of Hunt School.
Questions or for larger pick-ups, contact Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”
Save the Date!
- April 3-5 - West Side Story at HMS
- April 8th - Burlington Friends of Education meeting, BHS
- April 17 - Heritage Potluck Dinner - 6-7:30 in the cafeteria - live student entertainment and free ice cream sundaes (more info coming...)
- April 21st - 25th - April vacation - No School
- April 29th - First Track & Field meet at Essex High
