This article was written by the members of the Journalism class.
On Monday, December 16th, our superintendent Steven Dellinger-Pate sat down with the journalism class to answer questions about the most up-and-coming topics around U-32. This is the first article in an ongoing series called Superintendent’s Press.
12/16 Topics:
- Getting to know the new position
- Student numbers and consolidation
- Budget and cuts
- Steven’s background in Texas
- School cancellations
Steven’s New Position as Superintendent
By Inkwel Young
Steven was U-32’s principal for ten years, and saw five different superintendents in office in his time.
Although Steven believed his predecessor, Megan Roy did a very good job, she was the fifth superintendent he saw in his career as principal. He finally made the difficult decision to try to become the superintendent himself. “The district needed a more permanent leader,” he said.
The transition from principal to superintendent had its easy parts. “I knew some of the people on the board, and the community,” Steven said. It had some surprising parts as well. Steven has been surprised by how often he finds himself speaking to state officials.
Steven was not very familiar with the district’s elementary schools, as he was the principal of a middle and high school. Becoming superintendent meant that he needed to learn a lot more about the different elementary schools, which was an interesting experience for him.
Leaving his position as principal was a difficult choice for Steven, as he loved being around students. “There’s energy in the students that’s not necessarily there with every adult. […] Seeing [them] grow up and mature and form [their] own ideas. I just think that’s an exciting part of the work that I would get to do, and you just don’t get to see it as much,” he said.
The new responsibilities were an adjustment for Steven, but he has since settled into his position. He said, “It’s pretty interesting. It’s like a new challenge after spending so many years in one job.”
Consolidation of Elementary Schools and Student Population
By Margo Cannella
U-32 has a declining student population. There are conversations happening about how to get more students at the middle school and high school. The ideas involve consolidating sixth graders from elementary schools into the middle school or combining select elementary schools.
The option of bringing sixth graders into the U-32 middle school will help create more programs and more options for students. “Bringing [sixth graders] here, we can certainly change the program…even more music, more sports, more things like that,” said Steven.
To make decisions around this option there is a reconfiguration committee being formed. This committee will include five board members, five community members, and three administrators from the district. This committee will have the conversations about bringing sixth graders up and possibly consolidating elementary schools.
Adding sixth graders to U-32 will help with the declining population of the middle school, but could create more problems with lack of students in the elementary schools. If U-32 adds sixth graders to the middle school, it could bring back the question of whether or not the district will consolidate any smaller elementary schools, such as Calais and Doty.
“Those decisions are mixed in with each other, but there’s a lot of decisions and some planning that needs to happen before we can [make] that a final decision,” said Steven.
There are many different decisions involved, but Steven said that there is a large chance that sixth graders will be at U-32 in the upcoming school years.
Budget and Cuts
By Lexi Briskie
Steven has a lot of helpful information and knowledge when it comes to the U-32 budget.
“We have proposed an increase of about five and a half percent to our budget from this year to next year,” Steven said.
The school board met to approve a budget for next school year on January 22nd. This budget will go to Town Meeting Day on March 4th.
He also suggests to get the most accurate information, there’s a budget website that shows you everything you need to know about U-32 spending and budget plans.
With a decline of student enrollment there will have to be a few budget cuts this year. Such as a small decrease in library media, balance in food service, and several empty positions not being filled.
“We went through and reduced spending in areas like our capital fund,” Steven said. Capital funds are used to build and maintain district buildings and also used to purchase things like furniture, fix buses, equipment, and pay for debt. This money mostly comes from local property taxes, impact fees, or revenue received from the state.
According to Steven, reducing spending might affect general supplies in classrooms, but nothing severe that will negatively impact teachers or students.
Steven’s Background in Texas
By Molly Pepin
Steven Dellinger-Pate has a background of living in Texas. Steven said that schools in Texas are very different from schools in Vermont. One example of this is the amount of classes offered in Texas schools. When Steven was a student in Texas, his school schedule was made up of six classes per day, while U-32 has eight.
Steven also mentioned the difference of school size in Texas relative to Vermont. The high school Steven attended also had a larger budget than what Vermont schools typically have. “One thing that was different was my high school had $15 million and held several thousand [students],” said Steven.
Steven elaborated on communities in Texas being different from Vermont communities. When Steven moved to Vermont there was more communication among neighbors, and people knew each other on a deeper level than in Texas. “We have very small communities,” said Steven. “Neighbors know neighbors a little bit more, and our degrees of separation usually aren’t that big,” he said.
Steven’s transition to living in Vermont was a difficult adjustment partly because of people’s different political beliefs. When Steven lived in Texas, he was used to a more conservative political system. Transitioning to living in the northeast gave Steven a more liberal experience than what he was used to. Steven said, “I moved to a more urban environment, which was more liberal and seeing the differences in how people addressed issues and what was important to them shifted.”
School Cancellations
By Grace Cannella
U-32 has closed for many reasons, one being unsafe weather. One big thing impacts the decision of closing school: safety. Safety on the drive to school is the school district’s main priority.
The road commissioners, superintendent, and bus companies all have a conversation about the road conditions. Road commissioners start deciding early in the morning, around five. They are “assessing whether or not the roads are safe or can be made safe,” said superintendent Steven Dellinger-Pate.
That morning, Steven also talks to different superintendents of other schools, to see what their situation looks like. For U-32 staff, getting to school is harder with kids in closed schools, so nearby schools have to be put into consideration as well.
When the roads can’t get cleared in time to start, the superintendent delays school. Early dismissals happen when weather is going to get worse in the afternoon, making the drives home hard. Steven and his team decide by ten to early release and cancel after school activities by noon.
U-32 has cancelled school for additional reasons. Flooding in December last year led to an early dismissal. Many Montpelier water main breaks have also closed U-32 in the past.
Steven said, “It really comes back to safety of our families, our kids and our community.”
