Supervisory Union merger OK’d; Waite interim super; Gray out at CAES

By Andy Jackins

The Vermont State Board of Education has formally approved the merger of the Windsor Southwest Supervisory Union and the Rutland-Windsor Supervisory Union. The vote took place on May 15, with the newly merged supervisory union taking over July 1, 2013.

The sign outside the WSWSU HQ in Chester./Photo by Andy Jackins

The merger means that the WSWSU towns of Chester, Andover, Baltimore and Cavendish will unite with the RWSU towns of Ludlow, Mt. Holly and Plymouth. The WSWSU towns of Peru, Landgrove, Weston and Londonderry have already voted to regroup into the Bennington Rutland SU.

The merger will provide an initial $150,000 of grant money to fund the transitional period from now through June 30, 2013. This is part of a statewide effort to consolidate Vermont’s sprawling supervisory union system that was prompted by Vermont Act 153 in 2010. Since the passage of Act 153, several additions have been made to the act in an effort to facilitate voluntary mergers on the part of Vermont’s numerous supervisory unions.

In addition to the approval of the merger, the Vermont State Board of Education also approved the formation of a transitional supervisory union board for July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The board will be made up of 22 people, representing of the six schools plus the town boards within the newly formed supervisory union. The transitional SU board is set to meet for the first time at 7 p.m. July 11 at Green Mountain Union High.

Interim Superintendent Linda Waite, who took over the post on June 19 when Superintendent David Adams stepped down to take over the Addison Northeast Supervisory Union, said, “The transitional board will tackle major issues such as hiring a superintendent, employee contracts, location of new central offices and the naming of the new supervisory union.”
Waite, who had been associate superintendent for the WSWSU, was recommended for the position at a May 2 WSWSU Board meeting.

Scott Gray out at CAES

The Chester-Andover Elementary School Board approved the immediate termination of Principal Scott Gray at its June 11 meeting. Gray served as CAES principal for the 2011-12 school year until he was placed on administrative leave. He was finally replaced by substitute Principal Jean Michaels toward the end of the last semester. As for a permanent replacement, Waite would only say, “At this time no decisions have been made in regards to hiring a replacement or interim principal … Michaels will continue as substitute principal…” Michaels, an experienced math and science teacher, had served as principal of Monument Elementary School in Bennington  from 2006 to 2011.