School Board Executive session?

Was there a School Board meeting, executive session, held withing the past couple of weeks, concerning the outcome of the hazardous waste pollution lawsuit?

Fill in the Blank

This is an editorial from Today’s Eagle Times. Certain words have been removed so one can fill in their own thoughts. I certainly see parallels to Windsor, and other communities around the area. The question is will Windsor step up and stem the tide of the “woe is me” and lead. The original editorial (unedited) is found by following the link……………….Rudy

 Fill the leadership vacuum

Thursday, March 20, 2008
It is becoming hard to go a few days without hearing a certain cry of defeat, especially in ________. It goes something like this. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have enough people involved or volunteering. We try to explain our plight to a public we’re not sure is hearing us. s. The latest example is the cancellation of the _______________ for this year at _______________. But similar tones can be heard in the debate over how to keep the ______________________ afloat, how to get a school budget passed and who knew what and when did they know it on the ___________________.

News from Montpelier

Windsor schools lose battle for $500K

March 8, 2008

By JOSH O’GORMAN Herald Staff

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Windsor School District will not be able to recoup about $500,000 in legal expenses following a long legal battle with the state Department of Corrections.

“We are pleased that the Supreme Court found that the school district’s request for further compensation was unreasonable and we are glad to put this matter to rest,” DOC Commissioner Robert Hofmann said Friday.

The Windsor School District has been engaged in lawsuits with the DOC over a piece of land the DOC had given the town that later turned out to be contaminated.

According to the Supreme Court’s decision, the state operated a prison in Windsor until the early 1970’s, and between 1954 and 1958 ran a wood treatment facility on the property.

The wood was dipped in a combination of kerosene and a wood preservative called pentachlorophenol, the court said, and these substances contaminated site.

In 1976 the DOC gave the land to the town. Nobody was aware of the contamination until the DOC contacted the district superintendent in 1995, the court said.

Windsor hired two consulting firms to investigate the property for contamination and in November 1995 the town contacted the DOC telling them of the findings and asked the DOC to assume the full cost of site clean-up.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources hired contractors and subcontractors to clean up the site.

Ed Connors, business manager for the school district, said that now the land is used for a football field and a track.

In October 1996 Windsor filed suit against the state and the DOC in Windsor Superior Court seeking compensation for legal and consulting costs. The court found in favor of Windsor and awarded the town $228,981.

Windsor appealed, seeking prejudgment interest on the bank loans the town had taken out to pay for the attorneys and the consultants in the first place, the court said, as well as further legal costs incurred in lawsuits between the town and the state and the town’s lawsuits against its insurers.

The Supreme Court in its ruling rejected these claims for further compensation.

“The bottom line is that the school district did nothing wrong and they are not able to recoup their legal fees,” school district attorney Robert E. Manchester said.

Manchester did not have an exact figure but said that the district will have spent at least $500,000 in legal costs that it will not be able to recoup.

Manchester said there are no further appeals after the Supreme Court, but there is the possibility of rearguing the case. Manchester said that he did not know if the district would pursue rearguing the case.

Superintendent Brenda Needham could not be reached for comment.

“This will be a bitter pill for Windsor residents to swallow when they are trying to keep their school budgets down,” Manchester said.

Contact Josh O’Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.

March 4th - 5th Town Meeting and Elections

Since elections were brought up as topic I have started a new blog here. I am glad this was brought up and although there is only days left before the elections, I think it is important for people to voice views, not whether or not they have been to select board meetings. Whether or not you attend a select board meeting isn’t the real issue, it’s what you take from and give to the meetings that matters.

I listened and watched the candidate forum on WOA and I was most impressed with the two who said they had been speaking with the department heads. I think there in-lies the best approach for governance. We need to know what their needs are and how we can improve their functionality. They serve us. I trust that they, know more about how to protect my life than  a select board does. If you need emergency help, I recommend EMS, if you need help with a criminal, I suggest the Police, if you have a problem with a fire, call the Fire Department. There needs to be more cooperation betwwen the SB and department heads.

Fred

www.neksports.net

For those of you who do not know, there is a web portal that broadcasts live games on it’s web site. Todays game, Windsor High Yellow Jackets vs St. Abe at Barre, is broadcast at this site today at 3:35 PM. Check it out now at, http://neksports.net.

Fred

School budget

I’m not sure I heard correctly but, the superintendent will get a raise of .04 percent this year? If she makes 100,000.00 per year, (minimal), her raise will equal $4,000.00. When was the last time you had a raise like that? Wouldn’t it be nice if she would accept a .02 percent raise of only $2000.00 this year? Maybe we should all suffer the ills of a bad economy? These figures might be wrong and I will retract if they are, but I don’t think so.

Also, the school budget will approach 8.9 millions dollars with the 2008-2009 budget. That is an increase of around 300,000 dollars. I heard a figure of 15,000 dollars mentioned during one of the shows but I don’t know where the other 285,000.00 will be spent? I would like to see a break down of the school budget before I vote. Will those figures be in the town report?

I have heard that this year is the last year paying for the new track and field, when will the school be paid down and how much will taxes drop when, (if), they do?

Thanks..