School Board approves interim superintendent
The Burlington School Board voted unanimously to hire Howard Smith as interim superintendent on Tuesday night.
Smith, a former superintendent with decades of experience in Tarrytown, N.Y., and Canton, N.Y., is currently on a family vacation and will start work in Burlington on Nov. 24, said School Board Chairman Patrick Halladay of Ward 5.
"Very well-published, a good researcher," said School Commissioner Mark Porter of Ward 1, referring to Smith's resume. "He really rose to the top of the stack. ... He's gone through many of the things we're facing now."
Ward 1 Commissioner Kyle Dodson echoed the praise.
"He's got a steady hand, his temperament is very accessible and even-keeled, which I think will serve us very well," Dodson said. "I'm just incredibly excited that we were able to end up where we ended up."
Resigning interim superintendent Stephanie Phillips has agreed to remain until Smith arrives, Halladay said. He added that Smith has family connections to Burlington, with an adult child and grandchildren who live in town, and has already bought a condominium in Burlington.
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The board voted on the appointment after meeting in closed-door session for more than 1.5 hours.
The School Board also approved a compensation package for Phillips and the two other administrators, Paul Irish and Nikki Fuller, who have led the district since the summer in addition to their normal school district jobs. Those administrators will receive $400 per person per week excluding vacation days, retroactive to July 1 and until Smith arrives.
The school district continues an ongoing search for a permanent superintendent. Smith is not interested in the permanent job, Halladay said.
Bus issue debated
The School Board continued to receive pushback from parents and students Tuesday over plans to charge many families for bus transportation to and from school.
The change was announced last month and is scheduled to take effect Nov. 17. The school district had planned to eliminate the transportation subsidy as a result of budget cuts that went into the voter-approved school budget in June.
Students who qualify for free lunch and also live more than one mile from school, as well as elementary school students who live more than 0.7 miles from school, will continue to receive free transportation on Chittenden County Transportation Authority buses. Other students will find alternative transportation, buy individual bus passes or pay $150 to ride for the remainder of the year.
The School Board was not scheduled to take any further action on the matter at Tuesday's meeting; however, parents came to ask them to reconsider, arguing that the change will pose a financial hardship for families who will not qualify for free bus transportation.
One resident brought a petition against the change with 400 signatures, and several students stood on the side of the room holding signs in protest.
"It actually is going to mean that kids don't get to school," said Heather Riemer, who lives in the Old North End.
"Look for other ways to save money," suggested Paul Sebastiano. "We just had our taxes raised, and to ask us to come along and start paying a bus fare on top of that is basically adding insult to injury."
"I don't think there's a person on this board who feels good about what's happening with bus fares, but we faced other choices that were more costly and more painful than that one," Seguino said. "We could have increased classroom sizes, we could have laid off more teachers. ... We were really constrained in terms of what could be cut that would protect classrooms."
Contact April Burbank at (802) 660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank