WINDHAM-The Windham School District Board addressed a variety of concerns over the merger that resulted in the closing of Windham Elementary School and also responded to letters from residents who called on Board Chair Abby Pelton and Vice Chair Daniel Roth to resign.
At issue has been confusion around public use of the now-shuttered elementary school, once one of the smallest in the state, since voters approved the measure at a May 18 School District Special Meeting.
Windham resident Russ Cummings requested that the board read into the minutes correspondence from Crystal Corriveau and Nancy Tips.
Corriveau called on Pelton and Roth to resign, stating that there was no excuse for "not timely warning a regularly scheduled meeting."
Tips agreed with Corriveau's sentiments.
"The repeated confusion about meetings gives the appearance of secrecy. That problem, along with the continued unexplained use of the school building at taxpayers' expense for the apparent benefit of a school board member's family, is dispiriting to those of us who try to follow what's going on," Tips wrote in an email to the board.
"The school board members appear to be incapable of managing the board's affairs so that town members feel informed, respected, and included. Or perhaps the members are capable, but just don't give a hoot. Or maybe they don't have the time to spend on the office they hold.
"Whatever their reasons, it seems like it's time to let the voters choose a new school board."
While Roth was not present, Pelton responded to the calls for her resignation.
"I'm determined and dedicated, and I'm not going anywhere. The challenges this board has faced has not been like any other in quite some time. I think it's fair to say this has been a lot of hard work," she said.
"You do bring up some points. The minutes need to be on time. The scheduled meetings should be scheduled for the exact same day, but one thing that is also different with this board is that we have families, and this time of year it is not uncommon for people to have sickness and illness, their other job, [or] their appointment for their household to be demanding to where it could conflict with school board matters.
"So, that being said, I appreciate the input, folks, but voting time will happen at voting time, and if people are unhappy they can make that known at that time."
Questions about use
A member of the public interrupted to ask Pelton about Roth "using this private day care."
Pelton said she would not speak to that topic because Roth was not in attendance, but said she had heard concerns from people over liability to the taxpayers and said that the board has a waiver, a rental agreement, and contracts and that the building was currently being used for private child care, the historical society, and yoga classes.
However, Pelton said it was her understanding that the yoga instructor had taken another employment opportunity and would not be returning. The same was true of the private child care as well, she said.
She said it was "unfortunate" that some community members "have really gone above and beyond" to make people using the school building "feel uncomfortable."
"That makes it really challenging for us to build relationships with people that may want to develop a day care, and so at that point, we are going to be back at square one with the child care option moving forward," Pelton said. "Same with yoga - if it's something we want to bring back, it would likely have to be with a different yoga instructor."
Jennie Crittenden, a resident representing the Windham Historical Society, said that an event at the school the previous weekend went well with about 40 people attending, and one person expressed an interest in holding more square dances in the building.
Who should own the building?
Pelton said the school district is now focused on how to transfer ownership of the building and the property in a way that was best for the community.
Resident Cathy Edgerly, a grantwriter and member of the Planning Commission, said a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), originally to create a capital plan, can instead be used for a feasibility study to evaluate the uses for the school building by the town.
She said the town would issue a request for proposal for the study, which would identify potential uses for the building and perhaps look at other facilities that are similar to try to develop some type of projected capital cost, operational expenses, and potential revenue streams.
The study would not make decisions or recommendations but would instead provide data that would include the cost of various scenarios, including using the building in various ways or demolishing it. Edgerly said a task force was being put together to generate ideas for how to use the building.
When the meeting moved into the preliminary budget portion, David Cherry asked about a line item concerning insurance for the building, which is set to end on June 30, 2025.
Should the school board continue to own the building, Heidi Russ, the assistant business manager for the Windham Central Supervisory Union, said staff will need to return some items back into the budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Edgerly urged the board to consider extending the insurance for the building because, even if the town were to buy it, the sale would not be complete until after June. Russ said she believes that there would be time to hold a special meeting in January if the board wants to do so.
New reps needed
At the start of the meeting, there was some discussion with Superintendent Bob Thibault about appointing a new representative from the Windham School District Board to the Windham Central Supervisory Union Board following the resignation of Rory Rosselot this fall.
Cummings objected to the nomination of Howard Ires, appointed to the Windham School District Board at the October board meeting, claiming that he had not signed his oath of office, but withdrew the objection when the signed oath was displayed via video on the livestream of the meeting.
While there was some discussion surrounding the concerns over transportation expenditures, Pelton said the board would discuss it in further detail this month.
This News item by Brandon Canevari was written for The Commons.