It’s here! Thank you, Burlington, for your patience in releasing next year’s calendar. After robust discussion, the 2019-2020 calendar was approved on Tuesday night. The Superintendent would like to thank the board of school commissioners for thinking critically about our community’s needs and expectations regarding Religious Holy Days. In addition, we are grateful the board supports our plan to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by once again attempting to hold a half day of classes on MLK Day (this year plans for this day were “snowed out” in the District). We hope teachers will use this instruction time to explore Dr. King’s life and legacy before encouraging our students to leave our schools and serve in the afternoon.

Please note, in addition to this calendar, we are working on an updated list of Excused Absences for Religious Holy Days for the 2019-2020 school year. The DEALT team is currently updating next year’s list of days, and we will continue the practice of encouraging teachers to take steps, like those laid out in last year’s administrative memo, which are designed to help students navigate missing school to engage in faith practices.

It looks like Spring has finally sprung. At this point, we think winter is over and will assume no more snow days. Please share the following “End of the Year Dates” anyone who may be interested.

This year, we had three snow days. This means students need to make up one day at this time and teachers need to make up two.

Calendar Updates:

• June 13 Last day for students (half day)

• June 14 Building-based (BHS Graduation)

• June 17 District day in-service

• June 18 Building-based

• June 20 End of the year meeting: System Leaders Meeting

On March 5th, Burlington residents once again voted to support students and schools. The Burlington School District’s proposed 2019-2020 budget request passed with nearly 70% of the vote on Town Meeting Day.

“Thank you, Burlington, for continually supporting the needs of students and staff in Burlington School District,” said Superintendent Yaw Obeng. “I am pleased that our efforts of prudent financial management over the past four years have led us to a place where our District is fiscally stable enough to allow us to add back programming and staff in a strategic and data-driven approach. The additions and reductions proposed in this year’s budget are another step in the right direction towards reducing disparities in our system, closing the very real achievement gap, and raising the bar for all of our students.”

This is the 5th straight year that voters have approved the District’s proposed budget on Town Meeting Day. In addition to providing budget support, the Burlington community has also recently voted in favor of a 10-year capital plan bond as well as a new high school re-envisioning bond during that time frame.

Greetings BSD Community,

“Each year, on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is observed as a ‘day on, not a day off.’ MLK Day of Service is intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a ‘Beloved Community.’ ” -The Corporation for National and Community Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a profound figure in American and world history; BSD believes this day should be reflected as so.

In my time here schools have been closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Initially, I was pleased that this day was recognized in BSD and in the community. However, over the past three years, I have made a conscious effort to ask students how they recognized the day. While some of our students engage in celebrations or service in the community, my experience has been one in which I have mostly been met with answers like: “I stayed home and played video games.” or “Why did we have the day off?”.

Last year when developing the new school calendars, the senior leadership team and I had many conversations about the impact, from an educational standpoint, of MLK Day. I expressed to our team that I feel we are not doing enough in BSD to recognize this day, the individual, or the meaning of service as expressed by Dr. King, and was met with great support.

Together, we decided that for the first time in many years we will have a half-day of school on MLK Day to ensure every student is exposed to content relating to the significance of the person and the day.

Our vision for this day is that students are first brought together to intentionally focus on the importance of Dr. King, racial equality, service, and love; and ideally, students are leading some of these conversations and driving the curriculum where appropriate. (Talk to your local school administrator to learn more.)

After spending this time together, we want to encourage our students and staff to go into the community and implement the day’s teachings. We hope our community will consider serving, learning more, or celebrating with others throughout the community at events like the CEDO-led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at ECHO (featuring BSD students again this year).

In addition to this celebration at ECHO, there are numerous volunteer efforts in our community, including those listed in the resources below. I encourage our teachers and staff to share these resources (and any others you know of) with students, friends, and neighbors. And for those who are able to do so, I hope these resources or this conversation allows you to find a way to plug in.

Recognizing the day in this fashion reflects the BSD Vision: “Cultivating caring, creative and courageous people. Join the journey!”

Thank you for listening and for being engaged.

– Superintendent Obeng

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Additional Resources:
United Way (Volunteer opportunities)

Corporation for National and Community Service (Volunteer opportunities)

GBMRC 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance (Community event)

Dear BSD Community,

I’m writing with information about an investigation conducted by the State of Vermont and the Environmental Protection Agency into chemicals that may have entered the soil and air in the area of Elmwood Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End neighborhood, including the Integrated Arts Academy.

The Burlington School District is pleased to report that EPA test findings at Integrated Arts Academy show levels which pose no threat to students, staff or faculty present in or around the building.  

When we were alerted that the EPA wanted to test, we made it very clear that it was important that we have results to give to you before school started. On Tuesday, August 21 we received those results via email and a phone conference. On Wednesday, August 22, we received follow up documents, including further detail, and notification that we could now share those results. We are acting as quickly as possible to get this message out, and we are thrilled that teachers, staff, and students will be able to start the new school year knowing that our building is, and has been, safe.

To be sure that the levels do not change over time, the EPA has requested they be allowed to do two more rounds of precautionary testing – once after students return (when airflow patterns change), and another during the harsher conditions of winter when the school is buttoned up. The District is working with IAA leadership to accommodate this request during noninstructional times and will coordinate these times with the EPA, which has also offered cover the cost of the tests and report results to the District when they become available.

For more information, and for contact information for questions about the testing, results and health concerns, please see the complete results below, as well as a letter from the Vermont Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Thank you for your patience with us as we worked to provide this information in a timely fashion,

Superintendent Obeng

VT DEC and DOH Letter

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