Teacher Evaluation

THE Since 1889 75 Cents HaHardwick ◆ Greensborord ◆ Craftsburyw ◆ Wickolcott ◆ Walden ◆ Stannard Gazette ◆ Woodbury ◆ Calais ◆ Cabot ◆ Marshfield Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Volume 121, Number 4 Teacher Evaluation; A ‘Leaner’ Future Pondered by Tommy Gardner that can be considered fair and use- representatives of the teachers’ CABOT — School budget discus- ful. Quinn said the school didn’t have union were concerned with pending sions are over for now, and the fate of an adequate system in place, one that job cuts, they and the administration next year’s operating budget lies in could remain a standard for whom- were on the same page. the hands of voters. But Cabot School ever should succeed her as the “Everybody’s anxious because of will undergo some necessary restruc- school’s head. the RIFs (reductions in force),” she turing, as the school will cut the The new policy is in form not said. equivalent of roughly four full-time much different from the old one, but Staff evaluations are lengthy employees. it is slimmed down, and has done processes. Every teacher needs to Teachers were a main topic of away with some old methods of eval- have a meeting with the principal for discussion at Monday’s School board uation, such as videotaping teachers 45 minutes to discuss goals and eval- meeting, namely with principal Re- in action and making instructors uation criteria. This is prior to gina Quinn trying to come up with a produce copious “artifacts” showing classroom visits, during which the standard teacher evaluation system their teaching prowess. Quinn said See POLICY, Page Twelve Right-Of-Way Direction Unclear; Dispute Remains by June Pichel Cook his Quitclaim Deed. He contends the library did to the Altmans. I feel GREENSBORO — Who should Perrin Road is not on town highway the town is trying to take my right- prove Perrin Road, between Willey’s maps, has never been maintained by of-way, which leads down to the shop, Store and the Greensboro Historical the town, has been of no interest to because they have acquired more Society, is or is not an exclusive right- the town, and has not been used be- land.” of-way to David Massey’s Dow Shop fore the society began its expansion At the last Select Board meeting, property? Add to the mix the question plans. The town owns the society Massey said, the board was told when of Perrin Road itself being a laid-out building and land, which are leased Cuthbertson Store (now Willey’s road, a right-of-way, or private lane. to the organization. Store) was sold, the Cuthbertson’s Massey wants town officials and “I have a written deed,” Massey kept the right “to come across to their others to prove they have the right to said, “with a right-of-way. The town shops,” which were behind the store. See DISPUTE, Page Five Logged On use the right-of-way, as granted in is using land that isn’t theirs just as Jed Lipsky, owner of Blue Hill Logging in Stowe, unloads logs from his truck last week at the Timber Resource Group in Hardwick as log yard manager Claude Demers measures them. There is about 1 million board feet at the yard. (photo by Vanessa Fournier) Mentors, Big Buddies For Youth In A Busy World Log Yard Filling Up, Prices Down, by Tommy Gardner to the school and hangs out with a the years. There used to be more chil- HARDWICK — The mentoring student, a relationship that often dren involved, according to Baker, program at Hardwick Elementary means as much to the mentor as the but at the same time the school has School pairs more than two dozen child. allowed children in first through But Timber Demand On The Rise adults with children, but the head of “A lot of our mentors are pretty sixth grade to pair up with a mentor, the school’s mentoring program says busy people,” said Mike Baker, in his instead of just the sixth-graders. by Tommy Gardner suppliers hoping to trade in their surements into the computer. That Timber Resource Group is a pro- there’s always room for more. first year as head of the school’s men- There are currently 26 mentors, HARDWICK — After a couple wood for some cash. There are cur- information is downloaded on a curement agent for Fontaine January was National Mentor- tor program. “I coach, and I’m busy matched up with 27 students, also of rough years for the timber indus- rently almost 26,000 logs in three weekly basis to TRG’s headquarters, Lumber, a Canadian company that ing Month for 2010, made official by with my own kids. But it’s worth it, known as “mentees.” try, a slight revitalization of that large orderly piles. Last week, Hard- in Farmington, Maine. runs two lumber mills, one in a stroke of President Obama’s pen. seeing the smiles on their faces.” This one-on-one matching is trade just might be evident by look- wick resident Claude Demers was ”We’ve got over a million board Woburn, Quebec, and one in Strat- But for the entire HES school year, The mentoring program at HES done at the beginning of the school ing at the steadily increasing starting a fourth pile. feet in the yard right now,” Demers ton, Maine. The two mills combined once or twice a week a mentor comes has undergone some changes over See MENTORS, Page Ten number of logs at the Timber Re- He carried in one hand a ruler said. can put out 150 million board feet of source Group log yard. and in the other a handheld comput- Generally speaking, a “board lumber a year. How much lumber is That yard, located appropriate- er, walking along the pile while a foot” is technically a measurement of that? Laid end to end, it would cir- ly enough on Log Yard Drive, has logger from Stowe unloaded his tim- volume; it is the equivalent of 144 cumnavigate the globe, with enough over the past couple of months be- ber. Demers eyeballed the length of cubic inches of wood, or a piece of left over for a 1-foot wide path from School Budget Informational gun to accumulate thousands of logs, the logs, measured their diameters lumber measuring 1 inch by 1 foot by Maine to San Diego. Meeting Moved To New Date coming from all over the region by with the ruler and inputted the mea- 1 foot. See TIMBER, Page Ten by Will Walters set the Cabot school annual meeting be held March 1 as the public would Staffing Cut Keep Increases Down MARSHFIELD- The Twinfield the night before Town Meeting Day. be expecting. Only the informational School Board broke with tradition Twinfield’s informational meeting hearing is changed to the earlier day. The educational tax rate will budget decreased by $8,322; and the also noted substantial savings were and set Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the would have been set to its usual night The board heard from members of by June Pichel Cook increase from $1.0928 to $1.1285 secondary level, grades seven-12, found in thoroughly researching tu- school cafeteria as the time and place before Town Meeting, but this made the public prior to approving the warn- WOLCOTT — Confirming resi- and represents about $30.50 per portion increased $305,840. Increas- ition costs and confirming for the informational public hearing it impossible for Burlison to attend the ing, calling for a budget of $6,692,815. dencies of tuition students and $100,000 of assessed valuation. es came primarily in the area of residencies. on the budget for this year. Cabot annual meeting and the Twin- This amount includes money to be attrition in paraeducator staffing at Wolcott’s common level of appraisal tuition and special education costs. Board chair Belinda Clegg said The change was requested by field information meeting since they raised by taxes in addition to special the Wolcott Elementary School remained almost the same as last No program cuts or reduction in the projected secondary enrollment superintendent George Burlison be- would both be the same night. revenue received by the district. helped to keep the school budget at a year at 106.58 percent. With a CLA personnel were made in the budget- is 130 students. Under the state’s cause of a change passed last year to The school district meeting will 2 1/2 percent increase despite rising See MEETING, Page Seven tuition and special education costs. over 100 percent, the town’s educa- ing process with principal Merri per-equalized pupil formulas, Wol- The School Board unanimously tional tax rate is reduced by the Greenia’s sharpened pencil. Orleans cott has a total of 275.51 students, adopted a FY/2010-2011 school bud- percentage of overage. Southwest Supervisory Union Su- K-grade 12. get of $3,667,952 at last week’s A shortfall of $35,000 is expect- perintendent Mark Andrews said Clegg said the budget process meeting, which represents a 3 1⁄2 ed from FY/2009-2010 and is built attrition in the paraeducator staffing began in November and by Decem- cent increase in the homestead edu- into the new budget. The elementa- occurred with one person leaving, ber the board had something solid to Warning cational tax rate. ry level, grades K-six, portion of the and that position was not refilled. He See STAFFING, Page Two Includes Money Town-Village Merger Plan Up For Hall To Voters; Hearings Scheduled by Will Walters by Will Walters The trustees also warned a spe- proposed merger on Feb.

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