Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Hours after Burlington Superintendent Jeanne Collins agreed to resign her post — at the school board's bidding — her finance director, David Larcombe, followed suit.
Larcombe sent his resignation letter to Collins this morning, writing, "It is with intense sadness at the loss of what might have been, and what might be ahead, that I send you the attached letter." Collins forwarded his resignation to the board shortly afterward.
Larcombe, who could not be immediately reached for comment, did not cite specific reasons, but his letter suggests he'll leave on less-than amicable terms with both the board and the city administration. "In recent months I have witnessed the School Board and City government going in a direction that I believe represents serious risk for the District (my opinion, I recognize) and adopting a manner that is not collaborative."
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Burlington School Board and Superintendent Jeanne Collins are parting ways. The board unanimously approved a separation agreement Tuesday night under which Collins will step down on June 30.
Collins, who took the district's top job in 2005, came under fire last month, when an independent report commissioned by the school board revealed that her office had been making serious budgeting errors. Those missteps contributed to a string of deficits, including one that had been "built into" the Fiscal Year 2015 budget that voters struck down in March. Board members have also complained that Collins was not providing them with adequate financial data.
Two weeks earlier, Mayor Miro Weinberger and several city councilors publicly called on the board to bid Collins adieu. Board members gave no indication whether they would heed the suggestion, but according to the statement they released Tuesday, first began formally discussing the possibility of removing Collins on April 18 — 10 days before that city council meeting.
Collins, who took the district's top job in 2005, came under fire last month, when an independent report commissioned by the school board revealed that her office had been making serious budgeting errors. Those missteps contributed to a string of deficits, including one that had been "built into" the Fiscal Year 2015 budget that voters struck down in March. Board members have also complained that Collins was not providing them with adequate financial data.
Two weeks earlier, Mayor Miro Weinberger and several city councilors publicly called on the board to bid Collins adieu. Board members gave no indication whether they would heed the suggestion, but according to the statement they released Tuesday, first began formally discussing the possibility of removing Collins on April 18 — 10 days before that city council meeting.
Tags: Jeanne Collins , Burlington School Board , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger spent much of Friday traversing the city using non-traditional transportation — via bike, shared van and electric vehicle. Dubbed the “multi-modal tour,” the annual event, now in its third year, showcases attributes that make the Queen City appealing to pedestrians and cyclists.
It’s also a chance for the mayor to demonstrate his pedaling prowess — and for his support team to demonstrate its scheduling savvy. Within two and half hours, the mayor squeezed in eight stops, including two bagel shops, and made nearly 20 speeches about alternative transportation. The Twitter-friendly stunt kicked off when the mayor walked his daughter to school.
It was, for the most part, an extended victory lap, during which Weinberger pointed out his successes in making the city more walkable, bike-able, bus-able and van-able. By his own admission, many of those advances have been “granular, ” but he described the cumulative effect as significant.
It’s also a chance for the mayor to demonstrate his pedaling prowess — and for his support team to demonstrate its scheduling savvy. Within two and half hours, the mayor squeezed in eight stops, including two bagel shops, and made nearly 20 speeches about alternative transportation. The Twitter-friendly stunt kicked off when the mayor walked his daughter to school.
It was, for the most part, an extended victory lap, during which Weinberger pointed out his successes in making the city more walkable, bike-able, bus-able and van-able. By his own admission, many of those advances have been “granular, ” but he described the cumulative effect as significant.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Department of Public Works , AARP , South End , Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 9, 2014
The janitor at the Burlington School District's Ira Allen Building on Colchester Avenue has had more company than usual during the after-dinner hours this week. That's because the Burlington School Board, with its lawyer in tow, held two extended closed-door meetings there on Tuesday and Thursday. A group of two to three reporters camped out in the hallway outside, joined by a single member of the public.
The first meeting last nearly three hours, ending just before 11 p.m. The second was shorter — board members met for a little over an hour.
The publicly stated purpose of these executive sessions was "discussion of appointment or employment or evaluation of a public employee." That's left Burlington residents speculating that Superintendent Jeanne Collins could be the subject of the confidential talks. Mayor Miro Weinberger and several city councilors have encouraged the board to sever ties with Collins, but so far board members have stayed mum about whether they plan to heed those calls. As long as there is no action taken, the public isn't privy to the content of those meetings, so there's no way to determine whether Collins' tenure has been under discussion.
During both evenings, the occasional crescendo of raised voices suggested that the topic at hand was contentious, but beyond that, those sitting on the other side of the door have had little to go on. Open meeting law prohibits the board from making any formal decisions during an executive session, but in both cases the meetings were adjourned immediately afterward. The board's next regularly meeting is Tuesday, May 13.
The first meeting last nearly three hours, ending just before 11 p.m. The second was shorter — board members met for a little over an hour.
The publicly stated purpose of these executive sessions was "discussion of appointment or employment or evaluation of a public employee." That's left Burlington residents speculating that Superintendent Jeanne Collins could be the subject of the confidential talks. Mayor Miro Weinberger and several city councilors have encouraged the board to sever ties with Collins, but so far board members have stayed mum about whether they plan to heed those calls. As long as there is no action taken, the public isn't privy to the content of those meetings, so there's no way to determine whether Collins' tenure has been under discussion.
During both evenings, the occasional crescendo of raised voices suggested that the topic at hand was contentious, but beyond that, those sitting on the other side of the door have had little to go on. Open meeting law prohibits the board from making any formal decisions during an executive session, but in both cases the meetings were adjourned immediately afterward. The board's next regularly meeting is Tuesday, May 13.
Tags: Burlington School Board , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger was scheduled to show up at the Bagel Café Wednesday morning for a weekly ritual that dates back to his campaigning days in 2012. “Mornings with Miro” is the mayor's regular standing date with residents of the city's New North End — and anyone else who wants to chat with him from 8 to 9 a.m.
On this particular morning, there was plenty of news to discuss: Fewer than 48 hours earlier, Weinberger had called for Burlington School District Superintendent Jeanne Collins to step down, as a result of a series of school budget blunders that have recently come to light. Collins responded by saying the mayor was out of line to call for her ouster.
On this particular morning, there was plenty of news to discuss: Fewer than 48 hours earlier, Weinberger had called for Burlington School District Superintendent Jeanne Collins to step down, as a result of a series of school budget blunders that have recently come to light. Collins responded by saying the mayor was out of line to call for her ouster.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Jeanne Collins , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and several city councilors are calling for Superintendent Jeanne Collins to step down after a rash of financial missteps that have led to consecutive deficits in the Burlington School District and an anticipated fine from the Internal Revenue Service.
Collins sat in the back of Contois Auditorium during Monday's city council meeting, listening as councilors Max Tracy (P-Ward 2), Dave Hartnett (D-Ward 4) and Vince Brennan (P-Ward 3) each demanded “new leadership” within the school district’s administration. When it came time for him to speak, the mayor also called for "a change in school administration leadership."
"For the good of our children, the teachers and the schools, it is important that this trust be repaired quickly before lasting damage to the system is done," Weinberger read from a statement. The mayor characterized a change in leadership as an "early and essential step" in that effort.
The recent discovery that the district was on pace to overspend by $2.5 million in both fiscal years 2014 and 2015 sent the school board scrambling to recalculate a 2015 budget that would not have a deficit essentially built into it. To avoid that, the board is facing the awkward situation of having to ask Burlington voters to approve a budget that is higher than the one they voted down last March. It's also awaiting word from the IRS, which plans to penalize the district for failing to pay some of its payroll taxes.
After the meeting, those calling for "a change in leadership" got more specific about what they meant. The mayor's chief of staff, Mike Kanarick, said Weinberger thought "at a minimum, the superintendent" should be replaced. Hartnett said he felt the departure of both Collins and the district's finance director, David Larcombe, would be necessary in order to restore Burlington residents' confidence in the district. Tracy said he had been referring to Collins in his earlier comments about leadership change.
Collins sat in the back of Contois Auditorium during Monday's city council meeting, listening as councilors Max Tracy (P-Ward 2), Dave Hartnett (D-Ward 4) and Vince Brennan (P-Ward 3) each demanded “new leadership” within the school district’s administration. When it came time for him to speak, the mayor also called for "a change in school administration leadership."
"For the good of our children, the teachers and the schools, it is important that this trust be repaired quickly before lasting damage to the system is done," Weinberger read from a statement. The mayor characterized a change in leadership as an "early and essential step" in that effort.
The recent discovery that the district was on pace to overspend by $2.5 million in both fiscal years 2014 and 2015 sent the school board scrambling to recalculate a 2015 budget that would not have a deficit essentially built into it. To avoid that, the board is facing the awkward situation of having to ask Burlington voters to approve a budget that is higher than the one they voted down last March. It's also awaiting word from the IRS, which plans to penalize the district for failing to pay some of its payroll taxes.
After the meeting, those calling for "a change in leadership" got more specific about what they meant. The mayor's chief of staff, Mike Kanarick, said Weinberger thought "at a minimum, the superintendent" should be replaced. Hartnett said he felt the departure of both Collins and the district's finance director, David Larcombe, would be necessary in order to restore Burlington residents' confidence in the district. Tracy said he had been referring to Collins in his earlier comments about leadership change.
Tags: Jeanne Collins , Miro Weinberger , Burlington School Board , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Friday, April 25, 2014
A beleaguered but nearly unified Burlington School Board approved a $67.4 million budget Thursday evening — its second offering after voters struck down a $66.9 million version on Town Meeting Day.
It’s scheduled to go before voters on June 3.*
In the meantime, board members have some explaining to do. The new budget is higher than the previous budget that was soundly rejected for being too costly, and it contains bigger cuts than the original.
That’s because the board recently discovered the earlier budget had been calculated based on "bad numbers," as school board member Kyle Dodson phrased it, that would have put Burlington on pace to end fiscal year 2015 with a $2.5 million deficit. This news came after a recent audit, which also estimated that the district will end FY 2014 with a $2.5 million deficit, making it the third year in a row that it’s overspent.
The problem, according to the audit, was that the administration was drawing up budgets based on the previous year’s projected budget rather than the actual spending that occurred. It was, in the words of the new finance committee chair, Miriam Stoll, a “shocking” discovery.
Tags: Burlington School Board , Jeanne Collins , Burlington City Council , IRS , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 21, 2014
Less than two years after he moved his family to a home in Burlington’s Hill Section — and retrofitted the garage into a musical instrument-making shop — Adam Buchwald is selling his South Prospect Street home.
A luthier by trade, Buchwald is bowing out of a battle with his neighbor that dates back to when he and his wife first purchased the spacious, colonial home near the University of Vermont. Barbara Headrick, who lives next door, has been trying to shutter Buchwald's home-based business on grounds that the noise it generates has disturbed her peace.
What began as a zoning dispute has blossomed into a full-blown legal battle scheduled to come before the environmental division of the Vermont Superior Court in late May. But Buchwald, who’s said he expects the conflict to continue whether or not the court rules in his favor, isn’t waiting around. He has insisted all along that the machine sounds emanating from his insulated garage — if audible at all — are too minimal to be a nuisance.
A listing for the four-bedroom, four-bath house appeared on Zillow April 2. After a $40,000 price reduction, the asking price is now $799,000. The Buchwalds purchased the property for $766,000 in 2012.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Alicia Freese
Members of the Burlington School Board finance committee at Ira Allen School Wednesday
When Burlington voters struck down the school budget on Town Meeting Day, the school board was saddled with the unenviable task of trimming it back. Since then, things have gone downhill.
The board is hoping to rally support for a pared-down budget, which is still being developed and is scheduled to go before voters in early June. But several revelations along the way have threatened to undermine residents’ confidence in the school budget’s stewards.
Last week it was the results of an independent audit that exposed a flaw with board’s method for drawing up school budgets, leading to sizeable deficits during the past three years. It turns out, rather than devising a new budget based on the actual spending during the prior year, the board has been using the prior year’s budget as its baseline.
The budget that voters rejected in March would have led Burlington to rack up another $2.5 million deficit in Fiscal Year 2015. The district is already on track to spend $2.5 million more than was allotted in the FY 2014 budget. Miriam Stoll, chair of the finance committee, described the findings as “a very shocking thing to think about.”
Then came the news, broken by the Burlington Free Press Wednesday afternoon, that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is poised to penalize the district for failing to report payroll taxes on time. In an interview with the Free Press, finance director David Larcombe cited as part of the problem the school’s transition to new payroll software.
Tags: burlington school board , school budget , teachers , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
The newest incarnation of the Burlington City Council elected its president Monday evening in a surprisingly conciliatory fashion. Leading up to the election, there had been murmurings about an alliance among the non-Democratic members that would seek to claim the council presidency. That group appeared to have the upper hand: Last year, after an extended stalemate between Democrat Joan Shannon (Ward 5) and Independent-turned-Democrat Karen Paul (Ward 6), the council struck a deal, agreeing that Democrats would cede the leadership seat the following year in the event of another stalemate.
The conditions were ripe to invoke that deal this year. Republican Kurt Wright (Ward 4) said he had rounded up all seven non-Democratic votes: “I had the ability to be elected. The votes were there.”
But on Monday night, Progressive Jane Knodell (Ward 2) — a longtime friend and political ally of Wright’s — nominated Shannon for a third year at the helm, lauding her dedication and fairness. And she, along with the other four Progressives, Independent Sharon Bushor (Ward 1) and Wright himself, joined in to unanimously reelect Shannon. Shannon described Knodell’s remarks as “so very nice and unexpected.”
Why squander the chance to take control of the council — as the agenda setter, the president can hold significant sway — from the majority? After about a week of behind-the-scenes back-and-forth between the Ds and the non-Ds, Wright said he backed down on the condition that the same deal apply next year.
The conditions were ripe to invoke that deal this year. Republican Kurt Wright (Ward 4) said he had rounded up all seven non-Democratic votes: “I had the ability to be elected. The votes were there.”
But on Monday night, Progressive Jane Knodell (Ward 2) — a longtime friend and political ally of Wright’s — nominated Shannon for a third year at the helm, lauding her dedication and fairness. And she, along with the other four Progressives, Independent Sharon Bushor (Ward 1) and Wright himself, joined in to unanimously reelect Shannon. Shannon described Knodell’s remarks as “so very nice and unexpected.”
Why squander the chance to take control of the council — as the agenda setter, the president can hold significant sway — from the majority? After about a week of behind-the-scenes back-and-forth between the Ds and the non-Ds, Wright said he backed down on the condition that the same deal apply next year.
Tags: Mayor Miro Weinberger , Burlington City Council , Old North End , Burlington Telecom , Image , Web Only