Naming policy update: District committee mulls details

The American flag flies at Woodstock Union High School & Middle School last summer. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A proposed facility naming policy for the Windsor Central Unified Union School District is not yet ready for the full board’s consideration, a local committee decided on Monday night. But several key details were discussed and will be revisited at the Policy Committee’s next meeting on May 17.

That’s the latest development for a policy proposal that sparked great concern among Woodstock Union High School & Middle School alumni recently. The proposal is one idea on the table connected to raising money for the proposed $73.3 million new WUHSMS building. But earlier this month, alumni circulated a petition online to preserve legacy names on fields and facilities, and ensure they aren’t re-named. District school board leaders responded with a statement saying, in part, that the new policy would aim to preserve names of beloved teachers, coaches and community members on existing facilities. They said the previous mention of the football field during a renaming discussion at a March meeting was only an example, and no policy had been finalized. Earlier this month, following the petition, the district board sent the policy back to the Policy Committee for further discussion.

At Monday’s Policy Committee meeting, which was held on Zoom, Maura McLaughlin Tynes, a WUHS alum, said she appreciated board leaders’ recent assurances that there had been a misunderstanding. The high school football field carries the name of her father, James T. McLaughlin. 

“I'm hopeful the policy will give us some assurances that places will not be renamed," Tynes said. She also noted the policy “needs to be worded very carefully,” noting the level of concern about the renaming issue.

One new part of the proposed policy, under the section “Named Funding Opportunities,” states: "It is the intent of this policy that past legacy dedications will be honored."

Later in the current draft, a procedure is outlined for how to handle any proposal for the “re-naming of an existing dedication”. The Fundraising Work Group and the superintendent would have to create a report about the details, including the individual proposed for naming and the donation’s impact. A public meeting is required, and any renaming proposal would need an affirmative vote of 60% of the board or more.  

Policy Committee member Kelly Welsh was concerned that including a procedure for renaming “undermines” the stated intent of protecting legacy dedications. 

“I'm very concerned about having anything built into this about how we would rename things,” Welsh said. 

However, committee member Sam DiNatale, herself a former WUHS Yoh Theatre Player, noted that having some kind of language about renaming not only makes a stronger policy, but does more to protect past dedications. She pointed out that renaming would require 60% of the board’s votes. That’s much “better than not putting something in there at all,” she added.

Keri Bristow, the vice chair of the district board, was chairing Monday’s committee meeting and said she’d spoken to Committee Chair Lou Piconi, who couldn’t make the meeting, about that same issue. 

“There are all kinds of reasons why if nothing's in there, it probably opens it up to more of an attack,” Bristow said. Policies are also reviewed regularly per state guidelines, especially if there’s a challenge. 

Welsh said she’d be more comfortable with the policy if this language was strengthened: "It is the intent of this policy that past legacy dedications will be honored.” She suggested language such as, "except for unusual and extraordinary circumstances", would offer better protection.

Committee member Clare Drebitko said having a procedure is helpful, in looking toward the future. There may be an extraordinary coach or educator the school wants to honor 50 years from now, for example.

“You don't want to make it impossible for people to honor them, but I do think it's really important to honor legacy names always, and I do think it's really important for people in the future to do that," Drebitko said.

There was also no objection to another idea offered: increasing the threshold for the board to approve renaming, from a 60% to a 75% vote. 

Faith Hendricks Stevens, head of the WUHS Alumni Association, also weighed in. 

“I am totally against renaming … (but) I do agree there needs to be a policy,” she said. 

Stevens said a totally different situation could merit renaming something quickly. For example, a future name may need to be removed from a facility because of some wrongdoing that comes to light and could “shame the school.” 

Woodstock resident Jeff Kahn said that in such a case, he’d imagine 75% of the board would easily agree to a renaming proposal. 

Also, regarding the renaming procedure, DiNatale suggested that just the superintendent should be responsible for submitting the required report to the board. She noted there may not always be a Fundraising Work Group, since this group is linked to the proposed new school project.

The Policy Committee will continue to work on the facility naming policy during their May 17 meeting, also to be held on Zoom. The policy’s first reading would be done at the full board meeting in June, if the proposal is ready at that time.

— Gareth Henderson

WUHS to expand in-person instruction soon

The main entrance of Woodstock Union High School & Middle School in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

When they return from April break, Woodstock Union High School students will return to more in-person learning. 

The administration is implementing four days of in-person instruction at WUHS, effective April 19. This change is made possible by the state’s updated guidance that calls for three-foot physical distancing in school, rather than the previous rule of six-foot distancing, according to WUHSMS Principal Garon Smail. In changing that rule, Smail said, state education officials cited research from other states and Europe, saying there was no significant difference between the impact of the two distances in schools during the pandemic.

The in-person instruction will be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will remain a day when most students are off-campus, and the morning remote class schedule on that day will be replaced with teacher office hours. The remote clubs and activities will continue on Wednesday afternoon, as well as driver’s education. 

The middle school has already switched to the four-day in-person format — the 7th grade on Feb. 1, and the 8th grade on March 18. High school students had still been operating under a hybrid learning model, a blend of in-person and remote instruction.

When this change occurs for the high school, students will follow their established in-person schedules, masks will still be required, and no congregating will be allowed in the hallways, which is the case now. Strict cleaning protocols remain throughout the day. 

“I believe we have the systems and routines in place to take on this capacity,” Smail said, in making this announcement at a recent school district board meeting.

In a Friday interview, Smail said he’s heard from parents who are happy with making this change at WUHS, and a few were concerned. He noted that this recent announcement was made the same week as the state’s new phased reopening plan, which aims to lift all state pandemic restrictions by July 4. 

“The governor releasing his return-to-normal plan on the heels of this, puts this (announcement) in the context of the state moving in this direction, and it feels right that way,” Smail said. 

He also noted that the increase in in-person learning does not mean a doubling of the student workload. He echoed the sentiment of a teacher, who recently told him, “We’re doubling the amount of connection.” 

“That’s kind of the focus,” Smail said. 

Smail pointed out that the in-person format provides more access to teachers and will add more student interactions with other students, a clear improvement, he added, over the remote days that used to take up some of the week. 

“It’s just not really how we operate as people, to be that isolated,” Smail said.  

He said the change will also allow teachers to plan for just one type of class, rather than having to make plans for remote and in-person instruction. 

At the recent school district board meeting, in which this change was announced, one question was raised about what accommodation could be made for a family uncomfortable sending their student to four days of in-person instruction.

“We do work with individual cases the best we can, to be supportive of people,” Smail said. 

Another question concerned whether it was wise to move back to a heavier in-person schedule this close to the end of the school year, which might not work for some students.  

Superintendent Sherry Sousa noted research showing that “re-establishing what is normal” is key for students’ mental health. 

This change is part of making sure WUHSMS is ready for five days a week by August, Smail added.

Additionally, the school has done $320,000 worth of HVAC work to improve air flow. Outside spaces will be available to use for classes and lunch.

— Gareth Henderson

WUHS alumni weigh in on facility naming, board responds

The main entrance at Woodstock Union High School & Middle School last summer. (Gareth Henderson File Photo)

A facility naming policy is one idea on the table connected to raising funds for the proposed new Woodstock Union High School & Middle School building. But some have raised concerns about the idea, since a petition to maintain legacy names on facilities quickly gained well over 750 signatures after starting last week. 

Though the idea has been discussed at the committee level, the policy has not been finalized, district board leaders have said. It will come before the board’s Policy Committee on April 19, followed by a first reading before the full board next month. Another important element is the Fundraising Working Group, which the board is currently forming. 

A group of WUHS alumni circulated a petition on Facebook late last week, after a presenter at a March 29 district board Zoom meeting about the project mentioned the football field. The main concern for petitioners was keeping longstanding, legacy names of buildings and fields intact.

“We have started a petition in an effort to show the board that legacy naming, including that of the Yoh Theater and James T. McLaughlin field, to just name two, should not, now or ever, be part of the naming options,” the petition read. “Our beloved teachers and coaches and librarians have dedicated decades to growing and educating the children of this community and they deserve their names to be known for future generations to learn about the foundation on which this school has stood.” 

On Saturday, Windsor Central Unified Union School District board leadership responded to clarify the situation, in a message on the Woodstock listserv from Chair Bryce Sammel and Vice Chair Keri Bristow. They wrote that the presenter at the March 29 meeting was merely giving an example, and the board has made no decisions about re-naming any of the facilities mentioned in the petition. Furthermore, Sammel and Bristow noted “‘naming’ is a common mechanism to raise private funds which are critical for the new school to come to fruition.” 

“We are confident that we can use such a program to help secure our school's future while still honoring the past,” they wrote. “Please be reassured that the goal will be to preserve past dedications to beloved coaches, teachers, and community members.”

The board is aiming to have a mix of fundraising sources, including federal, state, local and private funds, for the proposed $73.3 million project. It’s been widely acknowledged that a new school is needed. The current school building was built in 1957, with a 1960s addition, and with a “functional lifespan of perhaps 30-40 years,” as the school website states. There is also emphasis on having a building which serves the educational needs of today’s students. The $73.3 million number includes about $2 million in contingency costs and is adjusted up for inflation over the next two years, Sammel noted.

At an district board meeting Monday on Zoom, Sammel, a fourth-generation Vermonter, encouraged everyone to avoid an “us vs. them” approach. 

“I don’t want this board to be ‘them’, because we’re all in this together, we’re all part of the same community,” he said. 

Sammel also said the strength of the 18-member district board “comes from its diversity”, and everyone brings something different to the table. 

“I would ask everyone to consider this and to try to assume best intentions of our board members, but please, please ask tough questions and hold us accountable,” he said. “I would ask our board members to not take these questions or comments personally, but to recognize that they’re usually coming from a place of trying to preserve a certain set of values. Values we probably all share and hold dear.”

On Monday night, several alumni spoke. Maura McLaughlin Tynes is a 1994 graduate of WUHS and a district-level school administrator in Newton, Massachusetts, who has been involved with five school building projects. The WUHS athletic field bears the name of her father, longtime football coach James McLaughlin, and her sisters, Meg McLaughlin Roylance and Abby McLaughlin Kachura, graduated from WUHS. Tynes was particularly concerned that the concept of renaming was mentioned in March 15 Policy Committee minutes and the March 29 board meeting on Zoom.

“I must say that I find it particularly offensive that the board would come close to entertaining this — especially when two of these individuals live right down the street, both of which had successful coaching careers. And if you are not familiar with them you can go into Dailey Gym to see a fair share of field hockey and football banners,” Tynes said, referring to her father and Yvonne Frates, longtime WUHS field hockey coach. “They and their families are still right here in the community.”

Tynes and WUHS alum Dean Corkum both acknowledged the significant need for a school upgrade, but urged the board to preserve prior dedications. Corkum, who spearheaded the petition, noted these names as ones which should remain intact on school fields and facilities: coaches McLaughlin, Frates, and Robert Dailey; theater director Robert Yoh; librarian Rhoda Teagle; and horticulture teacher Arnie Howe.

“We’d like to have the new proposal be written so these names will not be changed,” Corkum said.

On Monday night, the board was originally going to hold the first reading of the facility naming policy, but the matter was sent back to the Policy Committee to allow this group time to gather feedback from the community. The next discussion about the policy will be at the committee’s next meeting on April 19. The full board meets May 3.

In a Tuesday interview, Sammel said he was confident any differences about the issue could be resolved. 

“I have no concerns that we're going to be able to come up with a solution that satisfies both sides,” he said. 

He also noted that a policy can always be changed by the board in the future, adding he would be concerned about a policy saying a particular change can “never” occur. 

“I'd rather have something that embraces both sides and has a proper mechanism in place to make change, or not make change, so that it holds up” over the long term, Sammel said. 

Perrin Worrell, a WUHS alumni and former district board member, said she, too, supports the board’s efforts on the project and the fundraising, and said a new school is greatly needed. 

“I don't think people object to using naming rights as a fundraising effort," Worrell said. “We know that fundraising is necessary for any of this to work." 

At the same time, she said, “You have to have the buy-in of the alumni, and you're going to ostracize the alumni if you don't protect the legacy naming.”

Multiple people at Monday’s meeting said they were encouraged by the level of participation in the petition, and that it bodes well for the overall project. Anyone wishing to share feedback is encouraged to email Policy Committee Chair Lou Piconi, Sammel, or Bristow, or attend the April 19 Policy Committee meeting.

— Gareth Henderson

Go to these links for further information about the WUHS/MS new school project design and background.

The Windsor Central Unified Union School District includes the towns of Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading and Woodstock.