STATE EDUCATION BOARD
MINUTES
for
ANNUAL MEETING
THREE STALLION INN
State Board Members Present: Chuck Pearce, Blanche Kelly, Dwight Davis, Richard Fraser & David Luce
Administration Present: Robert Lucenti, Stephan LaTulippe, Mary Koen, John Gorczyk, Maureen McIntyre & Sheila Commo
Local Advisory Board Members Present: Louise Coates, Ron Rose, Sue LaTulippe, Jane Willard, Laurie Casey, June Atwood, Rita Rhinehart, Betty White, Siguard Andersen, Rever Kennedy,
Chuck Pearce called the meeting to order at
1. Welcome and Introductions:
Robert Lucenti, Director of the Community High School of Vermont, opened
the meeting by welcoming our Local Advisory Board members to the CHSVT's State
Education Board second annual meeting.
This meeting occurs to allow board members to share information and to
become more informed regarding their role as board members for the CHSVT. One point that Bob made was that we had 136
graduates last fiscal year. For many, it
was the first time there was a graduate in their family. The graduates are always so thankful. They thank the faculty and the
administrators. Bob wanted to thank all
of our board members for their time, effort, caring and advocacy they give for
our students and school.
Introductions were made around the room.
2. Overview of Corrections and Corrections Population:
John Gorczyk, Work Programs Manager for Vermont Correctional Industries, handed out the Department of Corrections Facts & Figures handbook, which is compiled by John Perry, Director of Research and Planning. He gave an overview of the population growth in Corrections. He noted that the population grew from 300 in 1973 to over 2200 today. He explained that the population growth is due to changing laws, attitudes in culture, more convictions and longer sentences.
Page five shows the increase and projected growth of incarcerated individuals over the past 100 years. One in every five youths between the ages of 18 and 25 are currently under the supervision of corrections.
Page six is titled, Managing the Growth in Demand for Incarceration. Increased population may be a result, in part, of the lack of community-based treatment facilities for individuals on probation.
Page twelve shows the number of incarcerated adults, over
the age of sixteen, by state.
Page fifteen shows that there was a large increase of incarcerated individuals by 1985. The possible explanation may be the introduction of Rockefeller's drug laws in 1972, making penalties tougher nationwide.
Page nineteen shows a comparison of violent felons in
Pages twenty-four and twenty-five show reported homicides and average homicides based on yearly and five-year intervals in Vermont.
Page twenty-six shows
Pages twenty-seven and twenty-eight compare the crime rates between
Page twenty-nine shows all other violations in
John explained how the fiscal budget for corrections has grown from approximately 33 million in 1993 to 110 million in 2005. John summarized the complex problems plaguing the Department of Corrections, which includes the largest out-patient and in-patient substance abuse center in the state, the largest high school in the state, the largest "mental health" service in the state and food service. The delivery of the service system is huge and complexed.
3. Connecting the Community to Corrections Population
Dave Peebles, Community and Restorative Justice Executive, spoke of the importance of community involvement. CHSVT was a program that worked to form relationships with the community by creating Local Advisory Boards. The Chittenden Correctional Facility was the first site to organize an advisory board. Dave Peebles spoke of establishing relationships within communities. He referred to the community as a large web of relationships that consist of education, values and independence and on a formal level consisting of government, law enforcement, businesses and local organizations. He stated that inmates are not able to navigate the "web" without proper knowledge, skills and ability. This is where education and treatment are needed to build the bridge back to society. Without reciprocal relationships of give and take between society and inmates being re-entered, safe neighborhoods can't be established.
Last year there were 1,500 releases back to communities. This population cannot remain segregated. We need to help them become our neighbors to make the transition happen. A local advisory board member, who is also a reparative board member, stated that they feel like equals and they don’t look down at the "criminals" across the table from them. How can we change this attitude in society? Dave replied that the culture needs to change for attitudes to change. He also stated we need to help the inmates portray themselves better. For example, cap on correct, pants pulled up.
Housing is a real issue. It is difficult to find housing. Burlington is doing a really good job with transitional housing and helping the released inmates to feel part of the neighborhood. Society needs to be educated in order for the relationships to be developed.
4. Overview of Corrections Population in need of
Education and Training
Mary Koen, Chief of Special Education for the CHSVT, gave a brief overview of special education in corrections. The total population of students enrolled in the CHSVT in 2005 was 1,486. There were 593 youth under the age of 22 enrolled without a high school diploma, who participated in classes for at least an hour. Of the 593 enrolled, 513 were under the custody of corrections and 80 were not under the custody of corrections. Males constitute the largest population and most women typically have high school diplomas at the time of incarceration. The largest population of youth at the CHSVT is between the ages of 19 and 21 years old. Students between the ages of 18 and 22 are only found eligible for special education if they had special education services prior to incarceration. About 50 percent of youth who enter the CHSVT had a prior special education history at another school.
Between July '05 and February '06, there were 194 new enrollees into the CHSVT. Of the 194 new enrollees, 91 had prior special education histories, 82 had no prior special education histories and 28 were out-of-state students, which mean that we do not have special education information for them. Even when a student arrives eligible for special education, state regulations dictate that they must be re-evaluated to remain eligible.
There are three primary handicapping conditions that lead to special education needs. 61 percent of students evaluated are found to have an emotional disability, 21 percent have a learning disability and ten percent are found to be ADHD. At the December child count total for 2003, there were 64 special education students enrolled in the CHSVT. In December 2004, there were 46 and in December 2005, there were 46. In re-evaluating 38 of the special education students in 2005, 20 were found to still be eligible for special education and 18 were found to no longer need the services. Students with an ESS (Educational Support System) are lead in small group instruction and have assignments tailored to their needs. CHSVT provides that service for all of their students in their regular curriculum. Students eligible for a Section 504 Plan receive assistance with education based on their disability. This assistance does not end when the student turns 22.
5. Meeting the Needs of Corrections, Community and
Students
Stephan LaTulippe, CHSVT Principal, did a PowerPoint
presentation. Steve shared updates on
the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) approval process
for accreditation. In January, 2005, the steering committee, which consists of
three faculty members and Stephan, met with NEASC representatives in
The goals of the CHSVT are education, employment, community reintegration and continuing education. The outputs are credits, diplomas and trade certificates. In order to obtain these outputs, there must be programming, qualified teachers, special education services and staff development. We are defining "best practices" for the CHSVT as we have no one else to follow. Our students are required to attend class for 39-40 hours in order to obtain a credit. Most are actually doing between 68-84 hours and some trades courses actually exceed 300 hours. Sites are continuously evaluated for quality of standards of coursework. In order to succeed, there must be increased hours, increased attendance and increased graduation plans. The first diplomas were issued in 1992. Since that time, there has been a steady decline in the incarceration of youth.
At this time the group broke for lunch and the State Education
Board met briefly to nominate their positions for the new year.
Dwight Davis made a motion to nominate
Chuck Pearce for position of Chair of the State Education Board for the
Blanche would like to be on the agenda for the May or June board meeting.
6. Local/State Advisory Boards and Open Discussion
Bob Lucenti began with an overview of the morning presentations. At the community sites, 20 percent of the students attending the CHSVT are not under the custody of corrections. Commissioner, Rob Hofmann supports the continuation of these students in this program as he believes that if they are not able to attend the CHSVT, they will end up in the correctional facilities as inmates. A comment was made about the great need for more teachers and space to accommodate growth.
Question:
- What is the tuition rate to attend the CHSVT?
Answer:
- There is no tuition for the CHSVT. The school was created
to unburden the local schools at the facility sites. Discussion ensued about
funding problems and the pros and cons of charging tuition.
Question:
- What is the role of the local advisory board?
Answer:
- The local boards interact with the students and teachers to make it a better
place to learn.
The Dale advisory board has two women on their board to keep them connected with the rest of the facility. The Dale board has two main objectives. The first is to support the teacher and hold him/her accountable, and the second is communication with the residents to accommodate their desires.
Some boards would like to see an increase in the number of programs offered within the department of corrections. Some examples would be adding drug treatment programs to the CHSVT curriculum as incentive to earn credits, possibly in health. Community service has been an added curriculum piece in many local high schools. It would be nice if it could be added to the core curriculum at the CHSVT. More possible incentives for increasing education hours might be tied in to more visitation rights. It is important to listen to the students' ideas and desires to create a more positive environment for their educational needs.
Question:
- How can the local boards communicate with each other?
Answer:
- An email list was generated with the members present to improve communication throughout the local boards. Sheila at central office will put together an email list for communication purposes.
Dwight Davis moved to
adjourn the meeting. Richard Fraser seconded it. The motion was called and it
passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at
As people were leaving the meeting, Blanche shared a display
that she had put together about, Ryan LaRocque, the first recipient of the
Beryle Gardner Award.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sheila Commo