We took a walk just before dark, making a quick trip down to check the water level, now at 4 in. below the top of the cement wall, and to check the work sites. At LaGues, the roof is finished and they'll soon be getting closed in - perhaps by the target date of Thanksgiving.










We crossed over to the Ricker property next door to see if there was more beaver activity and found where they had cut down a couple good sized trees and apparently worked on them some on the lawn - there were chips there, too. These pictures were from Ricker's drive, looking towards the road.

Down at Gagne's, the north side of the house has most of the roofing on, and with good weather, they may be able to finish the rest tomorrow. There's a lot of area to cover. Things are looking very good, though, and they will have the place closed in before much longer.

We awoke to snow again this morning, but by around noon it was mostly gone. The temperature hasn't improved much, though; it never got much past 35 degrees, and tonight there's a real bite in the air. Last night there was a lot of wind, and some again this morning, in bursts. When we left for our walk, the sun was out (mostly, see photo) and it was relatively calm. I measured another .20 in. of precipitation this morning and measured .3 in. of snow on the snow board. There was only one other report of snow, a trace reported in the west central region - probably Sugarbush area.

Sadly, we have to report we've lost another long-time Joe's Ponder, Michael Bessette, of Barre, whose cottage is at 3480 Rt. 2 W, passed away on Tuesday. Here is the obituary from the Times Argus: Bessette Obituary
We extend condolences to his wife, Ivana (Argenti), and to the family. He loved Joe's Pond and will be missed here.

We get the Hardwick Gazette a day late because it's sent in the mail. In this week's edition, there is a report of Monday night's forum on the school budget in Cabot. Cabot School has about 213 students, PK-12. For those of you who don't have access to the Gazette, here is a briefed version of what reporter Will Walters wrote:

There were about 70 people at the forum. School Board Chair Chris Tormey told them voters will "need to decide if they want to continue to pay for the quality education they have been funding up to now or whether they are willing to sacrifice some quality education to meet the financial goals set by the state."

According to this article, there needs to be a reduction of $100,000 in expenses to remain level funded, i.e. to keep taxes the same as the past year. This could change depending on what the Legislature does to assist schools once it sets the budget. There is also a $44,000 "unaudited deficit," not included in the $100,000, which "can be paid off over a number of years." In addition, there are maintenance issues such as a leaking roof on one of the satellite buildings and drainage work needed.

The school board has asked Superintendent Nancy Thomas and principal Karen Stewart to level fund. Superintendent Thomas reported Cabot has "decreased income, increased expenses and a deficit." She said because the State is facing deficits for the next two years, the Legislature is forcing cost cutting on local school boards. If the boards do not meet the budget demands, the Legislature will force cuts.

Thomas said the current 2 percent cut for Cabot under Act 146 would be $48,239. The district is expecting a $70,000 deficit in revenue and "unanticipated cost increases" of $87,000, which will mean possible cuts in staffing, fewer course offerings, adjusting class sizes "to the 18 that is considered optimal," some on-line classes or combining with Twinfield. They will also be looking at cutting transportation costs by eliminating some bus runs, or field trips and athletic trips. While the state reimburses some of the transportation costs, it costs $4 per mile for a school bus.

There were various suggestions from the audience, such as reducing the school week to four days; however, Stewart said State law does not allow that. Another suggestions was to require teachers to be certified to teach more than one subject. It was also requested that the Board look into whether closing the high school and offering school choice would save any money.

*****

It's interesting that in neighboring Woodbury, a K-six school of about 50, the School Board decided not to commit to cutting the 2 percent from their budget as requested by the State. That would be about $14,000 for them. They are saying they have "enough to deal with" and don't know yet what the consequences, if any, would be if they don't cut the 2 per cent, and simply don't know where they can cut more. Woodbury did a survey recently and most people seemed to want to close the school. There will be further discussions in Woodbury.

There is a similar situation in the Twinfield school, with about 430 students. The 2 per cent budget reduction would amount to $166,000, and they are also facing a reduction in revenue of $56,000. They are considering the same kinds of changes Cabot is, saying that as a whole, the state "tends to be over users of para-educators," and that means one of the most probable measures is staff reduction to meet budget demands.

Cabot School and Twinfield, a PK-12 school will share an exchange teacher from China this term. Xiaolin Wang will be here until January. It wasn't clear what she will teach, but she is here as part of the University of Vermont Asian Studies program and teaches English, pre-school through high school, in China. Cabot's new principal, Karen Stewart, went to China to teach last April through the UVM program.

This will be another tough year for schools, school boards and tax payers.