Alex McHenry

Name: Alex McHenry

Education: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Syracuse University

Occupation: Program Integrity Analyst at VT Medicaid

Term: 3 years

1. Why are you pursuing another term on the school board?

I am running for another term because there is important work to be done and I have enjoyed doing it for the past three years. Right now the board is negotiating the next teacher contract and it could be up to a three year contract. I can’t say how the negotiations will end, but I can say that working out a contract is important, and I’m happy to do it. Another important issue is the proposed construction bond that we will vote on in March. It is important that voters are informed as possible when making such a big decision, and I want to make sure that as much information as possible gets to every voter.

2. With a proposed increase in the district’s budget and a $209.6 million bond article on the ballot, how can South Burlington School District ensure affordability for taxpayers in the coming years?

The school board looked at many options for our middle and high schools. One option was to only renovate the existing buildings, which would mean spending over $50 million to have the same buildings. Other options were to add on to the existing buildings or build only a new high school, but these options would not create any operational efficiency and would leave the schools with unmet needs. The cost would also be very close to amount of the bond that is being considered, with much less benefit. I know it is counter-intuitive to say that the bond is a step towards affordability when you could just do nothing, but we can’t do nothing. If we’re going to do something about the middle and high schools, this is the best long-term solution.

3. How should the district address growing enrollment and distribution of students in the city’s elementary schools?

The board has dealt with growing elementary school enrollment recently by hiring teachers at the beginning of the year, and we’ve been fortunate to have funds for that in the budget. But we are close to the point where there are no more classrooms to spare. The school board has not made any decisions about it yet, but several options would be to redistrict more neighborhoods towards the Chamberlin school, where there is the most extra capacity, or doing a “soft” redistricting, in which kids go to a different school when they enter pre-k or kindergarten. I believe a last resort would be to ask the voters for a bond to add on to the schools that need more room. One thing for sure is that I support having three neighborhood elementary schools, not a consolidated school. Keep in mind that these are just some options, and I am open to peoples’ ideas.

4. What is your top priority for the district? What steps must be taken for this to be accomplished?

My top priority right now is to completing the master planning and visioning process, and the next step in that is the vote on the high school middle school bond. I don’t know if the bond will pass or not, but it is crucial that some solution to our needs at the middle and high schools are addressed.

My next priority is negotiating a contract with our teachers. Teachers are a very big part of our budget, and it’s important to negotiate a contract that the voters will accept, and will keep quality teachers. I hope to help lessen the wealth-inequality in the salary grid. Right now we have a large group of teachers whose salaries are much greater than any of their peers in Vermont, and it makes it hard to hire teachers at other levels of experience and education. It also puts a big strain on our budget.

5. At the end of your term, what will look different because of the work you have done?

The most visible difference I want to make is to figure out how we will deal with our building issues at the middle school and high school. I don’t know what it will look like, but it will look different. Other differences will me much less visible. I hope to continue hiring quality teachers and administrators, creating budgets that the voters approve, and create a learning environment where kids will reach their fullest potential.