Alexandre Silberman

Free Press correspondent

At a time of uncertainty for the future of city schools, Burlington High School faces the prospect of losing its accreditation due to the elimination of a full-time librarian.

Sophomore Kai Battaile was among 200 community members who attended an April 12th school board meeting where layoffs were discussed.

“I am very concerned about the possibility of BHS losing its accreditation,” Battaile said at the end of April. “With budget cuts the way they are, that’s a scary prospect for the future of BHS.”

The Burlington School District is preparing for layoffs to cover a $1.4 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year.

Burlington High School had been slated to lose about eight to 10 full-time equivalent positions, more than any other school in the district, Principal Amy Mellencamp said. She worried that the reductions could impact class size, course offerings and affect the school's reaccreditation process this fall.

Of the 24 district employees who received reduction-in-force letters this spring, Superintendent Yaw Obeng said Wednesday that eight remain without placements for next year. He did not specify which positions were targeted for elimination.

Mellencamp said the high school undergoes accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) every 10 years, which includes a formal report, school visits and a committee review period.

Breaking down high school accreditation process

NEASC employees did not respond to a request for comment.

In a late April interview, Mellencamp said her school has been accredited since the founding of NEASC in 1885.

Generally, the cause of losing accreditation is linked to facility issues, Mellencamp said.

Facilities have been a major weak point for Burlington High School in the past. The school has struggled with handicap accessibility and was required by NEASC to add an elevator 10 years ago, Mellencamp said. NEASC has also raised security and environmental concerns due to the age of the school’s building.

Layoffs cuts could make this year’s accreditation process more difficult than usual, Mellencamp said, though she was unsure of the likelihood that the high school would lose accreditation.

One of the district's proposed cuts would reduce a library position from full to part time which would make the school noncompliant with one of NEASC’s accreditation requirements under its "resources for learning" standard.

“Library and media services are integrated into curriculum and have an adequate number of certified staff,” the association’s requirement states.

The adequate number of staff is determined on a state level. The state of Vermont considers a full-time librarian necessary for all schools exceeding 330 students. BHS currently has about 1,000 students and one full-time librarian.

Tracey Racicot, who was announced at a news conference Wednesday as the high school’s new interim principal, commented on the library position. Mellencamp will leave the helm of BHS next academic year to become principal of C.P. Smith Elementary School.

Asked the by Free Press to specify how she would address the librarian issue, Racicot said: “I don’t have a direct answer at this point, but I look forward to working with a team at the high school to come up with solutions to the issues we’ll confront.” “That is something we are working with city officials on to help come up with some creative and innovative resources,” Racicot said.

It is rare for a high school to be unaccredited, especially because schools are given time to make corrections, Mellencamp said.

“[NEASC] won’t immediately bail out a school, they will try and work with the school to remedy things,” Mellencamp said.

According to Beth Wiser, director of admissions at the University of Vermont, questions often arise from the public concerning accreditation. While the university considers the designation part of the admission requirements for independent schools, it is not considered necessary for public ones.

Applications received from non-accredited high schools prompt further review for examining the school to determine the cause of the lack of accreditation.

“We don’t see that very often from public high schools,” Wiser said.

Despite the challenge of meeting accreditation requirements, Mellencamp said that she sees benefits to the process.

“I think there are always unique challenges schools face in the accreditation process,” she said. “I think this report could really help us lay out an action plan for the future.”

Obeng announces Burlington principal shakeup

This story was first posted on May 5, 2016.

Alexandre Silberman is a student at Burlington High School and an intern at the Free Press. Contact him at (802) 660-1850. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/alexsilbermanvt.