Dear Editor,
The Board of Trustees for the Expeditionary School at Black River (ESBR) is pleased to report that after a long arduous process, ESBR is now an Approved Independent School by the Department of Education of Vermont. This means that students who come from a choice or sending town can have their tuition paid for by the state education taxes. This will allow us to expand our teaching staff and student enrollment. This approval was completed on June 29, one day ahead of the July 1 moratorium on further independent school approvals. Although grateful we passed, the late timing delayed decisions for previous staff and students for the upcoming year. It also delayed our reaching out to prospective students, until we had the approval and funding to know we could increase our staff.
Therefore, we are hustling to acquire new staff and are excited about the future of ESBR.
With that being said, we are announcing that we are opening our enrollment to interested seventh through 12th grade students for the 2023-2024 school year. If students live in a choice or sending community, such as Ludlow and Mount Holly, then as was said, their tuition will be covered by the state’s educational tax dollars. If a student is not from a sending community, they can still apply. The doors will open Aug. 30.
As you are aware, ESBR is a small independent school that provides a hands-on, project-based education utilizing many local and state resources, with many outdoor activities. It is an important local option for middle and high school students in the area, and is important for the health of our community, especially now as the area rebuilds from the sudden flash flooding destruction on July 10. People have come together near and far to help neighbors clean up, as well as restore local business establishments. An innovative and flexible school option offers much stability for the families of this community.
We want to especially thank all of our supporters that have helped us get to this stage. We could not have reached this goal without you. We are interested in hearing from you with questions or comments at gblodgett@esblackriver.org or 802-558-3147, and you can also visit our website at www.esblackriver.org.
Also, please share our information with any prospective students or anyone interested in joining the ESBR Board, which we are eager to expand as well.
With much thanks,
Gary Blodgett
ESBR Board Chairperson
And the ESBR Board of Trustees
Suzy Buckley, Patrick Pullinen, Julie Abraham, Stephen Messina, and Marissa Selleck