The Granville Board of Education accepted a couple of resignations and approved the termination of two positions during a meeting Monday night. After 24 years of service, JoAnn Williams, Elementary Teaching Assistant, is resigning for retirement purposes at the end of June. Phillip Clark, a 4-hour bus driver, is also resigning effective this past Saturday. [...]
Hartford to have distance classroom
By Jaime Thomas Hartford students will soon have the opportunity to learn alongside students from Fort Ann, Salem, Argyle and other nearby districts. School Superintendent Andrew Cook announced the district’s plan to open a distance learning classroom this fall during a board meeting last Monday. Come September, students throughout Washington County will be able to [...]
Sheriffs run ‘active shooter drill’ in Granville
By Jaime Thomas A dozen special responders piled inside Mary J. Tanner school on Monday and began methodically checking to see that every door was locked and the hallways were clear. Their goal: to find and debilitate an active shooter and then de-escalate a hostage situation. The SERT (Sheriff Emergency Response Team,) armed and dressed [...]
Students advance to worldwide competition
A four-student team from Granville High School recently won an impressive design award at a robotics competition in New Hampshire. The team, consisting of Marc Billow, Christina Rice, Jordan Penor and Joey Lea, was one of 71 in the event and had pre-qualified from a previous competition in February. The design award is giving to [...]
School board asks for tax payer input on budget process
By Jaime Thomas The Granville School Board proposed a 2.5 percent tax increase at a board meeting Monday night, but that number is not set in stone. Board of Education President John Shaw reminded everyone that if they hold at a zero percent increase this year, they’ll have to make up for it in the [...]
Parents Raise Questions at School Board Meeting
By Jaime Thomas A couple of parents recently questioned Granville Central School’s failure to touch base with them about safety procedures and preparedness after the recent school shooting in Connecticut. According to a discussion after the meeting of those in attendance, the two represented a larger group of concerned parents. “I do find it disheartening [...]
Esteemed District Secretary to Retire
One important detail Mark Bessen asked about when considering the Granville superintendent position four years ago was the quality of his would-be secretary, Diana Pitts. The answer was encouraging. “She had a good reputation as being very organized and knowing about what needs to get done in the superintendent’s office,” Bessen said. And she has [...]
Negotiations making progress
After a long meeting last Tuesday, the Granville Teachers Association and the Board of Education are one step closer to finalizing a contract. It was the second meeting between the two groups and a mediator. “Progress is being made,” said John Shaw, president of the board. He said the meeting, which started around 4 p.m., [...]
County schools seek to pool resources
As cuts to funding affect many schools across the country, several local districts are turning towards each other for help. Administrators who say they are left with no other options are looking into combining resources. Along with five other school districts in Washington County, Granville and Hartford have recently undergone a regionalization study, which will [...]
Schools concerned about IEP graduates
For some students, the traditional educational route does not work, so school staff create an individualized education program or IEP for them. However, the state has not been recognizing these individuals as high-school graduates. “They meet state exit criteria, but the state says they don’t count,” said Andrew Cook, the middle and high school principal [...]






VPR commentator entertains at Slate Valley Museum
By Jaime Thomas About 75 people gathered at the Slate Valley Museum Thursday evening to listen to Vermont Public Radio [...]