Weathersfield School in dramatic dilemma over stipends for services

By JEFF EPSTEIN
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WEATHERSFIELD, Vt. — How do you compensate a professional for providing a school service, when the service is nominally voluntary?

That’s a question the Weathersfield School here is chewing on regarding its theatrical program. The school has a drama club, and both teachers and administrators say it has academic value, as well as being fun for the students. 

The budget this year for academic program is $55, according to a school board member during a meeting here Monday. But there is also a $100 stipend available to a volunteer advisor for an extracurricular program. Such an advisor is in place this year, but he told the board he would like more than $100.

The students, according to Principal JeanMarie Oakman, urgently want the drama program to continue, and they have even put forward a proposal to run it themselves. Oakman told the board she has not seen the students’ slideshow presentation yet, but has already told the students that an adult advisor is necessary. 

The advisor is Sean Roberts, the head of a non-profit theatrical group called “World Underwonder Playhouse” which he said has made a theater out of a former grange building and is about to offer performances of a play, apparently based on Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”, that he referred to in the meeting as “Scrooge.”

While the exact sequence of events was not clear from the meeting discussion, it appears that Roberts had previously attempted to offer an extracurricular program after school, but had trouble getting sign ups. He said he would like to try again, but is practically difficult to do it with $100.

Board members were sympathetic, but explained that they were locked into a set of union requirements that could only offer the $100 stipend across the board. Any exception would likely draw the ire of others receiving only $100, they said.

Instead, David Baker, joining the meeting as supervisory union superintendent, suggested to Roberts that he come back with a proposal to do his own program through his organization. The school might then contract with him as an outside vendor in future years. He agreed to do so, and agreed to accept $100 for his services this year.