NEWS BRIEFS
22 • The Mountain Times • Feb. 15-21, 2017
Act 46 Implementation progress in Rutland and Windsor Counties
By Evan Johnson and Polly Lynn
Act 46 is designed to encourage the a whole vs. independent components, state’s 277 school districts to voluntarily we believe that we can better construct unite into larger units in an effort to a PK-12 system which maximizes address dramatic declines in the number the potential of all our students,” of students attending Vermont’s schools. wrote the Windsor Central Act 46 merger incentives include Unified Union School District Act the maintenance of the “BY THINKING OF OURSELVES small schools grants and the preservation of the AS PARTS OF A WHOLE VS. hold harmless protection INDEPENDENT COMPONENTS, (phantom students), which will be revoked if districts WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN don’t vote to comply with BETTER CONSTRUCT A PK-12 the law in some capacity before June 30, 2017. (Plans SYSTEM WHICH MAXIMIZES must be implemented by THE POTENTIAL OF ALL OUR July 1, 2019.) Before an Act 46 STUDENTS,” WROTE THE unification plan can go WINDSOR CENTRAL UNIFIED up for public vote, it must be approved by the State UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT Board of Education. ACT 46 STUDY COMMITTEE. The new unified districts are charged with educating all students, 46 study committee in its creating budgets, and creating equitable Final Report Jan. 18, 2017. policies districtwide. While voters have The main goal of the law is the authority to close a school, the unified quality education at a sustainable school board does not, on its own. The cost to taxpayers, now and in the years board, however, could also amend the to come. For some communities in the article to allow them to do so after four region, creating such a plan was fairly years. easy; for others the path forward was “By thinking of ourselves as parts of less desireable.
Rutland County
SU36
SU04
SU37
SU33 SU38
SU04, Addison Rutland Orwell, Benson, Hubbardton, West Haven, Fair Haven and Castleton Act 46 status: 2017 Town Meeting vote (revote) Structure changes: Last year, the six towns in the advisory union towns were labeled as “necessary.” Orwell was the only town that rejected the plan, causing Act 46 to fail. This year, the towns are labeled as “advisable,” not “necessary,” meaning that only four of the six towns need pass the measure for unification to pass. If four or five towns vote yes, they will become a “Modified Unified Union District” while the remainder of towns will remain their own entities and retain their boards but not re-
ceive all the tax incentive benefits and potentially lose their small school grant. The proposed 18-member union school district board of school directors will include three representatives from each town serving a one-, two-, or three-year term. Voters in the member towns will vote on the same slate of candidates. The articles of agreement allow small schools to not be closed for four years. After that time, it would take 75 percent of the school board plus a vote from the municipality of the town where the school is located.
Educational changes, opportunities: Students will go to the same school they attend now at least through the 2018-2019 school year. Students will attend elementary school and middle school according to their town of residence. The board of school directors may adjust student enrollment based on individual student circumstances and needs of the district. Teachers and staff will become employees of the new unified district. Schools could share personnel or assign them to a different school depending on the needs of the district.
SU36: Rutland Northeast Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Leicester, Mendon, Pittsford, Sudbury, and Whiting Act 46 status: Successful vote 2016 Structure changes: Voters approved school consolidation in January and July 2016. Two new unified districts went to work: Mendon and Chittenden have merged into Barstow Unified Union District, which has Barstow Memorial School with K-8 and school choice
for high school. The budget is shared across the two towns. Pittsford, Brandon, Goshen, Leicester, Whiting and Sudbury formed the Otter Valley Unified Union District, which has five elementary schools and one high school. Educational changes, opportunities: In the Barstow Unified Union District, the two
towns had an existing agreement, which isn’t changed by Act 46. Starting next fall, students in grades K-8 from Pittsford, Brandon, Goshen, Leicester, Whiting and Sudbury will be able to attend their choice of the five elementary schools in the district. Students feed into Otter Valley Middle and High School.
SU 38 Rutland Southwest Wells, Middletown Springs, Rutland Town, West Rutland, Proctor, Poultney, Ira Act 46 status: Study committee: Study committees for Wells Springs, Quarry Valley, as well as Rutland Southwest and Rutland Central supervisory unions. Structure changes: Rutland Southeast hopes to merge seven school districts into four, and two supervisory unions into one this spring. Rutland Southwest would merge West Rutland, Proctor and Poultney into a prek district called Quarry Valley. Wells and Middletown Springs are hoping to form a pre-k - 6 district called Wells Springs and tuition out students in middle and high school. If mergers move forward, each school district would operate as they currently are for another
year. A new board for the supervisory unions would create policies, set budgets and negotiate collective bargaining agreements for 2019. The Quarry Valley board will be comprised of four Poultney representatives, three Proctor residents and three West Rutland representatives. The Wells Springs board will have three Wells representatives, three Middletown Springs representatives and one member “at large” from either Wells or Middletown Springs. Both mergers have received approval from the state board of education. All towns in the supervisory union are listed as “necessary,” meaning towns must unanimously pass unification for the merger to pass.
If both mergers move forward, Rutland Central and Rutland Southwest would attempt to be merged into a new supervisory union and that would include alternative school districts of Rutland Town and Ira. This is pending approval from the state in April. Closure of a school requires the unanimous vote of the board approval from the community where the school is located. Educational changes, opportunities: Students will be able to participate in courses between schools such as languages or AP courses. Staff will become employees of the new district and all assets and liabilities would also be property of the new districts.
SU37: Rutland Central Proctor, Rutland Town, West Rutland Act 46 status: Study committee: Committee received approval from the state in January. Structure changes: On Town Meeting Day, voters in Proctor, Rutland Town and West Rutland will vote to enter a supervisory union that
combines with Rutland Southwest. Proctor and West Rutland would enter the pre-k-12 Quarry Valley Unified School District that includes Poultney. Rutland Town would remain a standalone district with prek-8 and full 9-12 choice. Educational changes,
opportunities: Students will be able to participate in courses between schools such as languages or AP courses. Staff will become employees of the new district and all assets and liabilities would also be property of the new districts.