Editor’s note: This article is by Lisa McCormack, of the Stowe Reporter, in which it was first published Jun e18, 2015.
Resistance is Stowe’s first response to a new state law that requiring school districts to merge into larger organizations.
Some parents and school board members worry that Stowe will lose control over local education, including budgets, and local students could be bused to Morristown if Stowe runs short on classroom space.
They question how Stowe will benefit from the changes, since the town’s school taxes are expected to go up.
About 10 parents and residents attended a Stowe School Board meeting Monday to discuss the sweeping education law.
H.361 calls on the state’s 277 school districts to merge into districts with at least 900 pupils — considerably larger than most Vermont districts are now. The idea is to share resources and expertise, save money, and improve educational opportunities for students.
The Legislature was concerned that enrollment has dropped more than 20,000 statewide in the past 20 years, but school budgets and taxes have not gone down.
The law gives districts a few years to move voluntarily into larger districts, but empowers the State Board of Education in 2019 to restructure districts it believes need to make changes and have not.
Districts that merge quickly will receive bigger tax incentives than those that wait.
“It’s hard to argue this isn’t being forced on us,” said school board Chairwoman Cam Page. “We’re in a box and it’s getting smaller.”
A two-year cost-constraint formula is built into the law. Districts that spend the most per pupil will be allowed the least budget growth; spending beyond what the formula allows will result in a penalty.
The new, larger school districts will have one school board, with representatives from each merged town. The board will prepare a single budget for all schools in the district.
Under law, a new school board could have between five and 18 members, said Tracy Wrend, the school superintendent. The board could be set up in three ways:
• The more voters a town has, the more school board members it has.
• School board votes could be weighted, based on the number of voters in each town.
• Board members could be elected at large, chosen by all the voters in all the towns.
Details to come
School officials are trying to figure out exactly how the changes will affect Stowe.
Wrend and Page met Monday in Montpelier with Education Agency Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, representatives from the Vermont School Boards Association, the Vermont Principals’ Association and the Vermont Superintendents Association, along with school board members from Morristown and Elmore — Stowe’s most likely merger partners. Stowe, Morristown and Elmore form the Lamoille South Supervisory Union, and already share a school superintendent and many services.
Under the new law, school districts are encouraged to merge with neighboring districts, especially when not doing so would hurt one or more school districts, Wrend said.
Morristown and Elmore are already exploring a merger to help control rising school taxes in Elmore. The issue is expected to go to a vote in November.
However, under the new law, because Elmore and Morristown would have fewer than 900 students, they’d need another merger partner.
Stowe board member Richard Bland asked if Stowe could merge with Wolcott instead.
Probably not, Wrend said; the state board would be unlikely to allow Stowe to partner with a school district from a different supervisory union.
Additionally, Wolcott isn’t interested in a merger that would take away high school choice, she said.
Other board members didn’t support the Wolcott idea.
“You’re saying, ‘We’re better than you, so you should merge with us,’” Page said. “It might not be that attractive to them.”
Concerns
Several parents thought a merged school district could hurt Stowe’s schools and its property values.
One parent asked if a merger could someday lead to school-closings in Stowe.
Unlikely, Wrend said: “I don’t see school-closings in any of our futures. Both Morristown and Stowe are pretty full.”
Stowe resident John Clark asked if Stowe taxpayers would be financially responsible if a new school were built in Morristown.
In a merged district, school taxes would be based on the total approved budget for the entire district, Wrend replied.
Another resident asked if the merged school board could reject construction proposals for Stowe schools. Theoretically yes, Wrend said; in any merged district, there are likely to be compromises and some unpopular decisions, but she expects that all school board members would want to provide a high-quality education.
Regardless of whether Stowe moves quickly or slowly toward a merger, the town’s school taxes are expected to rise over the next five years. Morristown’s will also rise slightly, while Elmore’s will decrease.
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly how much Stowe’s tax increase will be because of unknown factors such as its future student populations and statewide education tax increases.
Some at the meeting questioned whether Stowe should be required to change.
“There’s no way someone could make an argument that our student outcomes would be better with a merged board, and our taxes are going up,” said board member Jim Brochhausen.
“Given that we were voted best high school in Vermont, can’t we make a case to leave us alone?” asked Terry Dwyer, a former school board member, referring to a 2015 ranking by U.S. News and World Report.
The odds may be against Stowe getting a waiver, replied Brad James, a Stowe resident who’s the education finance manager for the Agency of Education.
“Even if the agency secretary makes a case, the state board (of education) would have to approve it,” James said. “Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? I don’t know.”
When Brochhausen suggested that board members from other towns might put their interests ahead of Stowe’s, James said Stowe would share control of the budget and other decisions in a merged district.
“We don’t want to share,” said one parent from the back of the room. A few parents clapped.
Stowe School Board members will meet July 7 with the Elmore and Morristown school boards to discuss merger options.
Wrend will research likely outcomes for Stowe if the state were to impose a merger.
The school board’s next scheduled meeting is Monday, Aug. 17, at 6 p.m. at the Stowe Elementary School music room. However, the board wants to spend time this summer examining the impacts of the new state law, and special meetings may be called. Board meetings will be announced in this newspaper and at lamoillesouthsu.org; click on “School Boards” to find Stowe.
