[E]SSEX – Three towns in Chittenden County may become the first to create a unified education district under the state’s just enacted Act 46.
Chittenden Central Supervisory Union’s member districts, which include Essex Junction and Westford, will consider joining with Essex Town’s school district after a study committee of 20 residents from those towns voted unanimously Tuesday evening to put the idea to a vote set to take place on Nov. 10.
If voters approve the proposal, the unified district would become the first to take advantage of accelerated merger incentives for school districts that take action within the first year of the new law, known as Act 46.
The new law, Act 46, was created by the state in an effort to push nearby districts into larger systems, helping to create economies of scale and to make more equitable the educational opportunities for students.
The state has seen public schools lose more than 24,000 students since 1997, and the decline is expected to continue.
Accepting the accelerated merger incentive under the new law would mean a five-year tax break starting at 10 cents off the education tax rate in the first year, and then being 8, 6, 4 and 2 cents in the subsequent years for all three communities.
“It’s an important milestone,” said Brendan Kinney, chair of the study committee, which spent the past four months analyzing what a unification move could mean for the districts.
“I’m just amazed that 20 members of our communities got together and had a very thoughtful and thorough deliberation,” he said. “What was really a bit of a stunner was that it was a unanimous vote.”
Kinney said there are lingering doubts and questions as the districts look to a merger, “…but those issues were not as important as the overarching belief that a unified district for Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford, for the long term would be the best thing not only for our communities, but also for our kids.”
Chittenden Central Supervisory Union includes Essex High School and Technical Center, Essex Junction schools and the Westford school district, and serves students Pre-K through 12th grade. Essex Town is a standalone Pre-K through 8th grade district, which tuitions its students to the high school. In Westford, high school students have school choice.
Kinney said the study committee’s report and articles of agreement are being finalized and that edits agreed to Tuesday night are being incorporated; both of those documents will be sent to the Vermont Agency of Education for approval.
The study committee heard from superintendents from the CCSU and Essex Town, the curriculum and special education directors, business managers and more.
“It was pretty clear from all of those reports that there are a number of efficiencies that we can begin to put some numbers around,” said Kinney. Some other efficiencies are expected, but are harder to quantify, he said.
Concrete savings would largely come from consolidating two administrations into one, said Kinney.
In the first three to five years of a unified district, Kinney said an independent consultant working with the study committee anticipates savings of about $1 million, but that figure is likely conservative and could be higher.
“We’re not able to see that far into the future at this point,” said Kinney. “I think that will be the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
If approved in all three towns, the new unified district serving about 3,800 students would become operational July 1, 2017.
Kinney said the draft name of the proposed district is, Essex-Westford Community Unified Union School District, saying, “However, we have appointed a subcommittee to try and come up with a better name.”
More information on the study committee for Essex Junction, Essex Town and Westford, including a list of frequently asked questions is available on the committee’s website.
Rep. Tim Jerman, D-Essex Junction, who serves on the House Education Committee, said on Wednesday, “I applaud the hard work of the study committee. Their unanimous approval of the merger proposal is a strong signal that they believe Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford will not only see significant property tax reductions but also better outcomes for kids and administrative savings.”
“I know local residents will ask many questions about the details, but at this point it looks like they are pointing us toward a much more efficient governance model,” said Jerman.
Jeffrey Francis, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association, praised the step.
“With Act 46 now on the books, all communities in Vermont are being asked to consider the opportunities to work together with their neighbors to create a better, more efficient education delivery system,” Francis said. “These school districts are well-positioned to be leaders in that effort.”
