[S]ome Elmore residents aren’t taking November’s “no” vote for an answer. They want local residents to re-evaluate whether to merge their school district with Morristown in a revote on Dec. 29.
If residents of Elmore and Morristown vote yes, they will be eligible for a $150,000 Transition Facilitation Grant from the Agency of Education.
On Nov. 3, the proposed Elmore Morristown Unified Union School District proposal passed by a narrow margin in Morristown, but was rejected by Elmore residents in a 197-164 vote.
The vote has been compared to the same-day voter approved merger of Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford.
But Tracy Wrend, Lamoille South Supervisory Union Superintendent says the Elmore Morristown Unified Study is not an Act 46 Study. She told the House Education Committee that the merger “is emblematic of what it might take to implement Act 46.”
“What we learned from our unsuccessful process at this point is that both the implementation of Act 46 and our systems who are managing implementation are complex and in that complexity it is easy for information to be misinterpreted, and be susceptible to fear-based misinformation,” Wrend said.
Wrend shared flyers distributed in Elmore by opponents of the merger that were packed with misinformation, backing up assertions made earlier this month by House Speaker Shap Smith as to why the merger vote in his hometown failed.
Essex merger proponents also experienced a blast of propaganda prior to the vote, according to Brendan Kinney, the chair of that merger’s study committee.
“Closer to the vote there was a lot of misinformation floating around about the proposal,” Kinney said. “It was difficult to stay on top of making sure the facts were out there as more and more people engaged in the question. We worked really hard up to the last minute to make sure everyone had the facts.”
The Elmore flyers make various claims – some true – some untrue, such as, a yes vote would cause the closing of the beloved one-room Elmore School House in four years. Wrend said the school could close with or without a yes vote.
“The future of the Elmore School is dependent upon continuing to offer a high quality education with a variety of educational opportunities in a cost effective way,” Wrend said.
Some people think the merger will make it harder to achieve that goal, but Wrend believes it will be easier because “the infrastructure and financial context is better able to absorb the financial variables of a very small school from year-to-year.”
Another claim made by opponents was that the Elmore Store would close. The store is a grocery store, post office and meeting place. “It is a community hub … I have no idea how a merger would cause it to close,” Wrend said.
Both flyers stated that school choice in grades 7-12 would end, one stated that it would “permanently end.” But Wrend pointed out that under Vermont’s public high school choice system it would still be available, although not in the same fashion as it currently is in Elmore.
Finally, one document claimed a merger study wasn’t performed. Wrend held the study up for lawmakers to see and offered to share it with them. It is also available online.
“People communicated both to me and the board members, after the vote, that in some cases they voted no because they heard conflicting information and needed an opportunity to sort that out before they could say yes or no in an informed way. It was important not to make a change until they fully understood,” Wrend said.
The next study committee meeting is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Morristown Elementary School library. The next meeting of the Elmore School Board is Dec. 14 and there will be a public information meeting on Dec. 21. Wrend encourages the public to attend, or to email her or other board members with questions.
“Please thoughtfully evaluate and articulate the difference between opinion and facts so that regardless of the outcome we can all move forward as a community after this next vote,” Wrend said.
This merger is not part of Act 46 or any previous education law because it is only the unification of two small school districts – and while it doesn’t qualify for tax breaks, it would bring cost savings through efficiencies gained by educating all students in a preK-12 school system, according to Wrend.
“These are sustainable savings – not one year savings – purely driven from efficiencies of educating students in one school where we have capacity. It’s a lot like buying a new energy efficient furnace. You know you will pay less on fuel in the future … the savings may vary from year to year depending on winter, the cost of oil, but there will be savings,” she added.
The Elmore Morristown Unified Union District Study estimates the merger will generate $490,000 in savings over time. In addition, taxes will go down in Elmore, and Morristown can avoid big tax increases.
Due to the “no” vote in November, Elmore is looking at a tax increase of 40 cents for FY ’17.
“If Elmore wants to change that trajectory and take a step toward meeting the goals of Act 46,” a yes vote is an important step in that direction, Wrend said.
