[T]he State Board of Education approved more merger proposals at its April meeting that will go to local voters this month.
In Caledonia County, several districts offered to merge but only if they get tax breaks. Even if voters approve the plan, the districts won’t unite unless another merger happens that paves the way for tax breaks, or unless a bill becomes law that allows these districts to get tax incentives.
Another unification plan in the southern part of the state is acknowledged to be merely “a step in the right direction” and included a request for an alternative structure for an additional school district in the supervisory union that wasn’t part of either study group involved.
Caledonia unified union district
The Act 46 study committee for the Caledonia Cooperative Unified Union School District proposed one side of a side-by-side merger with the hope that another side will form. Under the plan, Barnet, Walden and Waterford would merge into a unified school district with three pre-K-through-eight schools and choice for high school students.
In current law, side-by-sides need to be anchored by a merged school district that operates all grades. Since nearby Danville, Cabot and Twinfield are in a formal study group — and operate all grades — the proposed Caledonia unified union district hopes those three will merge and join it in time to reap some tax benefits.
If not, and if the Act 46 flexibility bills working their way through the Legislature do not provide a path to tax breaks, then the Caledonia unified district won’t go forward regardless of the vote.
The merger of all six potential partners would combine the supervisory unions of Caledonia Central and Washington Northeast and save more than $250,000 a year through joint purchasing, shared administration and staff, and the end of duplicative services, according to the proposal. The vote in Barnet, Walden and Waterford will take place May 23.
Peacham is a member of the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union but has not taken part in a formal study committee. It is in a unique position because no other school district in the region has a pre-K-through-six school while tuitioning all students in middle and high school. The community would like to remain an independent district and will pursue an unmerged alternative structure, according to a report on its Act 46 study group’s website.
The state will take into consideration such requests before making its final statewide governance plan.
Windham Southwest
Two study groups emerged from Windham Southwest Supervisory Union with proposals after 18 months of work.
The Twin Valley and Southern Valley Act 46 study committees proposed creating two unified union districts in a side-by-side merger.
One side would involve Whitingham and Wilmington school districts. They already have a contract to run two schools: a pre-K-through-5 school in Wilmington and a six-through-12 school in Whitingham. The communities decided to make it a formal unified union district that operates all grades.
The other half of the side-by-side would unite Halifax, Readsboro and Stamford, which all operate schools with pre-K through eighth grade and pay tuition for older students.
The proposed merger probably won’t be enough to fix the cost of losing students in the area, according to the report presented by the two study groups.
Given the expected dwindling of the already small number of students, the committees wrote, their communities need to realize this is just a first step and isn’t enough to meet the educational and fiscal goals in Act 46. They say tax stabilization is possible through a merged budget that combines student rolls and shares the cost of special education — regardless of where the student lives. Whitingham has a high number of special education students, according to the study group.
“Next steps do not necessarily include additional merger of governance structure, but will involve looking beyond the boundaries of the New Unified District for ways to increase enrollment and share resources with other districts in the region,” the report states.
Overall, the number of school districts would drop from six to three. Searsburg does not operate any schools but pays tuition beginning with pre-kindergarten. Under the proposal it would remain as is and stay in the supervisory union as an alternative district.
The state board did not make any decision for Searsburg by approving the study plan. But Searsburg was able to let the board know what its preferences will be when the state makes its final governance plan.
The Windham Southwest proposal will go before voters May 31.
