Editor’s note: This commentary is by Alan Ouellette, a third-generation Vermonter who develops software for a living and lives with his wife and daughter in Stowe.
[D]ecisions have consequences. I’m referring to the Vermont State Board of Education’s decision to ignore the secretary of education’s recommendation and vote to force a merger of the Elmore/Morristown and Stowe school districts at the State Board of Education’s meeting on Oct. 29.
I’m also referring to the decision at the State Board’s Nov. 15 meeting to not allow a reconsideration discussion to occur, even after board members stated, or implied through their statements, that they had not actually read the Elmore/Morristown/Stowe Act 46 Alternative Governance Structure proposal prior to making their decision on the 29th. Board members constantly referred to it as the “Stowe proposal,” completely ignoring Elmore and Morristown.
To borrow state board member John Carroll’s phrase, “That is weak tea.” Decisions need to be made based on facts, not opinion or bias. The fact that three of the seven board members who voted to force a merger on the 29th thought there should be further discussion is important. Clearly something changed. Board Chair Krista Huling, with no explanation, decided to not let that discussion even occur after the board voted 4-4 on a motion to reconsider.
The Vermont State Board of Education consists of eight members who are appointed to six-year terms at staggered intervals by the governor. There is also a student member on the board who serves a shorter term. They are civil servants who operate with no oversight and no accountability to any elected body. They are making decisions against the wishes of communities that, among other things, result in transferring ownership of school buildings that have been paid for by local tax money.
Decisions have consequences. Unfortunately, the consequences of the State Board of Education’s decisions will likely be played out in the courts in the coming years where facts, not opinions or agendas, matter.
Act 46 was meant, among other things, to address curriculum inequalities between school districts. It is focused on school districts with fewer than 900 students. How will the State Board of Education address these inequalities in larger school districts such as those in Chittenden County? Are they planning to force districts such as Colchester and Burlington or South Burlington and Winooski to merge?
You don’t try to breed a larger horse if you have something heavy to move. You hook normal horses up in a team and have them work together.
If only there was an example of two relatively large, yet distinct, school districts working together to resolve curriculum and outcome inequalities. Some sort of governance structure that promotes collaboration while preserving local control and respecting the democratic process. A model that demonstrates educational excellence. It is unfortunate that the State Board of Education decided to destroy a functioning instance of that model of governance.
The Elmore/Morristown (EMUU) and Stowe school districts operating under the umbrella of the Lamoille South Supervisory Union (LSSU) is that model. Both school districts operate PreK-12 schools. Core services such as food service, special education needs, transportation, teacher contracts, etc. are administered by LSSU. The operational efficiencies that might be brought about by a forced merger have already been realized. A governance change provides no additional value.
The school districts work very closely, through LSSU, to ensure a consistent curriculum and outcomes in both school systems. An example of this collaboration is Stowe’s adoption of literacy/math coaches to close achievement gaps for some students, following a pattern that was being used successfully by EMUU. Another example is in the area of foreign languages. The Stowe school district was able to introduce foreign language instruction in the elementary and middle schools. EMUU had been considering this and was able to implement increased foreign language instruction through collaboration with Stowe.
The individual school districts are able to more easily make changes at a smaller scale to respond to their unique needs and then roll them out to the other school district once they are perfected. Follow this link to find out more.
This is the model of governance documented in the Elmore/Morristown and Stowe school district’s Act 46 Alternate Governance Structure proposal that was dismissed by the Vermont State Board of Education without even being read. And, in one of the greatest ironies of all, some of Stowe’s tax burden will be shifted to Elmore and Morristown by a forced merger.
Decisions can have unintended consequences.
