Editor’s note: This article is by Lisa McCormack of the Stowe Reporter, in which it was first published Oct. 29, 2015.
[E]lmore and Morristown voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to form a single “unified union school district.”
A majority vote in each town is needed for approval.
For instance, some Elmore residents mistakenly believe that the Elmore School, the last remaining one-room schoolhouse in Vermont, would be forced to close if the measure was approved.
Not true, Wrend says.
Meanwhile, some Morristown residents are afraid that their education property taxes would rise sharply, but Wrend said the merger would help stabilize taxes over time.
Benefits for both towns
A unified school district would help control rising school taxes in Elmore while stabilizing enrollment numbers and the education tax in Morristown over time, officials in both school districts say.
In Elmore, the education property tax rate has increased 70 cents per $100 of property value in the past four years, adding $1,400 to the annual tax bill on a house worth $200,000.
According to a cost analysis, the merger would save about $490,000 and Elmore would pay $600,000 less per year in total school taxes.
While school taxes would initially increase slightly in Morristown, the merger would provide other benefits.
Now, Elmore sends 93 students to Morristown schools, and pays $1.2 million in tuition for them. A merger could keep those students from deciding to attend school elsewhere, and so keep the tuition money in Morristown.
The Elmore and Morristown school boards submitted a unification proposal to the Vermont Agency of Education this summer. The state approved the plan in September.
Public meetings were held in Elmore and Morristown on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the proposed merger and upcoming vote.
Dispelling misconceptions
If voters approve the merger, school choice would change, but it wouldn’t be completely lost, according to Wrend.
If the merger is approved, students in grades 7 and 8 would attend Peoples Academy Middle School. Students in grades nine through 12 would attend Peoples Academy High School, or they could enter the statewide high school lottery for a chance to attend another public school.
The 16 Elmore students now attending schools other than Peoples Academy would be allowed to stay in those schools through 12th grade.
Elmore kindergartners and students in grades through through six would continue to attend Morristown Elementary School, while students in first and second grade would attend the Elmore School.
Far from being a threat to the Elmore School, the unified district would make it more secure, Wrend said.
“The Elmore School is protected in both the short term and long term,” Wrend said. “It can’t be closed for four years (under state law). Long term, it will be more stable and supported in the context of a larger operating structure. Neither school board wants to close the school.”
Wrend said the merger will save $600,000 for Elmore taxpayers.
Although the tax rate in Morrisville is expected to go slightly in the first year of the merger, over time there should be little or no impact, Wrend said.
“What’s key for Morrisville is that merging with Elmore allows us to keep $1.2 million in educational programming in our budget and creates stable enrollment and stable tax rates. It’s not a win or loss for either community. It’s a win-win.”
Aside from forming unified school districts, no other viable options have been presented to help hold the reins on escalating education property taxes, Wrend said — at least, “no alternative that supports continued quality education in a way that’s respectful of taxpayers.”
Merged school board
In addition to the merger decision, voters will elect seven people to the new merged school board. Morristown and Elmore get two seats each; the remaining three will be elected at-large by voters in both towns.
All seven candidates are already on the Elmore or Morristown boards. They are Penny Jones, Stuart Weppler and Ida Mae Anderson of Elmore; and Stephanie Craig, Christy Snipp, Dave McAllister and John “Woody” Belt of Morristown.
Act 46
If voters approve the merger, the new district might eventually have to merge into an even larger school district.
Act 46, passed this year, law pushes Vermont’s 277 school districts to consolidate with their neighbors and offer more educational opportunities to students.
Together, Elmore and Morristown have nearly 900 students — the minimum size sought for supervisory unions under Act 46.
The towns could ask the state for permission to continue to function as a single independent district. Stowe is planning to do just that.
“Some type of governance consolidation is in the future, particularly for Elmore,” Wrend said. “People need to make choices about how they want to do that.”
