CAVENDISH, Vt. – On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) held an open forum at the Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES), from 6-7 p.m. Citizens were also able to attend via Zoom. Combined, approximately 35-40 citizens participated.
A statement from the school board regarding the open forum read, “It is an excellent opportunity for community members to share their thoughts, ask questions, and engage in meaningful conversations about the school district – especially as we are entering budget seasons.”
Just prior to 6 p.m., as people filed into the room, additional chairs were set up, and School Board Superintendent Layne Millington waited until everyone was settled before starting the meeting. Millington took over as Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) superintendent in February after Lauren Fierman stepped down.
Millington reported that he had been holding these open forums about once per month.
“People can talk about anything they want,” Millington proposed, and told the meeting his goals were to build trust and transparency, and to be sure the community understands what the school board is working toward. He presented the meeting with three main questions to consider: What types of changes or improvements would you like to see in our schools to address the enrollment issues? How do you feel about expanding facilities versus redistributing students to balance enrollment? And, what are you most concerned about in terms of this restructuring?
One resident asked if there was a projected number of kids expected to enter the Chester-Andover School District over the next few years.
Millington replied, “It’s pretty much a flat line.”
Attendees were in agreement that one of the most limiting factors in trying to attract new residents to local communities was lack of housing. A Chester resident remarked, “All of our towns are struggling with the same thing. We need to work with our selectboards to find ways to encourage more people and families to move into our towns.”
One woman voiced her fear that the board was going to “jump to a solution that doesn’t actually solve the issues.” She commented that, as with past restructuring efforts, people were told they would save money, but that was not the case.
Millington turned the discussion toward education funding in Vermont. “Why did your taxes go up?” he asked the meeting. “It is because everybody in the state pays for everybody else.”
Millington was referring to Act 127, signed into law in 2022 by the state legislature, which found access to education to be “a constitutionally mandated right” and that “students must be afforded equal access to all that our educational system has to offer.” The resulting disbursement of funding, through the statewide education fund, distributes money in an equitable manner, and specific programs may vary from district to district. It is a balanced system, but makes it difficult for any individual school to save money.
Another act approved by the Vermont legislature, Act 46, which was intended to encourage school districts to find ways to merge resources, resulted, as Millington said, in a “forced consolidation of districts.” Step one was to consolidate districts, and step two would have been to integrate schools, but the reaction to the first step put a halt to any progression of step two, reported Millington.
A proposal for a new, larger high school to be built in Cavendish, with the intent of consolidating neighboring schools, is being reviewed by the school board, and Millington said he felt the project, if successful, will bring more families and more students to the area. “A new building that can be more [energy] efficient will save money in that regard – solar, a new boiler – one big, nice, new building that will draw people in,” he stated.
Almost immediately, several in attendance balked at the suggestion of having to bus their kids over long distances. “I can’t imagine bussing young children from Andover to Cavendish,” exclaimed one attendee.
Another worried that Andover already has a “strong home-schooling community,” and if the commute to a new school is too far for people to comfortably send their children on a bus, the result would possibly be a larger push for home schooling, which can limit government funding based on lower student enrollment numbers.
Transportation was a top concern with many residents. Some schools have already been experiencing a shortage of bus drivers.
Some residents expressed that there had been no budget transparency on the proposal. One woman questioned the board about the research used to back up the project’s estimated costs, and that there was no guarantee that this plan would save the communities money.
Millington emphasized that there were no other, better, cheaper solutions. “All [of our] schools need millions of dollars to get them in shape, and [they] will still be old buildings.” Many of those buildings contain PCB contaminants that are difficult and costly to remediate, as well as a host of other issues.
Regarding the contamination at the high school and whether it can be mitigated, Millington said, “The intent from the [federal] government is to fix the contamination, but whether or not they can, I don’t know.” He reported that the state had initially agreed to pay to clean up the PCBs, but then reneged when they underestimated funding needs. Several residents suggested the board follow up with that legally, questioning how the state can step away after making such a promise.
Further questions about potentially finding new ways to fund education, and whether this matter should be put to a multi-townwide vote, were raised. A resident attending online remarked that many of the promises of improvements that were made when Act 46 was being presented have not been realized. She asked Millington, “What guarantees are there that it will be different this time?”
A Chester resident implored Millington and the school board to consider education levels at the different schools as part of the plan to restructure and consolidate. “We talk a lot about enrollment, we talk a lot about expense, we don’t talk a lot about outcomes. We should really think carefully about providing the best education.”
Millington said the board would be presenting their ideas and recommendations on the restructuring proposals at the Green Mountain board meeting next week, to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m., at GMUHS.