CAVENDISH, Vt. – At last Thursday’s Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) school board meeting, the topic of shrinking student enrollment was introduced, with a preliminary discussion of proposals for the best way forward for area schools. The cost per student is not sustainable in the current state, and the school board is beginning to explore ways to combine the resources of the GMUSD-owned schools struggling with low matriculation to save money and provide better educational opportunities for students.
GMUSD owns three school buildings in the area; Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES), Chester-Andover Elementary School (CAES), and Green Mountain Union High School (GMUHS). These campuses are under the jurisdiction of Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) who also supervises two schools in the Ludlow-Mount Holly Unified School District (LMHUSD); Ludlow Elementary and Mount Holly School.
TRSU Superintendent of Schools Lauren Fierman said, “We are at the very beginning of conversations about the best use of all of our buildings.”
GMUHS, a campus designed for 700-750 students has less than 330 this year. CAES was built for 260 students and this semester registered 227. CTES currently enrolls just 72 students, has 19 graduates this year, and school officials expect next year’s enrollment to be around 65.
Preliminary ideas were discussed, including bringing Ludlow Elementary into the GMUSD school district, an idea first considered in 2018 when all five schools came under the TRSU umbrella; turning the CTES building into school offices to eliminate the cost of rent at the current location; or splitting students by grade to create larger classes. Some concerns were raised regarding traveling children greater distances through winter conditions with sometimes questionable bus situations.
The board is planning to host several open meetings throughout the year to give the public an opportunity to share ideas and voice their opinions. Community and parent input will be encouraged, Fierman assured. “This will be a ‘committee of the whole,’ and the public is very strongly invited to join the conversation.”
The week of Feb. 20 is a vacation week for the school districts, and the next school board meeting isn’t on the books yet.
“We all know, change is hard,” said Fierman. “But in order to have the discussion about solutions, we have to start having those conversations now.”