Island Schools Report Merger Meeting Delays

Richard Monterosso, chair of the South Hero School Board, said he entered the first regional merger meetings with an open mind. Less than a month into the process, he describes confusion and frustration among board members participating across the state.

The Grand Isle Supervisory Union has closed two small schools in Isle La Motte and North Hero over the past six years. Board members say many property owners still cannot afford the annual tax hikes driven by education costs. The union began looking at merging the three districts in the Champlain Islands before Act 170 passed last year.

Act 170 established 18 regional merger study committees with representatives from neighboring districts. Each was required to hold its first meeting before Oct. 15. "I am disappointed. I think it's a disservice to public education," Monterosso said. "The issue is, it's not transparent. It's not coordinated, and I'm not even sure this is going to produce anything useful."

Monterosso said questions have surfaced about how meeting information can be shared with the public. Because the new merger committees are independent entities with members from different districts, some lawyers argue agendas and minutes cannot be posted on individual supervisory union websites. Some merger committees have canceled future meetings until the issue is resolved. David Younce, the lead facilitator for the Act 170 process, said obstacles have emerged that are slowing the work down.

One of the first tasks for merger committees is deciding how districts will be represented on new boards. Monterosso said this has created distrust, especially among smaller island districts working with much larger districts to the south. "In the end, if we are merged with either Milton, or with Colchester, the island's interests will always be in the majority, and majority mainland districts could vote to close schools," Monterosso said. "We would lose a real, meaningful voice in any decision about education on the islands."

Local officials also point to what they call a lack of accurate and timely data from the Agency of Education. Brooke Olsen-Farrell, president of the Vermont Superintendent Association and superintendent of the Slate Valley Unified School District in Fair Haven, said committees are being asked to make decisions about students, buildings and taxes without those reports. "Right now we're at a place where there are far more questions than answers," Olsen-Farrell said. "We recognize the complexity of the work facing the agency, but the way it is rolling out is not necessarily inspiring a lot of trust in the field."

Education Secretary Zoie Saunders said the voluntary merger process agreed to in Act 170 is causing the confusion. Lawmakers and the Scott administration had sharp differences over the bill earlier this year. The administration wanted the Legislature to write maps directing consolidation. "It's no secret that we had some concerns about a voluntary merger process," Saunders said. "The governor's original proposal was designed to avoid a lot of these same challenges that are coming forward. We named concerns about a process that pitted community against community, and we named concerns about the confusion this could create."

Saunders pushed back on the idea that a lack of guidance from the agency is slowing the process. "There's no shortage of information or data to begin engaging in this work," Saunders said. "There are no unresolved questions that people are waiting on the Agency of Education to respond to. There's no difference of opinion. Many just don't like the answer." She said the agency is producing reports committees need and that early meetings should continue. "There are certainly a lot of fears that are coming forward, and as part of the beginning of the process there are some kinks to work through," Saunders said. "The reality is districts have been having to cut programs. They've had to cut electives. They've had to lay off staff. They've had to close schools. We're at a point we can either cut more and more services for kids, or look at how we change."

Merger committees are supposed to finish their work before the end of next summer. The State Board of Education and the Agency of Education are expected to sign off on reports and recommendations before the end of 2027. Younce said he may need to ask the Legislature next year for an extension to push the vote beyond 2028. Towns would vote on proposed merged districts at town meeting in 2028.