Vermont Business Magazine The Roxbury Selectboard filed legal action against the Montpelier Roxbury Public School District Wednesday on behalf of its citizens, alleging that as the March 5, 2024, district school budget informational meeting was held after voting began that day and was only available online, voters were prevented from having access to the required information before the polls opened, ultimately resulting in a failed budget vote that day.
The Selectboard is requesting emergency action be taken to provide relief on three counts: (1) the scheduled April 30, 2024 school budget vote on a new proposal not move forward; (2) the March 20, 2024 decision of the school board to bus Roxbury students to Montpelier next school year be rescinded; and, (3) most importantly, they request that the judge reinstate the original school budget from March 5 for voter approval, given that the school board chose to hold the required informational meeting after the polls open, preventing voters from having access to the necessary information ahead of the vote.
Selectboard Chair Jon Guiffre stated, “Voters deserve accurate and complete information when they go to the polls. Unfortunately, the Montpelier-Roxbury School District did not provide that, the result of which was a failed budget vote on March 5. Voters across the district deserve the opportunity to cast their ballots with the entire picture, provided in the mandatory information session, ahead of the vote.
"We are requesting an opportunity for the district to vote again on the March 5 budget with the necessary information in advance, which will give both impacted towns the full picture and will enable the school board to advocate for the good budget they put forward in the first place.
"Further, the new budget proposal from the school board has drastic impacts, including closing Roxbury’s beloved school. We filed this motion today on behalf of Roxbury’s citizens because this would not only devastate our community, but it would place the burden of solving the district’s budget crisis on the most rural kids. Abruptly closing the school without sufficient input from parents, teachers, and the community is wrong. We believe that had the school board acted with transparency, voters would have had better information when they went to the polls on Town Meeting Day."
Source: 4.17.2024. Roxbury Selectboard
