by Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe) Following the passage of Act 46 in 2015, an extremely bad piece of legislation calling for mergers (some forced) of school districts in a misguided attempt to bring cost containment and greater educational opportunities to Vermont students, the Stowe and Elmore/Morristown School Boards, with the support of the communities, worked collaboratively and unanimously agreed to fight against a forced merger. After exhaustive research since 2013 on the impact of a forced merger in our communities, both boards understood that a forced merger would have a negative impact on the education provided to their communities.
Unfortunately, for what in my view were purely political reasons, the State Board of Education at the time went against the recommendation of the State Agency of Education, and more importantly, against the will of all three communities, and ordered the forced merger of our two school districts.
Since that time, it has become abundantly clear that the merger has not worked. It has neither brought greater educational opportunities or better outcomes to our students, nor brought any cost savings. In fact, the real shame is that, in many cases, it has caused a clear deterioration of our educational opportunities and quality.
After all, we are neighbors. We are friends. We are coworkers. We are family. This issue is about what is good for ALL of our communities and ALL of our students.
Do Elmore and Morristown really want Stowe voters determining the future of their schools, the education of their students, and the critical investments needed in both?
Does Stowe really want Morristown and Elmore determining the future of their schools, the education of their students, and the critical investments needed in both?
This upcoming vote to dissolve the forced merger is simple: It is the only way to return to the education model that was working well for all of us – two distinct districts providing high quality education under one Supervisory Union. This upcoming vote is the opportunity to hand our local schools back to our local communities, while at the same time continue to work together under one Supervisory Union as we had done for so long. And, it is the only way we can ensure local control and self-determination into the future.
Make no mistake, this vote on May 11th could be the only opportunity we have, as the door might very well close for us soon. With an affirmative vote, though, we can start bringing this harmful chapter to a close, and begin writing a new chapter together for all of our students in Stowe, Morristown and Elmore.
For those with questions about the legality of the vote or how we move forward after the vote and subsequent approval of the withdrawal by the other two communities, I am confident in both.
First, the Articles of Agreement provided to the newly merged district by the State Agency of Education (AOE), approved by the voters on February 26, 2019, and then approved by the State Board of Education, make clear that withdrawal is allowed when the article is approved by a majority of the voters, as long as the article was presented pursuant to 16 V.S.A § 724 (withdrawal by member town in year two or after).
While the Agency of Education has a different interpretation of this, many other attorneys, including our town's attorney, have come to the exact opposite conclusion. Those I've spoken with are firm in their belief that not allowing a dissolution of LSUU is a clear violation of our Vermont Constitutional rights of equal protection and common benefits. Does it make sense that only those towns that voluntarily merged and received three years of lowered taxes are the only ones who can leave their union, yet those towns that pursued the option of an Alternative Governance Structure cannot? I'm not a lawyer, but that seems like unequal treatment to me, and it does so to many attorneys with whom I have spoken.
With regard to what the structure will likely be if Stowe withdraws from the merger and the State Board of Education approves it, from what I understand, the Town Attorney inquired of the Agency of Education that very question and was told that “it would more than likely be the result that if Stowe withdrew, it would remain in the Supervisory Union.” This is good news, as the very purpose of this withdrawal is to revert to the structure we had in place prior to the merger – two distinct, high-performing districts under one Supervisory Union.
Please join me in returning our local schools to our local communities. Join me in ensuring high academic standards return to the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools of Stowe, Morristown and Elmore. Please join me in voting YES on May 11th to dissolve the forced merger of the Stowe and Elmore/Morristown School Districts.
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As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. I can be reached at 253-9314 or [email protected]. |