PEACHAM, Vt. (WCAX) – Some communities with Vermont’s tiniest schools are pushing back on the governor’s plan to overhaul the state school system. Many fear that consolidating school districts in the name of affordability could end local control, and a cherished way of life.
If you ask just about anyone in the Caledonia County town of Peacham, their sense of community comes from their local school.
Governor Phil Scott’s sweeping education reform plan aims to cut about $180 million from the $2.4 billion annual cost of education. But consolidating over 130 school districts into about five would likely target some of the state’s smallest schools.
“They see the governor’s plan for what it actually means to rural schools, and it means closure,” said Margaret MacLean with the Rural School Community Alliance. The former State Board of Education member is worried Scott’s proposal would dismantle public education. She’s spearheading a new alliance of small schools to push back on the plan.
Peacham Selectboard Chair Alfred Dedam worries that a school closure could create a negative feedback loop of young families leaving town. “Our community is the people who reside here participating and interacting with each other. and without that beating heart, everything else is just a shell, just a veneer,” he said.
The governor contends that the system we have now is broken, where small towns continue to cut school budgets to keep spending low but still face tax hikes. Meanwhile, more affluent communities keep spending.
Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders was not available Monday to discuss the issue.
The push for education finance reform was sparked by a double-digit property tax increase last year –18 percent in Peacham — and voters rejecting nearly one-third of school budgets statewide.
But MacLean and others say state lawmakers should focus on the root of the rising costs — health care — before tampering with local schools. “We want the Legislature to focus on costs and not wipe out the education system as we know it,” she said.
With about a month left until Town Meeting Day, many schools are warning their budgets to voters and crossing their fingers that more budgets pass this year.
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