Rural School Community Alliance urges slower, community-led approach to Vermont school consolidation and funding reform

Members of the Rural School Community Alliance told the Vermont Education Committee on April 8 that proposed rapid changes to school governance and funding could harm rural students and communities and urged the committee to slow down and base decisions on Vermont-specific research.

The testimony centered on two themes: preserving local schools and community voice, and redesigning the funding formula with clear accountability and public engagement. "The first guiding principle is that young children should be educated close to home," said Margaret MacLean, a lifelong educator and a member of the Alliance, adding that the group opposes "regional elementary schools of 300 or 150 students" that are disconnected from communities.

The Alliance, which members said formed in January and currently represents about 80 towns with additional towns considering membership, asked lawmakers to independently evaluate past governance changes such as Act 46 and other laws that have reshaped school structure and spending. "There hasn't been sufficient external evaluation of the impact of those laws," MacLean said, urging a careful review before enacting broad governance changes.

Jamie Kenarney, superintendent of the White River Valley Supervisory Union, told the committee the supervisory union model remains a viable governance approach for many rural areas. Kenarney said voluntary mergers have produced some districts that show improved student outcomes and fiscal responsibility, and warned that "larger governance removes local control and creates an opportunity for larger districts to close schools without having any true sense of the impact or harm that might occur to those towns or students currently served."

Speakers described negative effects associated with school closures cited in national research and local reports: increased absenteeism, higher per-pupil spending after closure, longer bus rides, declines in community engagement and local home values, and mental-health challenges for students who change schools. "Closing schools does not necessarily save money," MacLean said, noting transportation, building maintenance and staff costs often offset expected savings.

Superintendents who testified also argued consolidation can raise costs when districts must "level up" teacher contracts and cover infrastructure shortfalls. Ryan Hirdy, superintendent of Lamoille South, said preliminary local analysis showed consolidation in his region could raise spending by millions to equalize salaries across larger, merged districts. Hirdy said, "We do not believe that school district consolidation is a solution to this problem," and called instead for a multi-year plan emphasizing data, transparency and accountability.

Several speakers requested better, accessible performance and quality data. Testimony cited a lack of publicly usable measures that allow communities to compare school performance and assess return on investment. The witnesses urged restoring or revising processes that inspect and publicly report school quality, pointing to an older "public school approval" review that used visiting teams and produced public reports.

On funding, the Alliance said the state should move toward an education foundation formula while providing immediate tax relief to taxpayers. They recommended the legislature consider geographic isolation, maximum safe bus ride lengths by age, and the preservation of supervisory unions and cooperative models that allow local boards to retain voice. They also urged that any minimum class-size rules (referenced in testimony as part of House Bill H454) be applied with flexibility and informed by multi-year averages rather than single-year snapshots.

The Alliance repeatedly asked the committee to use a deliberative, evidence-driven process with broad public engagement. Witnesses pointed to other states that used lengthy, transparent study processes to redesign funding as models for Vermont.

Committee members asked for concrete proposals and for the Alliance to return with more detailed, vetted alternatives; Alliance representatives said they were open to doing so and noted several members had prepared slide decks and supplemental data for the committee's review.

The testimony included repeated cautions about forced consolidation versus voluntary mergers, differences between elementary and secondary school needs, and the long-term infrastructure needs of existing buildings. The witnesses urged any policy change to be phased, contingent on clear evidence and implementation measures, and designed to preserve community access to education where practicable.

The committee did not take formal action during the hearing; the session continued with questions from senators and staff.