Sen. Seth Longertz, chair of the Senate Education Committee, opened a listening session hosted at a White River Valley school and told the audience the committee has visited five districts to hear how to "provide excellent educational opportunity for every Vermont student." The public comment period that followed was dominated by rural parents, educators, school-board members and town trustees who argued that forced consolidation would weaken community schools, lengthen bus rides and remove local supports.

Many speakers framed their remarks around two central claims: that small rural schools are essential civic and social hubs, and that the governor's consolidation proposal lacks clear, independent evidence that it will save money or improve student outcomes. "Creating large districts and s u will not solve the economic challenges in our state, and there is no data to support this," said Sarah Root, chair of the Stratford School Board. Greg Hughes, a White River Valley resident, said his district's voluntary mergers have produced higher enrollment, expanded course offerings ("we now offer 18 courses") and lower per-student costs.

Speakers offered multiple concrete concerns. Parents and program coordinators said long bus rides cut children off from after-school programs and family participation: one commenter described trips of "60 to 75 minutes" and several urged lawmakers to account for lost access to extracurriculars and the difficulty of parents driving longer distances for events. A retired special-education teacher described a caseload that included 26 out-of-district placements costing about $2,300,000 a year and warned closing local options can drive higher special-education placements rather than savings.

Educators and local trustees emphasized services anchored in small schools beyond instruction: on-site health, dental and mental-health support, trustees' tuition-reimbursement programs and local procurement that supports area farms and small businesses. "The Central School is the heart of our town," a trustee said, noting trustees' work behind local social supports. Several school leaders and a retired school nurse said consolidations could weaken those informal safety nets and make families harder to reach.

A recurring alternative offered by witnesses was the redistricting task force's package of voluntary mergers and cooperative education service agreements, which speakers said preserve local control while enabling cost-sharing and expanded programming. "The recommendations allow for continued local decision making control to determine consolidation and/or sharing resources that make sense for students and communities," said Chris Ransky of the White River Valley Educators Association.

The committee did not vote on any measure at the hearing. Chair Longertz closed by thanking the students, staff and community for hosting the session and said the testimony would inform the committee's work ahead of the legislative session.

The hearing is expected to inform the Senate Education Committee's deliberations in the coming months; lawmakers will consider task-force recommendations and the broader fiscal analysis of any consolidation proposals before taking formal action.