School leaders warn Senate that House map threatens choice, supervisory unions and rural services
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Summary
School board chairs and superintendents told the Senate Education Committee that the House’s proposed redistricting map (H.454/Act 73 implementation) could dismantle supervisory unions, eliminate tuition‑based high‑school choice and impose long bus rides; witnesses urged voluntary consolidation, BOCES-style supports and time to develop operational plans.
Multiple school board chairs and superintendents told the Vermont Senate Education Committee on Feb. 13 that proposed maps tied to Act 73 and a House map (referred to in testimony as H.454) risk undermining local governance, school‑choice arrangements and services for small, rural communities.
Eric Montbrien, chair of the Wells Springs Unified Union School District, said H.454 “isn’t workable for our district” because it would threaten a long‑standing tuition model and the supervisory‑union structure that lets small preK–6 districts operate while tuitioning grades 7–12. Montbrien said the supervisory‑union shared services—special education coordination, transportation and curriculum support—deliver efficiencies that would be lost under forced mergers.
Representatives from Grand Isle Supervisory Union—board chair Bob Shutter and Dr. Lisa Calatrude, the superintendent—stressed the county’s geographic isolation and routine practice of tuitioning high‑school students off‑island. Dr. Calatrude urged a ‘‘no harm’’ implementation and formally requested until June 30, 2026, to develop and submit a reorganization proposal to the Agency of Education that would preserve local island schools and protect high‑school choice. “We must ensure that the advantages of scale do not become disadvantages of bureaucracy that dilute teacher quality and student opportunity,” she said.
Dan MacArthur, chair of the Marlboro school board, explained his district’s plan to place a March ballot item asking voters whether to close its small preK–8 school and become a non‑operating district. MacArthur said his board pursued the change after years of declining enrollment and argued that non‑operating districts, when paired with supervisory‑union support and careful planning, can save money while preserving choices for families.
Witnesses from multiple rural districts emphasized transportation and tuition inequities. Testimony included tuition estimates for incoming high‑school placements (witnesses cited figures in the neighborhood of $14,150 for some out‑of‑state placements and $21,500–$23,000 for other county averages), and concerns that forced consolidation could increase bus times to more than an hour—eroding parental engagement and local control.
Several witnesses supported voluntary consolidation, creation or strengthening of regional service entities (referred to in testimony as BOCES and the newly formed OCs), and policies that preserve supervisory union roles where they work. Speakers urged legislators to focus reform on cost drivers—health care, special education and unfunded mandates—rather than automatic boundary consolidation.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about tuition, transportation and special‑education service arrangements. Lawmakers said they are seeking field feedback as the House and Senate work in parallel on implementation of Act 73 and accompanying language.
There were no formal votes during the hearing. Witnesses asked for time to produce operational modeling and urged the legislature to treat districts as partners in redesign rather than recipients of top‑down decisions.
