House caucus hears overview of H.955 proposing seven regional CESAs and facilitator-led merger studies

Representative Peter Conlin, chair of the House Education Committee, presented an overview of House Bill H.955 and said the legislation is intended to build scale and preserve local voice as Vermont adapts to declining enrollment and school building needs.

Conlin told the caucus of the whole that H.955 would create seven mandatory Cooperative Educational Service Areas, or CESAs, to deliver specialized services — such as special education evaluations, coordinated transportation and back-office administration — more economically at a larger scale. "It creates mandatory shared service regions called Cooperative Education Service Areas, or CESAs," Conlin said, adding that the state already has one CESA in southeastern Vermont that is "already proving that they're saving money for their member districts." The bill would list member districts for each CESA and provide start-up support: $15,000 in startup grants and $50,000 upon hiring a first director, with longer-term…