Woodbury residents deliver petition seeking public forum on school consolidation

Anna Peltz delivered a petition from 46 Woodbury residents asking the town to hold a public forum or special meeting to discuss the future of Woodbury School and possible changes to the district arrangement. "I have a petition of 46 Woodbury Residence," Peltz told the Selectboard, saying the signatures amount to about 5% of Woodbury voters.

Peltz, who said she is active in school issues and has followed district deliberations, said the community faces renewed pressure to consolidate elementary schools and that the town should proactively decide how it wants to proceed rather than letting decisions be made by others. "We're in a moment again where the question is looming large whether our school will be able to survive," she said, urging a public conversation that produces clear information and options for residents.

Selectboard members responded with procedural and practical points. The chair and other members clarified that a town meeting vote on school matters would be nonbinding for the school district because governance authority over school consolidation rests at the district level. One board member noted the selectboard can help organize informational meetings or pass nonbinding resolutions and that residents or town organizers can convene public forums without selectboard action. Several members suggested the practical first step would be an informal citizens' forum to distribute factual materials and collect community preferences.

Discussion at the meeting covered concrete options raised by Peltz: petitioning to leave the current union and join another district, the mechanics of a withdrawal petition and whether other towns in the district would need to approve Woodbury's request, and the window of opportunity created by recent legislative changes favoring voluntary mergers. Peltz cautioned that formal actions would require multi-step processes at the district and state level; she said she is beginning to compile handouts explaining the statutory steps and options.

Board members and residents emphasized the political challenge: representation on the union board is weighted among towns (the board includes five members from Hardwick and five from the other towns combined, the selectboard noted), and any formal petition would require cooperation from other towns. The group agreed on next steps: Peltz will talk with town representatives and local school board members and work to organize an informal, well-publicized citizens' forum with handouts and invited subject-matter experts.

The Selectboard did not take formal action on the petition during the meeting. Peltz told the board she would follow up with the town's representatives and said she would post meeting announcements and informational materials publicly. The board asked staff to share logistical support where appropriate and reiterated that any formal town motion aimed at changing district structure would involve separate statutory steps and likely be nonbinding.