Panel discusses Northeast Kingdom Choice District, credits enrollment spike since 2017

Members of the Kirby Planning Commission spent substantial time on historical context for local school enrollment and the formation of the Northeast Kingdom Choice District, which a participant noted became effective in 2017. Committee member (S3) summarized the district’s rollout and publicity and tied that attention to local enrollment shifts: 'in that 2 year span from 2016 to 2018, we went up 13 pre k and up 20 k through 6' — a gain the participants described as roughly '30 plus.'

The commission also discussed administrative changes that affected how towns record students. One participant noted that previously some towns offered stipends for homeschooling but said the state later removed those stipends after a religion-linked court case, which reduced the reliability of low enrollment counts in older reports. Commissioners agreed the town report has been inconsistent in what enrollment details it includes and asked staff to add a clear note on data sources when exhibits or charts are inserted into the town plan. The commission set a goal of adding a school-population exhibit (Exhibit 8a) that would show 2008–2025 trends for local readers.