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Jamaica leaders press legislators to align town with other mountain districts as school closes
Summary
As Jamaica Village School closes, the Select Board and residents asked legislators to help the town join a mountain-focused education district and warned of steep tax pressure if state buy-downs and supervisory-union allocations change.
Select Board members updated visiting legislators on Jamaica's school closure and long-term enrollment decline since joining the West River Education District under Act 46. The board said Jamaica's equalized education property value is "over $540,000,000"—higher than neighboring towns—and argued that the town's tax and educational circumstances make it an outlier that should be grouped with other mountain towns to protect local schools and community stability.
Residents and board members asked what specific information legislators need to advocate for district alignment; Chrissy Haskins said Jamaica needs to be "in the same district as the other mountain towns" to compete for permanent residents and families. Legislators said study committees and the house bill contain mechanisms for community input, but final outcomes depend on negotiations and statewide fiscal choices.
