The annual Tunbridge School District Meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 6, at the Tunbridge Central School. Town Meeting takes place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, at the school auditorium.
Tunbridge
The town of 1,300 is one of four in the White River Valley to vote on a measure which would oppose the NewVistas development, a self-sustaining community envisioned by Utah businessman David Hall in the towns of Tunbridge, Royalton, Sharon and Strafford. He has already purchased more than 1,400 acres, and a new nonprofit group, Alliance for Vermont Communities, has arisen to oppose the venture.
Selectboard Chairman Gary Mullen said NewVistas opponents asked the Selectboard to put the measure on the warning.
“We thought it was an important enough thing to talk about, so we just put it on,” he said. A portion of a pre-Town Meeting Tuesday night was taken up by a number of questions about the issue, Mullen said.
An unrelated article on the warning asks if residents want to boost the local farm economy through an agricultural task force. Mullen, one of seven dairy farmers left in town, said the intent was “to basically send the message … that the town stands behind agriculture.”
The proposed general fund budget of $575,000 includes a 1 percent decrease in the amount to be raised in taxes, while the $840,700 highway budget calls for a 1 percent increase in the amount to be raised in taxes.
On the school side, the proposed budget of $3.1 million includes a 6.5 percent increase in education spending per equalized pupil, to $16,441.
The residential school tax rate is expected to increase by 2 cents per $100 of valuation, to $1.40, a $40 increase for a home assessed at $200,000.
In the 2017-18 school year, “we have a larger number of tuition students, so our budget is up,” School Board Chairwoman Kathy Galluzzo said.
Discussion at the school meeting likely will include debate on the proposed merger of school districts in the White River valley, including a merger of Tunbridge and Chelsea which would lead to one school board between the two towns, K-5 schools in each, a middle school most likely in Chelsea, and high school choice for both, which Tunbridge currently enjoys after students finish at its K-8 school.
The actual vote on the measure is on April 11.
“The biggest piece … is we’re talking about how to merge the middle school in Chelsea for 6th, 7th and 8th grade, and that’s a big change for Tunbridge, and Chelsea losing its high school is a huge change for them,” Galluzzo said.
Elections of officers are from the floor at both the town and school meetings.
Selectman Mike McPhetres is expected to seek another term, as is School Board member Liz York, officials said.
John Gregg can be reached at jgregg@vnews.com.