South Royalton
The proposal calls for Bethel, Rochester and Royalton to merge into a single school district under Act 46, the state’s education law that encourages consolidation. Under the plan, each town would have its own pre-K-5 elementary school, while Bethel would house a middle school and Royalton would be home to the high school. Rochester would close its high school, but host an outdoor education program open to highschoolers in the district.
A vote on the plan is scheduled for April 11 in White River valley towns, and Royalton officials on Monday billed it as an opportunity to get the ball rolling early enough to pick up hundreds of thousands in state grant dollars. If the proposal is voted down, they warned, the state could force them into the arrangement without providing those additional funds.
But some of the roughly 80 people at the meeting questioned the logic of partnering with communities that are at times a long commute from South Royalton.
“I think (the plan) falls short. We have a school seven minutes from here that we are not allowed to work with under Act 46. It’s Sharon Academy,” said Tim Murphy, a former School Board chairman.
He said the law has noble goals but is too narrow. Because districts can only merge if they have similar school structures, Murphy said communities better connected to Royalton aren’t included in the plan.
“I think that if we could work with everybody, it would be much, much stronger,” Murphy said.
Resident Harry Dodge also spoke out against the proposal, saying it could increase the district’s overall carbon footprint from busing to Rochester. He also questioned whether state grant funding for the plan is a bargain for Royalton taxpayers.
“Where’s the grant money coming from? It’s all our tax dollars one way or another,” Dodge said. “Don’t any of you make a mistake and think it’s free money.”
Others defended the plan, calling it a good way to increase programs and bring more students to the high school, which has seen its enrollment decline by about 150 students in the past two decades. The proposal would bring about 120 new students to the school, officials said.
“We in Royalton cannot currently offer all children all that they need and deserve in their education,” said former School Board Chairwoman Laurie Smith, adding the merger will allow for more programs.
Cora Honigford, last year’s high school valedictorian, agreed. She was in classes as small as two students during her senior year, and said larger classes would bring more educational opportunities.
“I didn’t get the education that I deserved, the education that I fully believe we are capable of giving,” she said.
Voters at the meeting also approved a $5.8 million budget for the 2017-18 school year. The budget is a decrease of about $330,000 over the current year’s because of changes in special education funding.
Traditionally, the state provided special education funding to the school district, which was then transferred to the White River Valley Supervisory Union, said School Board member Geo Honigford, Cora’s father. But that money is now going directly to the supervisory union, he said, and no longer needs to be in Royalton’s budget.
School officials estimate the budget will decrease the tax rate one cent to $1.41 per $100 of a property’s assessed value. For a home valued at $250,000, that amounts to a tax bill of $3,525.
Residents also approved a warning article transferring up to $50,000 from the general fund into a building reserve fund, which is used to pay for unexpected repairs.
Ballot voting will take place today to choose a moderator and two School Board members. The polls are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the South Royalton School gymnasium.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.