Tunbridge
The Tunbridge school budget, which was approved on a voice vote after little discussion, includes a 6.5 percent increase in education spending per equalized pupil, to $16,441, which would increase the residential school tax rate by 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value, to $1.40. A home assessed at $200,000 would see a tax bill increase of $40.
The merger plan is being recommended by the Tunbridge School Board as a means to comply with Act 46, the 2015 education reform law that seeks to make the education system more cost-effective by combining the administrative structures of school districts across the state.
Under the Tunbridge and Chelsea plan, the districts would merge to form the First Branch Unified School District, which would operate a K-5 elementary school in each town, and a middle school at what is widely assumed would be the existing Chelsea High School. The high school in Chelsea would close, and students in grades 9-12 would get school choice.
The district would be helmed by a six-member School Board with three representatives from each town, which Tunbridge School Board Chairwoman Kathy Galluzzo said was meant to ensure that major changes would need support from at least four board members.
The proposal will come before voters of the two towns on April 11; not only does it have to be approved by both towns, but it is also contingent on the approval of a high school within the larger White River Valley Supervisory Union by towns including Royalton on the same day.
During a presentation to a crowd of about 80 residents Monday evening, Tunbridge School Board Vice Chairwoman Maryann Caron said the move would increase educational opportunities and allow the district to capitalize on tax incentives offered by the state under Act 46.
It would save about $264,000, largely in salaries for middle school employees, and would also maintain an additional $230,000 in state grants that would otherwise be lost to the districts.
Resident Kathi Terami questioned whether the district is moving too quickly to make such a significant structural change, which she said was first floated to the public via a survey she received in mid-December.
The idea of combining the middle schools, she said, was not aired publicly until the same Jan. 30 meeting at which School Board members voted to officially recommend the change.
“I’m really concerned about having communities vote on April 11,” Terami said. “There may be some great merits to merging the middle school, but was there enough time to get input from the voters?”
School Board member Liz York said that, though the total Act 46 study process was lengthy, forward progress with Chelsea was a late-breaking development.
“Chelsea as a potential partner came at the 11th hour, but they were a very natural fit,” she said.
The April 11 vote, said York, is “your first stab at saying we don’t want one middle school. Just vote no. but if you’re excited by the possibilities, … we want good things for our kids, and we want good value, so yes, we have confidence that what comes out of the two towns working together will be a good thing.”
After York said the School Boards had not undertaken an audit of deferred maintenance at the properties that would be jointly owned by the new district, resident Robert Sponable said he was worried about the possibility of increased liability.
“We should at least be asking them, do they have issues on the table that we need to be aware of?” Sponable said.
Resident Thornton Hayslett received a round of applause after saying that, even though an affirmative vote in Tunbridge could be invalidated by the outcome in other towns, voters shouldn’t be discouraged from supporting the proposal.
“I think personally it makes a lot of sense and there are a lot of opportunities in this merger. … Don’t stay away out of frustration,” he said.
York urged residents to vote, no matter their position.
“We’re doing the best we can, but exercise your independent judgment,” she said. “If it passes, we’re going to do the best we can to transition to one board. If it doesn’t pass, our job will be to go back to the drawing board with Act 46.”
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.