Woodstock — Supporters of a multi-town school district merger in the Windsor Central Supervisory Union just barely cleared the threshold they needed, with school officials reporting on Tuesday night that the minimum requirement of four approving towns had been met.

Pomfret, Bridgewater, Killington and Woodstock residents voted in favor of merging into a single school district, with a single board and a single budget operating schools in the four towns.

The newly created Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District will come into existence in July 2018, at which time the founding school districts will be dissolved.

“On behalf of the Supervisory Union, I am very grateful to the communities for supporting this initiative, as it will be powerful for the kids,” Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Alice Worth said in an email on Tuesday night. “The Planning Committee members who worked on this have only had educational opportunity in the forefront throughout the process.”

The proposal was rejected by Barnard, 155-103, and by Reading, 135-64, so those two towns will not be part of the merger. Under the proposal, their elementary schools would have become pre-K-4, with fifth and sixth-graders being shifted to elementary schools in other communities.

The merger was one of at least 10 being considered across the state, as smaller school districts work to comply with Act 46, the 2015 education reform law that seeks to make education more cost-efficient by combining administrative structures into larger units.

Had all six Woodstock-area towns voted to form the district, it would have been known as the Windsor Central Unified Union School District, but merger supporters increasingly regarded that as a long shot, as it became clear that they were facing stiff opposition in Barnard, Reading and Killington.

Worth said she anticipated that the merger “will be a catalyst for further unity.”

Under the proposal, Barnard, Reading and Killington can decide to join the new district by holding a new, affirmative vote by Oct. 1, 2017.

Plymouth is not part of the Windsor Central Supervisory Union, but it may be joining the new district. Worth said Tuesday night that Plymouth’s planned vote had not taken place.

“Plymouth had to abort its voting today and will reconvene Town Meeting within 60 days, I am told,” she wrote. “I was at their Town Meeting last night and was very encouraged by an informal vote of support.”

Of the towns that supported the merger, the unofficial vote totals released by Worth were 125-16 in Pomfret, 98-37 in Bridgewater, 233-88 in Killington and 444-155 in Woodstock.

In all-day municipal voting, Woodstock voters handily approved several articles requesting funding for social service and arts agencies.

In a contested election, challenger Sonya Stover defeated Woodstock Selectman Preston Bristow, 339-231.

Jill Davies won an open seat on the board.

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.