Royalton — On Wednesday, the Vermont Board of Education cleared the way for a possible merger between the Bethel and Royalton school districts.

The board voted to approve articles of agreement for the White River Unified District, which would send about 130 middle school students to Bethel and about 170 high school students to Royalton, according to Bethel School Board Chairwoman Lisa Floyd.

The vote signals that the state board agrees the plan will allow the districts to comply with Act 46, a 2015 education reform law that pushes districts into mergers to better meet strict new goals of quality, affordability and equity.

Earlier this year, local education officials crafted a three-town merger that would have included Rochester; at the time, they designed the paperwork so that a failure in any one of the three towns would trigger a vote for a two-town merger between Rochester and Bethel.

But when Rochester decided to explore other options, Bethel successfully lobbied the state board to allow it to skate on that required vote, and instead pursue the merger with Royalton.

“They again expressed appreciation for our group’s continued focus on opportunities for students and commitment to our communities,” Floyd said.

Area educators will now seek to engage the community between now and Tuesday, Oct. 24, when the plan will go before voters in both Bethel and Royalton.

Christine Hudson, chairwoman of the Royalton School Board, said members of a joint study committee between the two towns will hold a series of community meetings in both Bethel and Royalton.

“Then we’ll have meetings the night before the vote,” she said.

Community meetings currently are slated for 6 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the South Royalton School and for 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the library in the Whitcomb Jr. Sr. High School, with additional meetings to follow in early October.

She expressed confidence that, with a Nov. 30 deadline for Act 46 compliance looming, voters will turn out in support of the measure.

“In general, people are positive about this,” she said.

The proposal needs to pass in both towns in order to be approved.

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