Voters in two White River Valley school districts went in opposite directions on improving their schools.
In Sharon, voters ratified a $7.1 million bond issue for an addition to the town’s elementary school after voting down a more expensive proposal last May. Tuesday’s vote was decided by a count of 232-166.
And Bethel and Royalton voters again rejected a $3.8 million bond issue for improvements to the White River Unified School District’s two campuses by a vote of 435-415.
The White River Unified project called for safety improvements, including new entrances at the district’s middle and high schools, new performing arts rehearsal space and expansions to the school’s shop space.
A similar plan failed at the polls in November by 10 votes. The district’s board left the project largely unchanged, removing acoustical improvements and private lesson rooms.
The second failed vote leaves the preK-12 White River district (WRUD) in a position where it has to do work this year to comply with state stormwater regulations that would have bee n wrapped into the larger project. But it also leaves the school struggling to accommodate its largest-ever enrollment, including a large and growing performing arts program.
The only public comments about the project at the district’s annual meeting Monday night were negative. Bethel resident John Ennis urged voters to reject the bond issue, and Royalton resident Don Hilts said he was concerned that the bond might not cover rising expenses and that the school is beyond its useful life.
“I don’t feel that we can conscientiously kick the can down the road again,” Hilts said.
But the homestead education tax rate has remained essentially level in Bethel and Royalton over the past five years, Jamie Kinnarney, superintendent of the White River Valley Supervisory Union, said Wednesday. And school officials noted that under the budget approved Monday night, the homestead taxes of households making $128,000 or less are projected to decline by as much as 18%.
“Certainly I hear that folks are concerned with any additional taxes,” Kinnarney said. It’s possible the district hasn’t gotten the message out about its steady tax rate, he said.
Barring an appeal to reconsider the vote within 30 days, the district cannot bring forward a new bond proposal until after November, Kinnarney said. The need for the project remains, he said, adding that it’s likely the district will move to address the drainage and safety work.
School Board Chairman Andrew Jones, a driving force behind the project, did not run for re-election, and longtime board member Rodney Rainville also finished his term. Replacing them are David Dumais, of Royalton, and Jamie Daniel, of Bethel. Sharon’s approval, also pending a 30-day appeal period, means the district will be able to go out to bid this spring.
“I think we did our best to solicit feedback from the community and to respond to that feedback with a modified plan and bond proposal,” Sharon School Board Chairman Will Davis said in a written statement Wednesday. After the vote last May, the School Board cut back on the size of the addition and reduced its cost by $2.4 million.
Another factor Davis believes might have shifted voters in the proposal’s favor was the uncertainty surrounding education reform in Montpelier.
“I believe that moving forward with this project to make a substantial improvement to our facility will solidify our position as a town to keep our elementary school,” Davis wrote. “… We acknowledged the distinct possibility that if we don’t approve the bond now, the decisions around what happens to our building and our school may be out of our local control moving forward.”
Construction should start be early summer. “The hope is that we could occupy the new building before the end of the 25/26 school year,” Davis wrote.
The same argument about addressing school construction needs amid the state’s ongoing debate might not have taken hold in Bethel and Royalton, Kinnarney said.
“We need to create a facility that can hold the amount of students the state is talking about, or we’re not going to have a high school anymore,” he said.
Alex Hanson can be reached at ahanson@vnews.com or 603-727-3207.
