Senate lawmakers took a first look on Tuesday at revised legislation granting school districts a one-year extension from forced mergers under Act 46. And, in principle, it would allow the vast majority of school boards the option to take the extra time.
But there’s a catch.
The bill, as proposed by Senate Education Committee chairman Sen. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden, would require new unified school boards to decide whether to delay — not existing independent boards.
Baruth told his fellow lawmakers in committee on Tuesday he understood some of them didn’t think any districts should get more time, while others favored giving a blanket delay to all who wanted it. His proposal, he said, attempted to find a “reasonable middle ground.”
“Which is: Give people more time, but the assumption is that people are working toward fulfilling (Act 46) and so it’s not crazy to expect them to elect that board,” he said.
Since the beginning of the session, a tripartisan coalition of lawmakers have been lobbying their peers to delay mergers under Act 46. They argue the timelines in the end-stages of the law allow for too little time to do complicated work but also that the courts should have a chance to weigh in before mergers are put into place. Three lawsuits have been filed challenging the law.
In early February, the House green-lit a plan that would delay mergers for about half of districts. Hoping that Superior Court Judge Robert Mello would issue a ruling that would take the question out of their hands, Senate lawmakers had, until now, postponed taking up the subject.