Consolidation Discussion Continues
by Rowan Beck, October 20, 2011.....

The Chittenden Supervisory South Union (CSSU) Regional Education District (RED) committee met again October 13 in Shelburne to discuss creating a consolidated board. Some members came thinking they would be voting on whether or not to recommend such a board; this was not the case. Of the three Charlotte representatives to the board only one was in attendance.

The committee reviewed information packets, which presented the positive aspects of such a board. Topics that were discussed at length were local input, financial aspects, overall benefits to students and board configuration. The committee can make recommendations, but ultimately the RED board will make decisions regarding configuration and how it will proceed.

An area of great concern was loss of local control, or “LC” as committee members referred to it. One idea would be to create local councils that would meet regularly to discuss specific topics. Meetings would be open to the public and opinions could be shared. The local council would then take that information to the RED board. The superintendant would also visit these local councils at least once a year.

Questions arose as to how the local councils would be formed and how large they would be. For example, would Charlotte Central School’s PTO become the local council or would other members of the school community or public who are passionate about certain elements involving education form a council? Committee members from both Charlotte and Hinesburg felt it would give people comfort to know they still had a voice. Sue Thibault, a Charlotte School Board member, said, “This model provides the best opportunity for where you fit. Everyone is different and has different passions.”

Chris Kapsalis, Shelburne community member, had a different take. He felt that the problem being solved was one of governance, not consolidation. NECAP results were given from Chittenden East, which has a consolidated curriculum for grades 5-12. Its test scores have improved respectably since the curriculum consolidation but the district does do not have a consolidated board. Their numbers are now very similar to the CSSU district’s. He felt that the superintendent and the administration should take care of the curriculum and the boards should take care of the budgets and buildings.

The committee also discussed the RED board configuration, whether there should be 12, 15, or some other number of members. The number of representatives is governed by the state census, and by law it must be proportional. For a board of 15 members St. George would have one representative, Charlotte would have two, Hinesburg three, Shelburne four and Williston five. For a board of 12, St. George would still have one, Charlotte and Hinesburg would each have two, Shelburne three and Williston four. Sue Thibault was in favor of a 12-member board.

Financially, for the short-term every town involved in RED benefits. Charlotte and Hinesburg stand to gain most over the next five years. Charlotte would reduce its tax cost by $431,724, and Hinesburg by $255,714, in fiscal year 2015. The tax rate is reduced by $.08 the first year for Charlotte to $.06 by 2015. In 2012 it drops $.12. Where it gets tricky is ten years out. After three years Williston owes the education fund with Shelburne owing after four. The reason for this is because taxes are based on spending per pupil. So over the long term Williston ends up paying a little more. If CSSU is the only board to consolidate there is still a financial benefit. The towns reap all the benefit of the tax, but then the difference is made up across the board by every town in the state.

The big question that the RED committee is wrestling with was “If there is just a short-term benefit (over the next five years), should we do it for all communities?”

By the end of the evening no decision had been made. Members agreed to reconvene and vote their recommendation at a later date. Members left with their information packets to review and to `find a way to best present this idea to local communities should they decide to move forward. For more information on the Merger and Consolidation Committee visit the CSSU website at cssu.org.