Westminster voters, along with those from Athens and Grafton, all voted down the proposed Act 46 school-district merger based on the “preferred model” structure. Other towns throughout the state also voted down merger plans.
We now hope to explore alternative governance structures that are outlined in Act 46, although the exact process for next steps is not completely clear.
We invite school board members, Selectboard members, and the public from all surrounding districts to a forum in early May where we can explore what any of us know about alternative governance structures, generate questions we have about next steps related to Act 46, and share any ideas people have for meeting the goals of the legislation in an alternative structure.
While ultimately we think many districts may end up working with their nearby districts in their current respective supervisory unions or union high school districts, we think meeting at least once can let us learn together, share our best thinking, and make connections that may help us best serve our children and our communities.
Westminster voters received a postcard at the end of last week which addresses the upcoming vote on school district consolidation and urges voters to vote no. The postcard is signed by the group “Local Communities for Local Schools.” Together with more than two dozen people from Brattleboro, Vernon, Dummerston,