BRISTOL/VERGENNES — The ANWSD/MAUSD Merger Study Committee invites the public to attend a virtual community meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Merger Study Committee has been tasked with determining the feasibility of a merger between the Vergennes-area Addison Northwest School District and the Bristol-area Mount Abraham Unified School District.

Both districts are struggling to maintain educational programming in the face of declining enrollment and rising costs, especially those related to health care.

Since it began meeting this summer, the Merger Study Committee has been composing, piece by piece, a sample Articles of Agreement document as part of its assessment process. It has also taken on a number of complicated issues for discussion, including governance models, local housing availability, the Pupil Weighting Factors Report and transportation logistics in the event of a merger.

As it stands now the committee is aiming to make a determination and submit a report to the State Board of Education, if warranted, in time for a potential merger vote in November 2022.

In the meantime, the committee would like to hear public input and generate discussion about the values, goals and considerations for decision-making related to its work.

The Nov. 16 meeting will be conducted via Zoom, and pre-registration is required.

To register in advance, visit bit.ly/3vznbFX.

Questions about the upcoming meeting may be directed to the committee co-chairs, MariKate Kelley (marikate.kelley@mausd.org) and Martha DeGraaf (mdegraaf@anwsd.org).