It’s heartening that the ACSD board has agreed in principle to modify article 14 of its charter agreement to allow the towns of small schools a larger voice in whether to close a school. As it is, ACSD’s school board can close a close with a super majority (10 of 13 members, with Middlebury having 6 members) vote, even if that is against the wishes of the town or of a majority of district voters.
No final decision was made at the board’s meeting this Tuesday, but a straw poll of the members revealed that most were in favor of amending the current article. The board will work on, and hopefully approve, a more detailed process at its next meeting when it has more time to deliberate.
That’s in the spirit of collaborating with member towns to find a solution that works for everyone. It doesn’t mean that small schools won’t close sometime in the future, but it does give those towns a better opportunity to make their case to the broader community.
That Ripton’s ordeal has led to this change among the ACSD board is reason-enough to have weathered the trials and tribulations of the past four years.
Angelo Lynn
