ANWSD/MAUSD merger blueprint considers school closure

New draft articles of agreement would serve as the founding document for a proposed merger between the school districts in the northern half of Addison County.

The ANWSD-MAUSD Merger Study Committee gave preliminary approval to an article of agreement that would allow a future merged district to close elementary schools if certain academic and financial conditions are met.

We know that many people have questions about the ANWSD/MAUSD Merger Study Committee. As non-school board committee members of the study committee, it has taken us some time to get up to speed on the issues and language of the work.

Watching the MAUSD/ANWSD Merger Study Committee (MSC) right now is like watching people evacuate a ship into rickety lifeboats without confirming that the ship is indeed sinking.

I want to make it perfectly clear that I am writing this letter as a tax paying citizen of Ferrisburgh and in no way as a member of the school board.

Some kids would spend 60-90 minutes on a bus — both to and coming from schools — plus spending on busing would go up by $385,000 to $880,000.

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.

BRISTOL — The ANWSD-MAUSD Merger Study Committee has given itself eight extra months to complete its work.The committee voted unanimously at its Tuesday night meeting to extend its workplan deadline from Town Meeting Day, March 1, to Election Day, Nov. 8, … (read more)

BRISTOL — The ANWSD-MAUSD Merger Study Committee is not obligated to finish its work in time to warn a possible vote on Town Meeting Day, March 1, 2022, and the committee made a point of repeating this fact several times during its second meeting on Aug. … (read more)

VERGENNES — The ANWSD-MAUSD Merger Study Committee has begun its work.The group, which was created to study the advisability of a merger between the Addison Northwest School District (Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vergennes, Waltham) and the Mount Abraham … (read more)

VERGENNES — The Addison Northwest School District board on Monday joined the Mount Abraham Unified School District board in backing a formal study committee to evaluate a possible future merger of the two districts. The MAUSD board had approved the study … (read more)

VERGENNES — In the words of Addison Northwest School District Board Member Mark Koenig at the board’s Monday meeting, ANWSD is ready to enter into “talks about talking” about cooperating with the Mount Abraham Unified School District. Those talks could le … (read more)