Letter to the editor: Merger won’t help schools

There are better ways to improve education for all of our students and to prudently manage taxpayer dollars.

Despite the Starksboro Save our School committee’s publication of our analysis that the likely tax increase was closer to 3%, the damage had been done.

This merger will affect families in both districts and we deserve to better understand both the benefits and the costs of merging before we agree to this change. 

Voters should be deeply skeptical of any claims for financial benefits from the proposed merger.

The board ultimately voted in favor, 6-5, of adopting the resolution, with board chair Dawn Griswold supplying the tie-breaking vote. 

The Article of Agreements represent your community members working toward the following priorities.

If we are serious about equity — providing all children what they need to develop to their full academic potential — we need to defeat the proposed merger on Nov. 8.

Now, it is the community’s turn. Your voice is important.

After attending the Merger Study Committee meeting on Sept. 20, we came away quite disturbed.

Merging would mean moving school governance even farther away from the students and their schools and communities.

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.