Ripton’s little school remains intact for now

A successful reconciliation effort between Ripton parents and their local educators will allow the community’s elementary school to continue as a K-5 learning hub — at least for now.

The town of Ripton, two years removed from a bruising battle to safeguard its elementary school, finds its public education hub in crisis. Parental backlash over a recently launched K-1-2 combined class came to a head on Monday with the sudden resignation … (read more)

Like many who attended Monday night’s ACSD meeting, I left feeling incredibly disappointed with the board’s actions in the meeting. The discussion centered around immediately removing the K-2 students at Ripton elementary and placing them into other area … (read more)

Since January the 4/5 class at Ripton Elementary School has been providing lunches once a month for the homeless people at the Charter House in Middlebury. 

Megan Cheresnick has taught at all levels (except grade 4) during her almost eight-year career at Bridport Central School.

Ripton and Addison Central School District officials are searching for a new Ripton Elementary School leader to succeed current Principal Tracey Harrington, who will step down at the end of the school year.

Ripton officials are vowing to press for rule changes at the state and local levels that would give the rural community, and others like it, more of a say in the future of their tiny schools and how their students are educated.

At our Ripton School Board Meeting about our upcoming Sept 29 vote, many in our community came together to hear and ask questions about the current situation. While there is no easy solution, we were able to come together and feel heard. 

Ripton residents on Thursday, Sept. 29, will be asked whether they’d like to end their two-year effort to separate from the Addison Central School District, a move townspeople endorsed as a way of preserving their small elementary school.

We find ourselves nearing another important townwide vote on how to best educate our children given current education funding laws and state statutes.

The Addison Central School District board has agreed to revisit the notion of amending its charter in a manner that would give the town of Ripton — and indeed all seven of its member towns — more of a say in future decisions about whether their elementary … (read more)

State says Ripton not ready to run its own school; town will vote on rejoining ACSD.

If the final draft of the report is endorsed by the full state board this Friday, it would deal a major setback to Ripton’s long, arduous effort to withdraw from the Addison Central School District as a means of preserving its elementary school — one of t … (read more)

The Ripton School District board last week voted unanimously to stick to a path that would make the community’s new preK-12 school system operational during the summer of 2023, rather than waiting until 2024.

Ripton Elementary School will keep its part-time principal, Tracey Harrington, through the 2022-2023 academic year. But the school will need a new top administrator when Ripton fully transitions to an independent school district on July 1, 2023.