A central Vermont school board voted Thursday night to recommend closing two small elementary schools.
At the end of a marathon meeting that stretched past midnight, the Washington Central Unified Union School District board endorsed closing Calais Elementary School and Doty Memorial School in Worcester at the end of this school year.
Both towns still have to approve the closures, and a number of residents who spoke at Thursday’s meeting remained deeply opposed to the idea.
Like many school districts in Vermont, Washington Central is facing declining enrollment, rising health care costs, expensive facility upgrades, and uncertainty about how Vermont’s education law, Act 73, will impact funding and state oversight.
More from Vermont Public: Act 73 is already changing Vermont's education system
The board considered two budgets: one that kept both schools open but included significant cuts to programs and staffing, and a second budget with fewer cuts but a recommendation to close the schools in Calais and Worcester.
Before supporting the closures, school board member McKalyn Leclerc — who grew up in Worcester, attended Doty Memorial, and now sends her kids there — recognized the hard choices facing the district.
“This has been difficult, and emotional for all of the communities involved,” Leclerc said. “It is very clear that academically, social-emotionally, we’re really going to do the kids a disservice if we keep running five elementary schools. And I say that with a lot of sadness because I love Doty.”
Some of the arguments for closing the schools include the dwindling class sizes, which some say do not benefit young children when there are 10 or fewer classmates.
"It is very clear that academically, social emotionally, we’re really going to do the kids a disservice if we keep running five elementary schools."McKalyn Leclerc, Worcester resident and school board member
But throughout the meeting, parents and community members said they wanted a small school in their small town.
“I want to express my grief at how forcefully we’re being pushed to accept something that will disrupt our children’s well-being and the very nature of the towns we live in,” said Sophia Emigh, who has two children at Doty Memorial in Worcester. “Doty and Calais are where children learn who they are in relation to place, and where belonging is practiced every day.”
The board spent a lot of time in the late hours of the meeting ironing out the details of how it is going to finalize its proposed budget by the end of January, hold the votes in Worcester and Calais, and then present a budget to voters on Town Meeting Day in March.
More from Vermont Public: School board votes to close two elementary schools in southwest Vermont
And questions remain over what would happen if one town votes to close its school, while the second votes down the recommendation.
The board had hoped to hold the votes on Jan. 20, to give them more time to finalize the budget before Town Meeting Day.
But some in the audience pushed back, saying the quick timeline did not give the communities time to discuss the vote.
“I think one month is a short runway for getting all the information to our community,” said board member Patrick Whelley. “They’ve been asking for details for a few months now, and I’m not sure how we can possibly get enough answers out in the next four weeks to ensure that this passes.”
In the end, the board settled on Feb. 10 for the town votes on closing the schools.
