While Act 46 aims to meet the challenges of declining school population, it has also increased educators’ concerns for job security, parents’ concern for educational continuity, and tax-payers’ hope for relief. The children whose education is at stake have neither voice nor vote in a decision that will affect them most.
Consolidation is a complicated matter. Several years ago, the towns of Newfane and Brookline formed the single NewBrook Elementary School, realizing the very increased educational opportunities, services, and savings Act 46 aims to promote.
But these two towns have a history of shared resources dating back to 1948, when they established The NewBrook Volunteer Fire Department. They also share a library, post office, and zip code. And they are geographically close.
Geography matters. Our district covers 365 square miles, the second largest in the state. In any scheme, we must balance the need for consolidation against the costs of transportation. The environmental costs and the price of student time spent in transit must be included in that calculation.
Perversely, the savings NewBrook has already realized would be reversed in any merger required by Act 46. The school board says not merging and paying the penalty is cheaper.
The benefits of school consolidation include both tax containment and more educational opportunities for our kids. With Vermont’s declining school population, some schools don’t have enough children to field a sports team nor can they afford essential
instruction in music and art.
We also need to face up to how much more our schools provide beyond education. Children receive needed nursing and counseling services at school; many kids also receive free meals. In my town, about half the student population qualifies for free and reduced meals, yet the school doesn’t have a regulation kitchen. School days are short and the summer-break long. While some schools offer after school and summer programming, many don’t.
So I think that we need to think beyond mere school consolidation. We need to think about school buildings as a year-round community resource for the delivery of many social services, of which education is one. By putting children and their families at the center of consolidation, we may be surprised at the savings to be realized by streamlining the delivery of social services, strengthening families, and improving our communities as well as our schools.
I think it’s time to knock down the silos between education and social services, and to improve our investment in the future by using the same creative problem solving we teach to our kids.
