This week House lawmakers gave an extension to some—but not all—school districts that have yet to merge under Act 46, giving some districts as much as an additional year to comply with the state's school district merger mandate.
The 2015 law gives districts until July of 2019 to consolidate into larger governing bodies. About 50 Vermont school districts continue to struggle with that transition. Now House lawmakers granted a 12-month reprieve to roughly half of them.
VPR reporter Peter Hirschfeld joins Vermont Edition to discuss how the debate played out on the House floor, and what the amendment means for towns working to meet the original July deadline and for towns yet to present a merger plan to voters.
Broadcast live on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
