POLITICS

Essex, Westford to decide fate of school districts

April McCullum
Free Press Staff Writer
A sign at Essex High School encourages voters to weigh in on the creation of a new school district that would cover Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford. The vote is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Mark Andrews, the school superintendent in Essex Town, is effectively pushing for a change that would put him out of a job.

Voters in Essex, Essex Junction and Westford are set to decide Tuesday whether they should create one school district to cover all three towns.

A positive vote would mean just one superintendent and one central office — and, potentially, some savings in the local school budget.

“I’ve said sort of jokingly if the vote were to pass, I would be the last superintendent in Essex Town,” Andrews said in a phone interview.

Nevertheless, Andrews said he’s “100 percent” behind the idea of a merger, because he wants the Essex area to have a district that oversees the entire student path from pre-kindergarten through Essex High School.

The new district — which would be called the Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union School District — would serve 10 schools. It would have one school board instead of five, one superintendent instead of two. Supporters estimate that they could save about $1 million by reducing overhead and high school tuition costs in the new district.

The transition would have little direct impact on students, Andrews said.

“It’s not going to go bump at all,” Andrews said.

“The fact of the matter is that we are three towns that are closely linked,” said Linda Myers, a Republican state representative from Essex who has coached cheerleading at Essex High School.

“When you’re a Hornet at Essex High School, you’re a Hornet at Essex High School,” Myers said.

Myers voted in the Legislature to support Act 46, the new state law that gives tax breaks to communities that choose to combine their school district governance. She would still like to see lawmakers figure out a way to reduce education property taxes.

Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford rejected a school district merger plan in 2007.

Myers isn’t sure how the vote will play out this time around.

“The attendance at the (informational) meetings were very, very sparse,” Myers said. “The largest one that I went to was Westford, obviously because they’ve got the whole issue of choice.”

Principal Marcie Lewis greets students at the Westford School on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.

The small town of Westford would see the largest change. After a transition period, all Westford students would be expected to attend Essex High School unless they receive special permission for school choice.

The new school district would also own all school property — something that scares Carol Winfield, a 21-year Westford resident and parent of two children who attended Essex High School.

Winfield said she’s voting against the plan because she doesn’t want Westford to lose ownership of Westford School. She worries that the new school board will eventually decide to close Westford School, where student population has been declining.

The merger proposal prohibits closure of any school in the district for four years. If the district decides to close a school, the town would have the opportunity to buy the school property.

“I’m not a gambler, and this whole thing seems a gamble to me,” Winfield said.

Winfield wants more details on the plan, and she argues that the town should wait and come up with another solution.

“I’m not convinced that the information we have is clear enough and is telling me that this is going to be advantageous in any way, shape or form,” Winfield said.

If Westford rejects the plan on Tuesday, voters there will have a second chance to vote on the proposal, as long as they do so before June 30.

Small school districts such as Westford are under pressure: Vermont education officials are encouraging school districts across the state to merge, and the state eventually will have authority to require mergers.

Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Essex High School, Essex Middle School and the Westford School. Residents will also elect school board members who would serve the new unified school district if the plan passes.

Contact April Burbank at 802-660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank