After more than two years of studying and discussions, the school districts of Poultney, Proctor, and West Rutland will merge into the Quarry Valley Unified Union School District (QVUUSD) and the school districts of Wells and Middletown Springs will merge into the Wells Springs Unified Union School District (WSUUSD) on Tuesday, June 27th. The organizational meetings have been warned by the Secretary of Education to have new Board members sworn into office, elect a moderator, clerk, and treasure for the first year of operation, and determine an annual meeting date.
Residents of Wells and Middletown Springs are asked to meet at the Middletown Springs Elementary School multipurpose room at 5:30 to participate in the organizational meeting. Residents of Poultney, Proctor, and West Rutland are asked to meet at the Poultney High School library at 7:00. Once organized, the Boards of the two new school districts will spend the upcoming year establishing policy for the new districts, creating budgets for fiscal year 2019, and negotiating contracts with teachers and support staff. At the same time, the five current district Boards will oversee all of the operations of existing districts.
In August, the school districts of Ira and of Rutland Town will meet with the Vermont State Board of Education to ask that they be added as “sides” (an Act 46 term) to the newly formed sides of Quarry Valley and Wells Springs. This can be allowed as a result of some recent legislative modifications to Act 46 now known as Act 49. Ira and Rutland Town have been unable to find partners with which to merge as a result of their grade configuration and tuitioning options. They have made every attempt and were active members of the Act 46 study committee.
Since the seven school districts bridge two supervisory unions, Rutland Central Supervisory Union and Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union will ask the State Board to be merged effective July 1, 2018. Assuming this is approved by the State Board, seven school districts will have merged into four and two supervisory unions into one.
We wish to thank our communities for their patience to understand all of the requirements and nuances of Act 46 and now Act 49 as well. These are complex laws still being interpreted by the Agency of Education and by school districts. It has been a challenging and time consuming process for all. Should you have questions, please call the superintendents of Rutland Central Supervisory Union, Dr. Debra Taylor, or Rutland Southwest Supervisory Union, Dr. Joan Paustian through June 30 and Superintendent Judy Pullinen after July 1st. Board Members for Quarry Valley UUSD will be Mary Jo Teetor, Rebecca Cook, Linda Smith, and Kristen Ross from Poultney; Art Saceric, Andy Shaw, and Lisa Miser of Proctor; and James Mumford, Tom Callahan, and Blake Cushing from West Rutland. Wells Springs Board members will be Meredith Morgan, Clarence Haynes, Sarah Haley, and Chris Smid of Middletown Springs; and Courtney Bishop, Laura Burch, and an appointed member from Wells.
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