Calling All Roxburians!
Have you been hearing rumors about a possible school closure? Or perhaps you heard about a really important school board meeting this week and weren't able to make it? Don't worry! You will have an opportunity to ask any questions you have to Rhett Williams, my fellow school board comrade, and me this SUNDAY, November 5th, 4pm at the Roxbury Community Hall (1642 Roxbury Road (VT Rte 12A)).
Now we don't have all the answers, but we can try. We certainly can explain where we are at in this process right now. Formal details are below, we look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Please RSVP! (recommended not required)
https://forms.gle/W8TiYc561stnfw5g8
Thank you!
Kristen Getler (kristengetler@mpsvt.org)
Rhett Williams (rhettwilliams@mpsvt.org)
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The purpose of the meeting is to receive feedback and questions from the Roxbury community based on the MRPS school board's November 1st meeting. At that meeting, anticipated pressures on next year's Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools' budget were discussed. Currently, it's understood MRPS would need to either (1) reduce its budget by ~$1.2 million OR (2) raise taxes to fund the next school year (24-25).
The new budget pressure is due to Act 127, a law that attempts to ensure more fair, equitable distribution of education funds across Vermont schools. It is anticipated MRPS would need to reduce its budget by ~$5 million over the next 5 years to be in compliance with the law.
At the November 1 meeting, board members reacted to the presented budget pressures and provided direction to the Superintendent. Board members advised the Superintendent to come back to our December 6th meeting and present several options with associated impacts (i.e., tax increase, budget cuts).
In addition to showing options like moving ahead with a budget similar to this year, pulling money from the district's "rainy day fund", it was also suggested the board see an option that would bus Roxbury elementary students to Union Elementary School (Montpelier) for their education, instead of the Roxbury Village School to reduce district costs.
The board is at the stage of information gathering and exploration; no budget decisions have been made. The administration is still working to fully understand the financial impacts of Act 127. Nonetheless, this is an important stage to keep the community updated and to receive feedback.
Join us Sunday to share your questions and feedback. Again, here is the link to RSVP (recommended not required)!
https://forms.gle/W8TiYc561stnfw5g8
A recording of the Nov 1 meeting can be watched here:
https://www.orcamedia.net/show/november-1-2023-mrsb
A meeting summary can be found here:
https://www.mrpsvt.org/school-board
Draft meeting minutes can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SRs7q4HB8OrbDIao_K7MR3IVirvoDmoTb3-I0bqM4U0/edit