WEST DUMMERSTON — As a longtime resident of Dummerston, I am very concerned about the proposed school consolidation for many reasons.
One is the fact that if we merge, we will no longer own our school building and property that we have spent years building and maintaining. Our school can be closed without a vote of our town. The Act 46 Study Committee says it is guaranteed to be kept open only for 5 years.
Another is losing our elected School Board. If we vote to merge, there will be a nine-member Board with Dummerston, Putney and Guilford having only have one voting member each. Brattleboro would have at least four. I realize that there are two voting members, elected at large. However, the chances are they would also go to Brattleboro, the town with the largest voting population.
In a commentary in the Reformer, the chair of the Act 46 Study Committee talks about Article 15, “Local Advocacy through leadership councils.” This group would replace our currently elected school board - a board we elect and a board we know personally and feel comfortable talking with.
She makes it sound like this is a wonderful thing. To me, it is a group with absolutely no teeth. Its members are not elected by us and have absolutely no power. The nine-member board has all the power. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric.
I understand that there are groups working on an Alternative to Merging, which I also understand is allowed in the law. If we vote to merge, there is no exit for us, and there would be no opportunity to bring an alternative to a vote.
So please join me in voting no on Nov. 7 to this merger and allowing these groups to come up with a better system.